Elizabeth says she envies the ‘free rhetorical space’ in the anti-abortion movement, where people who’ve had multiple abortions can talk openly about their experiences, as long as they frame their stories to punish other people who’ve had abortions.
“In my culture, talking about sex and birth control is forbidden. There’s an unspoken rule about sex – don’t have it. I had to find resources and answers to my questions on my own. . . . When I sought out resources I came across Aid for Women, a crisis pregnancy center that gave me misleading medical information and basically tried to talk me out of my abortion. It was incredibly belittling and hurtful.” Click the green title to read more.
“My mom has told me time and time again that she doesn’t understand why I share my story publicly. ‘You’re giving people a reason to judge you,’ she’ll tell me. But I’ve never seen it as that. Instead, I see speaking out as a way to show people that they don’t have to feel ashamed for having an abortion.” Click the green title to read more.
“In my opinion that’s the reason why women aren’t as successful as men in the art world. There’s plenty of talented women. Why do men take over the important positions? It’s simple. Love, family, children – a woman doesn’t want to sacrifice all of that.” Click the green title to read more.
“I am devastated, angry with myself for being so stupid, on the brink of a nervous breakdown, totally distraught. But I know that I cannot have this child. And to ensure that this never happens again, (hopefully), I am having my tubes tied on the same day.” Click the green title to read more.
“I was using a form of birth control each time I conceived, so I wasn't irresponsible, just unlucky. I have an unbelievable amount of guilt from these abortions, but I know I made the right decision.” Click the green title to read more.
“There are lives that are meant to happen and there are lives that never were, but those decisions belong to the bodies incubating the cells within them. I will drive, escort, and support any woman who decides that termination is the best thing to do with her pregnancy.” Click the green title to read more.
Listen as Maryann tells of her two abortion experiences.
“I have very few options for birth control. I am on pregnancy number eight right now. I have an appointment next week for an abortion. I have one beautiful daughter, have had three miscarriages, and three previous abortions.” Click the green title to read more.
Comedian Chelsea Handler says her abortions were wise. “We have 7.3 billion people on this planet. Anybody who carefully decides not to become a parent—let alone a bad parent, which is what I would have become—should be applauded for making a smart and sustainable decision.” Click the green title to read more.
Emily tells of feeling embarrassed and yet grateful that she was able to access abortion healthcare three times in her life. Click the green link to read more.
Genesis as she tells of her two abortion experiences. Listen and share.
“To be alive and human is to be in favor of life, but to bring an unwanted child into this world—or to force any woman to do so against her will, her health, her future, her finances, or her well-being, because that is your moral stance, not hers or her doctor’s—is not pro-life. It is control wearing the mask of virtue.“ Click the green title to read more.
Feminist writer Polly Vernon says of her abortions — “Three messy, silly scenarios; but then, messy, silly scenarios are often all that lie behind unwanted pregnancies." Click the green title to read more.
Listen to Devra talk about her three abortion experiences — one of them an illegal abortion in 1966. She explains how much it helped her to be able to talk to other women about her reproductive experiences.
Watch this video posted by Feminism in India. Women tell their abortion stories. One of them talks about having two abortions. Find her voice at the 1:10 minute mark.
“No judgment or value should ever be imposed upon a choice not to bring a child into the world for whatever reason. It is rather a compassionate responsibility to acknowledge the extent of care that you would not be able to give to a child.” Click the green title to read more.
“I have no regrets about any of the decisions I made in my life. If my story taught me anything is that abortions are not something shameful, isolated, or sinful and the women who choose to have them are not monsters. They are girls just like you and me: your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, single, married, divorced, teenagers, mothers, grandmothers and they are everywhere.” Click the green title to read more.
“Casting off the cloak of shame demands being straightforward about abortion. So, I have decided to push aside my unease and tell my story. To be clear: I don’t think I should have to justify having recreational sex, using birth control, or getting an abortion. I am not sharing my story because I feel the need to explain myself. I’m doing so because I believe “I want an abortion,” is a complete statement.” Click the green title to read more.
“I've always been very careful with contraception but about 10 years later I got pregnant twice within a year and had two abortions. It was devastating. I was raised in a very conservative family in a country that sees abortion in such a bad light.” Click the green title to read more.
