All tagged United States

"His texts would slut shame me for sleeping with him and getting pregnant."

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Three Abortions, U.S.

“My third abortion happened after my divorce. I meet a guy and we were talking. We seem very compatible and we discussed everything before we even got intimate. This including children and if I get pregnant he would want to be part of the baby’s life. We both had good jobs, income and we were mature. I was 33 and he was 36. There were some yellow flags that turned red in the months I was dating him. I tried to break up with him, but he would ask me to give us a chance.” Read more.

"If I could go back, I would tell my 19-year-old self that it’s okay, and that I was not doing anything shameful or wrong."

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Two Abortions, U.S.

“When our child was around two years old, I got pregnant for the third time. We simply knew we did not want any more children, and it was quite honestly an easy decision for me to choose a medical abortion. I still didn’t have a lot of emotional support, but I was fortunately in a safe living situation this time around, and had learned a lot more about sexual health through social media.” Read more.

"I was married, the mother of two girls, and found myself with another unplanned pregnancy."

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Two Abortions, California, Texas

“We had a very emotional conversation that day, and my mom had the ultimate courage on telling me about her two abortions. My mom was 17 when she had her first abortion, she had me when she was 21, and she had her second abortion at 26. This was something I never knew about, and it was something she never talked about, but that conversation helped me in making my choice.” Read more.

"He never once thought about how this could affect my mental health."

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Three Abortions, California

“All he cared about was how he wanted this second child. He wanted a playmate for child number one, who is on the spectrum, which within itself is a lot of work with them being a toddler and having that disability. So once the second abortion was done, he really went overboard and in some ways is trying to trap me, though I have been using a birth control that works for me and happy that I was able to have such.” Read more.

"Due to my troublesome childhood I had decided years ago that I would never want to be a mother."

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Two Abortions, U.S.

“Lucky for me, the procedure worked, even though I was so early in my pregnancy. I was relieved and thankful that I had the privilege of having the option to terminate. Fast forward to now. I haven’t been nauseous but my breasts have been extremely tender. I woke up this morning, 1 day before my expected period, knowing I needed to take a test. Sure enough, pregnant again. The appointment has been made, I will be terminating this pregnancy as well.” Read more.

"Growing up, abortion was only ever discussed by my mom in very hushed tones- as though just speaking about it was shameful in itself."

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Two Abortions, Florida, New York

“A friend recently reminded me that shame dies in the light. So many of us have either had or know someone who has had an abortion and yet we still struggle and keep our stories in the dark. Sharing this isn’t easy for me either, but I hope my story might help someone else cast off that suffocating shame or stand taller, speak up and speak out.” Read more.

"I think of the damage those children might have experienced with me as their mother."

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Three Abortions, Georgia, U.S.

“I know being wanted isn’t a guarantee of a child’s happiness or success, but after I got sober at 25, I went back to school and got a degree in social work. I worked in child abuse investigations for 20 years, and I can’t count the number of children I saw who had been targeted, scapegoated, tortured, and vilified because they were unwanted. The most basic gift we can give children is to be wanted and loved. Every child should have that starting out.” Read more.

"To the woman that I judged in high school for having 2 abortions, I am so sorry."

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Three Abortions, Texas, U.S.

“Not once did I entertain having a baby. Sometimes I think about how old they would be now, but not much more. Those 3 abortions were not difficult decisions for me. I have also yet to encounter someone that doesn’t sit with me while I open up and talk about it. To anyone feeling alone, like I did during my first abortion, you are not! You have thousands of people in your corner.” Read more.

"I knew this was the worst possible environment that I could bring a child into."

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Multiple Abortions, Massachusetts, California, U.S.

“Making the decision to have an abortion is a complex and quiet calculus. Even when it feels uncomplicated, there are nuances. As a woman of color, I grew up like with so much stigma around not being an unwed teenage mother. Now that I'm older I wonder why I got so fixated on there being only one way –married—to have kids.” Read more.

"These are tears of relief. You have no idea, this is a massive relief."

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Two Abortions, U.S.

“That abortion gave me the time to meet the person I am spending the rest of my life with, and eventually have our daughter. When our daughter was 5, we wanted to give her a sibling. I was 37 at the time and experienced a number of losses before getting pregnant again. We told everyone — we were so excited — and then at 13 weeks the doctors found chromosomal abnormalities.” Read more.

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