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Feminist Whitney Bell Used Instagram Stories To Blog Her IUD Insertion And It's Pretty Badass

'We have to stand up and fight for this life saving organization'

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Whitney Bell | ELLE UK
kidd.bell//Instagram

Last year, activist and feminist Whitney Bell shared her experience of undergoing a termination to highlight the dangers of a state legislation in Ohio that proposed banning abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.

Now, she's sharing her experience of getting an intrauterine device (IUD or coil), to show the importance of sexual health organisations, like Planned Parenthood, which are currently under threat from the Trump administration:

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Text, Pink, Heart, Font, Magenta, Carmine, Love, Signage, Advertising, Valentine's day,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Joint, Human leg, Advertising, Poster, Photo caption, Foot, Ankle,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Text, Violet, Walking shoe, Document, Nail, Thumb, Paper, Sock,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Font, Material property, Document, Advertising, Paper, Brand, Recipe, Paper product,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Text, Magenta, Advertising, Photo caption,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Lip, Chin, Text, Eyebrow, Magenta, Advertising, Poster, Publication, Book cover, Book,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Text, Red, Magenta, Pink, Font, Colorfulness, Purple, Orange, Violet, Maroon,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Text, Font, Aqua, Teal, Turquoise, Circle, Graphic design, Label,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Yellow, Text, Font, Parallel, Paper product, Material property, Advertising, Handwriting, Rectangle, Paper,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Human, Finger, Shoe, Text, Font, Tan, Beige, Walking shoe, Nail, Thumb,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Electronic device, Office equipment, Technology, Comfort, Display device, Gadget, Service, Output device, Medical equipment, Electronics,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Footwear, Shoe, Brown, Text, Amber, Font, Tan, Peach, Beige, Dress shoe,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Text, White, Font, Black, Parallel, Black-and-white, Paper, Material property, Monochrome photography, Number,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Lip, Cheek, Hairstyle, Chin, Forehead, Eyebrow, White, Cool, Eyelash, Black hair,
kidd.bell//Instagram

After the procedure, Bell revealed: 'The whole process took about an hour and a half. I'm in a lot of pain and expect to be for the next day or so. It's like really intense cramping. I'm so grateful to everyone at Planned Parenthood for being so informative, kind and helpful.'

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Finger, Shoulder, Elbow, Joint, Wrist, Font, Interaction, Black, Muscle, Photography,
kidd.bell//Instagram

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Lip, Hair coloring, Blond, Chest, Selfie, Throat, Hair care, Flesh, Small to medium-sized cats,
kidd.bell//Instagram

She finished her story to say: 'Today has been pretty painful and according to all your comments it might get worse over the next couple of weeks. I just wanted to thank Planned Parenthood for giving me the autonomy over my body at a time when it feels like it might get taken away.'

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.

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Whitney Bell | ELLE UK
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