Feb 25 Feb 25 "In that moment when I saw that line, I just was so unbelievably horrified." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Australia, Audio “We were thinking of the complexities for the children and the things they were already navigating. And I thought, I just don’t want to be drawn back into a life of having a baby on my breast, and having to change nappies, and sleepless nights. I am finally in this place where I am rediscovering who I am as a woman and I just can’t get back in that cycle.” Read more and listen to the audio version.
Feb 12 Feb 12 "My youngest was only 10 months old and I knew I wasn’t ready, emotionally or financially." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Location Not Given “I felt sad, inadequate and lonely. I cried so much, they decided to push my procedure back, to one of the last appointments that day. I came to terms with it. I went through with it and afterwards, felt relief. The decision had been made and I had to make it for the entire family. I believe in quality of life, not just quantity of life. I don’t regret either one.” Read more.
Jan 29 Jan 29 "Not wanting to be tied for life to an abuser, I once again chose to end the pregnancy." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, North Carolina, U.S. “Both of my abortions were uneventful. I got an appointment, I went to the facility, and then I left. There were no looky-loos, no screaming protestors, no gruesome signs, and most importantly, no trauma and NO REGRETS!!!” Read more.
Jan 23 Jan 23 "My great-grandmother gave birth to eight children and aborted four." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Four Abortions, U.S. “The excessive burden of motherhood my great-grandmother carried had plenty of heart-breaking legacy for us all.”The New York Times ran an article detailing stories of people who had abortions before it was legalized by the now endangered Roe v Wade ruling. Among the comments to the article are these four stories involving people who’ve had more than one abortion. Read more.
Jan 8 Jan 8 "The hardship of parenthood is huge, and I just couldn’t do it mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, U.K. “Abortions are there for a reason. I feel shamed and alone because I don’t feel like I can freely speak about my decision unless the person knows exactly my reasoning for it, and that still wouldn’t be justifiable for some people, and that’s ok. It’s my life not theirs, and I don’t live it for anyone else but me and my son. I know I’m strong and I will be ok, and anyone else having to make this tough decision, you will be ok too.” Read more.
Jan 3 Jan 3 "It is normal to need more than one abortion." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Location Not Given “I immediately felt a rush of relief once I felt the pregnancy pass – there was no shame. No guilt. No “what have I done.” Just pure, unadulterated relief.” Read more.
Dec 27 Dec 27 "I always thought that getting pregnant was never something that would happen to me." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Location Not Given “I realized that my body didn’t ask me permission to get pregnant, it is no one’s fault, and in most if not all cases, it isn’t something that can be controlled. We are human, and we do the best that we can with the resources that we have. In hindsight, I recognize that having an abortion was the best option for me, even if it felt like the only option at the time.” Read more.
Dec 21 Dec 21 "I just don’t feel ready, not one bit." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Florida, U.S. “I had my first abortion at 20 years old. I told myself that if I ever got pregnant again I will not get another abortion. I didn’t think I would get pregnant this time around, it’s something that I wasn’t even thinking of.” Read more.
Dec 6 Dec 6 "Sometimes we feel guilty about not feeling guilty, because it is what we have been told to feel." ~ "A veces sentimos culpa de no sentir culpa, porque es lo que nos han dicho que debemos sentir." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Ecuador, Spanish/English “I believe that women who abort more than once are women who are grateful to ourselves for being able to decide on our body as often and at the times we deem necessary.” Read more.”Creo que las mujeres que abortamos más de una vez somos mujeres que estamos agradecidas con nosotras mismas por poder decidir sobre nuestro cuerpo las veces y en los momentos que creamos necesarios.” Lee mas.
Nov 21 Nov 21 "I thought I would end up being one more mother pretending to be happy." ~ "Pensé que terminaría siendo una madre más fingiendo ser feliz". Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Mexico, In Spanish & English, Later Abortions “I tried to get used to the idea of having it, and in a moment of madness I told everyone. I called it good news. That same night I regretted saying it because I really didn't want it and neither did their support make me change my mind.” Read more.“Traté de acostumbrarme a la idea de tenerlo, y en un momento de locura se lo conté a todos. Lo llamé buenas noticias. Esa misma noche lamenté haberlo dicho porque realmente no lo quería y tampoco su apoyo me hizo cambiar de opinión ”. Lee mas.
Nov 3 Nov 3 "I didn't want a pregnancy at 16 to be a deciding factor for my future." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, South Africa “With the first, I was too emotional and felt guilty for taking a life, but grew to understand my decisions. The second one I was 24 and I honestly had a lot going on my life from financial depression to just life in general and I didn't want to add more to my plate.” Read more.
Oct 8 Oct 8 "I have never written about my abortions before." ~ Journalist Mona Eltahawy Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Egypt, U.S. “Why couldn’t I, Mona Eltahawy, a woman born in Egypt to a Muslim family, write an essay under my own name, in which I say openly and without shame that I have had two abortions, that I am glad I had those two abortions and that had I become pregnant again I would have had another abortion because I did not want to have children? Why have I been able to risk my safety and my life by writing articles about a military-backed regime but I could not write about my abortions?” Read more.
Sep 25 Sep 25 "I’m trying to let go of a bit of the guilt I feel from this being my second procedure." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, U.S. “I found out I was pregnant about 2.5 weeks ago. I had a complete meltdown and was conflicted on what I wanted to do. For a while I was 50/50 — primarily because I felt guilt because if I decided to terminate this would be my second termination, and I felt so much guilt/shame over that. My last termination was a very long time ago, 10 years or so and I was super young and didn’t think twice about terminating.” Read more.
Sep 16 Sep 16 "I’m so glad I trusted my brain, my body and my heart." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Oregon, U.S. “I found out I was pregnant again when she was 7 months old and knew I wasn’t ready for another baby. It felt so selfish to give my daughter a sibling so young. I just want her to grow up and be the main focus for a while. I ordered the abortion pills and tried to prepare myself while waiting for them to arrive. Once they arrived I was so scared and just bawled my eyes out thinking about how terrible of a person I was to be doing this.” Read more.
Sep 12 Sep 12 "This allowed me to look at abortion as a blessing for me, a chance to break many generational traumas." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Location Not Given “At 15 I got pregnant. I did not want to carry the stereotype that most Latina women have of having children very young. At 22 I got pregnant for the second time. With no full time job and being a first-year masters student, I knew that having a baby was not in the plans. I thought I was supposed to feel guilty –otherwise I feared being perceived as a bad person if I felt relieved from having an abortion.” Read more.
Sep 8 Sep 8 "I started crying as I didn’t want to be pregnant and I told them I wanted to end it in any possible way. " Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Palestine “Because of the health risks of this pregnancy, I was able to reach a doctor who was able to help me with information about pills that ended the pregnancy. I was then referred to the government hospital to get a sterilization operation. It took an entire year to get a date for the operation but when it came to the day, the anaesthetist refused to treat me.” Read more.
Sep 5 Sep 5 Podcast ~ "As a 16-year-old I kept hoping it would just go away." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, New Jersey, New York, Audio Listen to this episode of the Abortion Diary to hear what it was like to get an abortion before Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure in 1973. Judi M. tells of getting pregnant after a rape at 16 and then going to an apartment for an illegal abortion. Her frightening experience led her into a career in reproductive health. Her descriptions of anti-abortion protesters reveal how little has changed since her 2nd abortion in 1978. Listen.
Aug 31 Aug 31 "I regret not having that abortion." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Missouri, U.S. “Choosing to end my third pregnancy was challenging, probably more emotional than the first, but I had no doubts that I was doing the right thing. I wasn't on that roller coast of emotions for this abortion, and it comes down to me already having an abortion and me having a busier life. I was at a baby shower for a friend of mine a week after and I had no problems looking at her and no problems talking about babies. I knew that day that I was never going to regret the choice I made.” Read more.
Aug 21 Aug 21 "I had no opportunity other than if I kept my baby I would be homeless." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, U.K. “I felt so happy and proud to be pregnant, even though throughout my time with my boyfriend I did have doubts about my relationship with him. He would do things regularly to upset me and there was things that would get on my nerves that he’d do, but I just accepted that I was pregnant and this would be the man I’d be with whether I’m certain about him or not.” Read more.
Aug 19 Aug 19 "Things are going to be so much easier now that we don't have to take care of a fourth child." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Ohio, U.S. “My first abortion was when I was 20 years old. That abortion gave me a college degree, a career, a place to live, a wonderful husband, and three beautiful children. My second abortion was last week. I'm 33 years old, I love the life I live, and I didn't want to start over. What I do regret, and what I probably always will regret, is not telling my husband. I never told him about my first one, and my husband is on the edge of ‘pro-life’ and I knew he would say no to this.” Read more.
