State Officials Try to End Legal Abortion During COVID-19 Crisis
“If there’s one thing abortion funds know it is that our community can come together to support people who are shut out of accessing healthcare,” Williams said in a statement. “We see it every single day. When someone decides to have an abortion, it is critical that they are able to get care on the timeline that works for them, with the support of physicians and health-care providers they trust.”
'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' Is A Modern Abortion Epic That Finally Rings True
Angel Kai, 21, is a storyteller for We Testify, an organization that gives abortion patients a platform for sharing their own stories to shift the narrative of abortion in the United States. She found out she was pregnant last year, only a few months after giving birth to her second child. Unable to support a third child, she started looking for an abortion provider. “I think I called about four different places, and they all told me the same price, and I was like, ‘There's no way I can afford to do this,’” she says.
For the ‘Beyoncé of Abortion Storytelling,’ the Fight Is Just Beginning
Renee Bracey Sherman is changing how people think about abortions, but her target isn’t the anti-choice activists picketing the rally in front of the Supreme Court. “It’s a waste of my time and energy,” she says. “Men like that are never going to change their minds. They are hell-bent on controlling women and people of color. My job is to ensure that people who have abortions are loved and supported.”
The Harassment We Face as Abortion Storytellers
After navigating various political obstacles to access abortion in the first place, the decision to share our stories should be our choice, on our terms, and when we feel ready. While abortion storytelling can be an empowering experience, if it leads to harassment, including death threats and sexual harassment, like the study found—even when the storyteller uses a pseudonym or alias—then there is clearly always risk involved.
Women Are Using Their Personal Stories to Fight Abortion Stigma — and It’s Working
Angie Marie Luna never thought she’d talk about the abortions she had at ages 18 and 19. Raised in a religious, Mexican-American Catholic household in Chicago, Luna was always told that abortion was a sin — by her parents, her sibling, her uncle, and the abusive boyfriend who, she says, refused to wear a condom as a means of controlling her behavior. “He told me later that he intentionally tried to get me pregnant so I would drop out of college.
I Had Undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder When I Got Pregnant — My Abortion Saved My Life
When I learned I was pregnant, my immediate reaction was that I was going to have an abortion. I had been cycling through manic and depressive cycles for several years but didn’t yet realize that what I had was bipolar disorder.
I Was 33, Underemployed and Heading Toward Poverty — Here’s Why My Abortion Was So Important
When I got pregnant, I was living in Chicago and in a long-distance relationship with a guy in Maryland. It was kind of a whirlwind romance, and a couple of months into it, I found out that I was pregnant. I was using protection, but I still got pregnant. And because we were long-distance, it was a question of, how is this going to happen?
I Was in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship and Too Ashamed to Tell Anyone About My Abortion
I was a freshman at the University of Houston when I got pregnant. I was 19 years old, working two jobs — and I was in an unhealthy relationship. There was a lot of emotional abuse. My immediate reaction was, I cannot be pregnant right now. I can’t be a mother. I felt so young and was focused on school and just getting by.
The TikTok Abortion Video Didn’t Actually Show Abortion, but This YouTube Video Did
“I do think this contributes to the misrepresentation of people who have abortions, but I still wish there had been normalized videos to watch when I had mine. I don’t feel negatively about [the videos] when it’s to bust stigma,” Rusk told Rewire.News. “I believe the ability for someone to share their experience can be tied to the support and resources they had. I’ve heard many abortion stories, and all posed different and difficult challenges for the person. It’s a spectrum, and it deserves the spotlight.”
How an online search for abortion pills landed this woman in jail
“We are criminalizing folks of color who are taking their healthcare into their own hands, either by choice or because the state and this nation are barring them from access in other ways,” says Renee Bracey Sherman, executive director of We Testify, an organization of abortion storytellers. “And then we are punishing them for making that decision. Whether or not they’re using an ancient form or pills on the internet, none of it should be criminalized. It’s just that simple.”
Abortion Access And Activism Remain Strong In Illinois
“The problem is that, in the states surrounding Illinois, you have mandatory counseling requirements. You have waiting periods. You have restrictions,” Jeyifo said. “If you have two appointments in Wisconsin, for instance, you have to see the same doctor.”
For some women outside of Illinois, even if they have access to care in their home state, “they’ll choose to come here because it’s quicker and less expensive,” Jeyifo said.
Faith Leaders Support People Through All Kinds Of Life Issues — Including Abortion
“That’s what Christian relationships are about — sharing life experiences and testimony that reflect our faith,” she says. “I received love and care when I thought I wouldn’t.” Her father explained how the Bible is “full of decisions and choices,” she remembers, and he couldn’t fathom a God being against people having free will.
Abortion Isn't Slavery. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Should Know Better
Last week, as the United States commemorated the anniversary of the legalization of abortion nationwide, the Trump administration made headlines for its despicable opposition to abortion access. Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend the anti-abortion March for Life rally, and in remarks praising his efforts to restrict access to health care worldwide, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had the nerve to compare abortion to slavery.
“Ours to Tell”: New Film Highlights Personal Stories About the Importance of Abortion Access
As Roe v. Wade faces unprecedented attacks, the new short film “Ours to Tell” puts a human face to the fight for reproductive justice and highlights those whose stories are often sidelined by the media: LGBTQ communities and communities of color. The film focuses on Ylonda, Nick, Hannah and Brittany, four people who discuss how having access to abortion shaped their lives.
What It’s Like to Get an Abortion in Ohio
In April 2019, Ohio lawmakers passed a bill that would have criminalized abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. It was blocked on July 3—a week before it would have gone into effect—but in November lawmakers introduced another attempt to criminally penalize providers and patients as well
5 People on How They Learned Their Parents Had Experience With Abortion
As children, we share countless stories with our parents, from magical ones born from our young imaginations to stories of painful breakups, horrible bosses, and fantastic first dates when we’re adults. We also share stories of our abortions. Like me, the following people shared their abortion story and had it met by another. Abortion is normal, and for many of us, abortion is just one of the many things we have in common with our parents.
Women are not the only ones who need access to abortions
When Nick Thixton, who uses pronouns they/them, needed an abortion in Texas as a trans person, they felt alienated at times. Despite a few hiccups along the way, Thixton was able to have their abortion in an environment that was respectful and gender-affirming.
39 Abortion Stories Show Just How Important Abortion Access Is
On January 2, 39 GOP Senators signed an AMICUS brief urging the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that secured the legal right to abortion. In the brief, these senators, along with 168 Republican members of the House, asked the sitting Supreme Court Justices to revisit and overturn Roe v Wade when they consider a case based on a Louisiana law that could severely limit access to abortion in the state.
How Abortion Storytellers Feel About Michelle Williams’ Golden Globes Speech
During Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, actress Michelle Williams used her win for best actress in a limited series to emphasize the power of supporting working women in all aspects of their lives, including being able to choose what to do with a pregnancy.
