Hello and thank you for visiting 2+ Abortions Worldwide, a non-monetized project to end the unjustified silence and shame around abortions. Together we can create a world that is rich in compassion and kindness as we share truth, spread love and stop stigma.

My name is Karen Thurston. I’m a retired elementary school teacher’s assistant who lived with the secret of my two abortions for many decades. Although my abortions allowed me to live a wonderful life, the shaming messages in our culture — and the isolated silence those messages pushed me into — hurt me for decades.

Since I first spoke publicly about my abortions in 2014, I have felt a deep moral obligation to use my privilege to help end the cruel stigma of abortions and to protect access to abortions for others.

This journey of volunteer advocacy has included serving as a clinic escort; funding abortions; driving people to clinic appointments; telling my abortions story in a variety of venues; and the list goes on.

When I started telling the truth about my two abortions, I was so naive. I fully believed that if only people would listen to us and learn how their shaming causes suffering, they would stop.

But the grim reality crystallized one day when I was escorting at a clinic where protesters used wireless speakers to amplify their threats of eternal damnation. 

A man had brought his wife to the clinic to end a planned pregnancy that was medically unviable. He walked over to the protesters to explain his pain.  I could not hear him, but his shoulders were deeply slumped and his hands were pleading. He came back toward the clinic shaken, rivers of tears spilling down his face, as the protesters resumed taunting him. 

That day, I resolved not to dignify the shame-makers with my focus. Instead, my heart, soul, spirit and attention are centered on the people who are the targets of their cruelty.

This digital home here at 2+ Abortions Worldwide is grounded in my profound desire to support people in their reproductive decisions. I’ve also created a gratitude project called Love Abortion Providers, to show support to all the people who ensure that abortions are accessible and shame-free.

You will find no ads, no merchandise sales, no donation buttons. If you want to help others access care, please donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds in the United States, or Abortion Support Network for international.

I’m so thankful my journey has brought me here, where I feel so lucky to engage with people who share the common and profound human experiences of trusting their own inner wisdom despite all of the unjustified stigma.

You can learn much more in this Mind Your Uterus podcast interview via safe2choose. Click here to listen:

I hope you will visit this home often and find peace and comfort here.

With all my love,

~ Karen

She/Her/Hers

Abortion, With Love podcast interview

My Bright, Shiny Life of Shame

Sharing Your Abortion Story — Here’s How

MSNBC Mini Documentary about The Abortion Diary Podcast

The Dark Side of Hashtag Activism

Listen as the founder of 2+ Abortions shares about her advocacy on the podcast episode Love + Compassion on Boston Red Cloaks Radio.