May 23 May 23 "Both times I felt like this thing was taking over my body, and my body was screaming out to make it stop." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, U.K. “I've never regretted it. My heart goes out to all those who aren't permitted to make that choice as easily as I could. During the days that I waited for an abortion, I felt trapped and unhappy. In the future when I do make the decision to have children, I want to feel joyful that I'm pregnant, and that I choose to have a child freely, safely and happily.” Read more.
May 19 May 19 "Accidental pregnancies are way more common than spoken about." ~ 20 people share stories in one Reddit thread. Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Three Abortions, Four Abortions, Five Abortions, Six Abortions, Multiple Abortions A person asks, “Has anyone had more than one abortion” in a Reddit forum — and a flood of people respond, sharing their own experiences of more than one accidental or unhealthy pregnancy, and assuring that it’s common and that there is no need to feel shame or fear judgment. Read more.
May 15 May 15 "We never really ever forget, it will always be part of us, but we can move on and learn how to love ourselves the way we should." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Arizona, U.S. “After talking to him , he refused to be a father. It didn’t matter how much I knew him, had memories with him, he just refused because he liked how his life was without children. But why did I have to pay for that pain? Anyway, I didn’t want to be a single mother of 2 kids so I had a surgical abortion.” Read more.
May 12 May 12 "The only shame I have ever felt about my abortions has been social—never personal or spiritual." Sharing Truth Four Abortions, Indiana, Michigan “I AM PRO-ABORTION because I think critically enough to understand pregnancy (*resulting from consensual s•x) as an act of both free will and fate; and the decisions we make about any and all pregnancies that happen to us are acts of self-governing discretion as much as they are acts of God.” Read more.
May 9 May 9 "These are tears of relief. You have no idea, this is a massive relief." Sharing Truth 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.
May 2 May 2 "It was better to talk about my abortions in singular because of the stigma of being judged." ~ "Para mí siempre fue mejor hablar de mis abortos en singu- lar por el estigma de que te juzguen." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Ecuador, Spanish/English “Aborting was my first act of self-love. At 19 I knew that I was not ready to be a mother, I knew that I wanted to study and I was certain that having an abortion was the best option.” Read more.“Abortar fue mi primer acto de amor propio. A mis 19 años sabía que no estaba lista para ser madre, sabía que quería estudiar y tenía la certeza de que abortar era la mejor opción.” Lee mas.
Apr 26 Apr 26 "I left him soon after, the violent outbursts turned me into a shell of myself." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, New York “I fell pregnant a second time at 23 when I was with my at-the-time homeless boyfriend. We'd bounce from abandoned house to abandoned house. It was an easy decision to let go. But it still hurt. The shame was stronger the second time around.” Read more.
Apr 19 Apr 19 "I am thankful I had the choice on taking care of myself and my family." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Idaho “I am a 25-year-old woman who NEVER believed that I would one day have an abortion, and yet I have now had two. I have no regrets on having two abortions. My only regret is that I have to be so secretive about it. My husband knows, but nobody else does.” Read more.
Apr 16 Apr 16 "I tried all kinds of contraception, some didn’t work, some made me low in mood." Sharing Truth Four Abortions, Location Not Given “At school we were shown images of aborted babies as a way of scaring us. The Catholic Church is very much against abortion. Where I live now I was met with respect and no judgement from the the health providers when I went to seek abortion. It’s my secret what I’ve been through, but I don’t regret those decisions.” Read more.
Apr 3 Apr 3 "We are currently still in university." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Singapore “We did practice safe sex, such as using barriers, my partner did not even ejaculate in. Up till this date, we are still puzzled how we got pregnant. On a positive note, it just means that my partner and I are fertile and we are thankful and grateful for this.” Read more.
Mar 28 Mar 28 "When I told him I was pregnant he screamed at me for two hours as I cowered on the couch." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, California, U.S. “My third abortion was only a few years later, in a new relationship with a good guy. He was a hard no and I just wasn't going to have and raise a child by myself that the child's father didn't want. That was the hardest one. But it was still the right choice. I wanted my child to be wanted and loved and at least start its life with a stable home.” Read more.
Mar 27 Mar 27 "He told me he was infertile, and so here I am with another pregnancy." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, South Africa “I'm on the brink of a promotion and a child at this point would mean to give up everything. I still have a now 4-year-old child back home and I'm currently still earning a student stipend. It will only bring pain and suffering to this poor child if I give birth to it, the father having lied to me about infertility.” Read more.
Mar 23 Mar 23 "I was going through a bad divorce, trying to support my son on my own, and dating this new guy." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Location Not Given “Everyone should have access to abortion. My life would be so much worse if I had had to birth both children. My son would not have lived the life he lived. The partners involved would not have the lives they have now.” Read more.
Mar 21 Mar 21 "I felt stigma and shame about being pregnant when I didn't want to be." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, North Carolina, U.S. “The second medication abortion was a completely different experience — I didn't feel shame or stigma around my choice, my partner was by my side, and I had recently joined We Testify and had an amazing community of fellow abortion-having friends who were by my side every step of the way.” Read more.
Mar 15 Mar 15 "Third and last — I was raped." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Location Not Given “First one, I was in no position to have the baby — I was in grad school, the father was as well, but 3000 miles away; and we were young. Twenty one years old.” Read more.
Mar 8 Mar 8 "I wasn't ready because I was still in college and didn't have a job, neither did the father." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, South Africa “I don't regret doing the abortions — that was the best thing I could have done at that time. I am now comfortable with my two boys and a beautiful girl since I have a good job and I can take care of them.” Read more.
Mar 7 Mar 7 "Being forced into becoming a parent makes me want to be an even stronger supportive mother and advocate for abortion access." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Ohio “When I found out I was pregnant, I was in sitting in jail due to a bad situation that turned worse. Jails are full of people who have been criminalized simply for being poor. We’re criminalized for living in poverty and trying to access money to care for our families. My lawyer and family didn’t think I would actually go to jail. But I did, and that’s when I found out I was pregnant. I asked for an abortion, and they said, “That’s not an option while you’re here.” I couldn’t believe it. That’s when I realized I was going to become a parent. The decision was already made for me.” Read more.
Mar 1 Mar 1 "A five-minute procedure has given me a pretty great life." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Ohio, Audio “I knew I was having my first abortion so I could have children later — to give them a life that I thought maybe they deserved and I needed to give them as a mother. And the same theory goes forward with my abortions after I had children. I knew what kind of life I needed them to have. I knew what kind of horrible life I was secretly in already trying to find a way out of abuse.” Read more and listen to the audio version.
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 24 Feb 24 "I have three babies in spirit world." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Mexico, Audio “I understand that this spirit is going back to the light, to spirit world. And I know what I have to do. I know the offerings I have to give, the altar that I have to set up, the ways in which I can continue talking to this spirit. I know that these spirits are always going to walk with me and my family. They are members of this family. That’s it. I am at peace.” Read more and listen to the audio version.
