Jun 9 Jun 9 "My husband and I used both condoms and birth control pills at the same time." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Location Not Given “It is a decision that isn’t lightly made and after weighing all the options, becomes the best one for that person. I do not regret having the two abortions even though I am plenty thankful for my child that I have now.” Read more.
Jun 2 Jun 2 "I think of the damage those children might have experienced with me as their mother." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Georgia, U.S. “I know being wanted isn’t a guarantee of a child’s happiness or success, but after I got sober at 25, I went back to school and got a degree in social work. I worked in child abuse investigations for 20 years, and I can’t count the number of children I saw who had been targeted, scapegoated, tortured, and vilified because they were unwanted. The most basic gift we can give children is to be wanted and loved. Every child should have that starting out.” Read more.
May 22 May 22 "The relief was grand, knowing at that age I was incompetent of raising anyone other than myself, barely!" Sharing Truth Three Abortions, U.S. “I was living in a ski town and my boyfriend and I got pregnant. I was 19 soon to be 20. We both were in shock and he supported whatever choice I needed. My girlfriends surrounded me and drove me to the clinic. At that time it was very common. All my older friends, and my sister, had all been through it.” Read more.
May 14 May 14 "I was afraid of my ex who I had been with yet again and he scared me." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Florida “My first abortion was my choice, I agreed with my ex we were in a hard place in our relationship and financially unstable. Less than a year later I was pregnant again. I had told him I didn’t want to abort, we were doing better and could figure it out, but he had other ideas which he pressured very hard for me to have another abortion.” Read more.
May 11 May 11 "Due to my severe fear of pregnancy and birth I couldn’t go through with it." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, U.K. “I have had two abortions and the most heartbreaking thing of all is that they were planned pregnancies but due to my severe fear of pregnancy and birth I couldn’t go through with it. There needs to be more awareness and support around the condition of Tokophobia and often it really does come down to continuing with a pregnancy and letting your mental health drastically suffer, or to terminate and look after yourself.” Read more.
May 7 May 7 "The timing of this was just not correct for us." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, U.S. “Despite being on consistent birth control, a pregnancy test — let’s be real, 6 pregnancy tests — confirmed I was pregnant. After a few days of going back and forth on what to do, we finally agreed that we did not have the bandwidth to raise a baby. It was a difficult but necessary choice that I still have no regrets about. I think my body knew the pregnancy was wrong for me.” Read more.
Apr 10 Apr 10 "Until recently, I shared a 'preferred version' of my abortion story." Sharing Truth Four Abortions, U.S. “I shared one that I felt was more palatable, and socially acceptable. Specifically, that I had had one abortion in my early twenties, within a long-term relationship, while I was pursuing my first degree. I am now learning to embrace the messy edges of my story and challenge the heteropatriarchal narrative that there are “acceptable” abortion stories.” Read more.
Mar 29 Mar 29 "I did IVF to become a single mother by choice. Reality struck me during pregnancy." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Australia “He left a few weeks later and a few weeks after that I found out I was pregnant. At the start I was determined to keep it but I felt in no way ready to be a single mum and made the hard choice at 36 to have an abortion. Fast foward a year, I did IVF to become a single mother by choice. I didn’t want him to be the reason I didn’t have kids and I was still missing the baby I gave up. Read more.
Mar 28 Mar 28 "I do not feel any pain, or any sense of loss. I can only feel gratitude that I had the freedom to make this decision." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Canada “MY heart goes out to anyone who wanted pro-abortion support, but was left without the love and respect that they needed. There is absolutely no chance at equality without abortion. My heart aches to think about the people who are located in places where abortion is illegal or inaccessible. People have always had abortions and always will. I hope that one day any person can access abortion based on one reason: Whether or not they wish to be pregnant.” Read more.
Mar 21 Mar 21 "Truth is if I could go back in time I would have chosen the abortion." Sharing Truth Multiple Abortions, Location Not Given “I got knocked up in high school my senior year and my parents forced me to keep her. They didn't give me an option for abortion and when I brought up adoption they said I was a terrible mother. I was 19 years old when I had her. My mother had to quit her job and raise her grandchild because I wouldn't. I didn't want to. I don't love her like I should. Love her like a mother should love a daughter. We never got close. I resent her. I hate her father.” Read more.
Mar 9 Mar 9 "I would have five children right now and would have to live off government aid." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Location Not Given “Should I have kept the child with the man who, unprovoked, questioned paternity? Or the one who abandoned me when I was ten weeks along? Or how about with the one who went off the deep end into QAnon conspiracies? I felt fed up with men, relieved I could continue with my life.” Read more.
Mar 1 Mar 1 "Fast forward another 2 weeks and I am now pregnant again, immediately after an abortion." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, North of Ireland “I was absolutely devastated! Initially I felt so ashamed, so stupid and selfish that I could allow this to happen twice in concession. But then I had a strong word with myself . . . I was a woman seeking intimacy with a man also seeking intimacy, there's no shame in that. Unfortunately our chosen method of contraception failed to protect us from falling pregnant.” Read more.
Feb 23 Feb 23 "Enduring those hardships was in itself truly hellish, and I try to remember that I deserve to move on and experience happiness and peace." Sharing Truth Six Abortions, Texas, U.S. “He was possessive and supported my addictions, and often he would have sex with me against my will and in humiliating ways. My boss also sexually abused me. I became pregnant four times while I was with my ex, on birth control two of the four times. He enjoyed knowing I was pregnant and felt that this made me in some way more his.” Read more.
Feb 23 Feb 23 "I absolutely can not and will not bring a child into total chaos." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Location Not Given “I'm pregnant again about to schedule my third. I do have a daughter but I am going through a divorce from a mentally unstable man. I'm pregnant by the love of my life and I currently do not have a place to stay.” Read more.
Feb 16 Feb 16 "It was this situation that showed me how important it was to me to be in a safe and loving relationship before bringing a baby into the world." Sharing Truth Four Abortions, Scotland “I felt immense pressure to continue the pregnancy even though it terrified me in every sense. The feeling of utter dread and fear stopped me from leaving the house for 2 weeks. I knew then that the decision had to be made. And it had to be made by me for me, no one else.” Read more.
Feb 13 Feb 13 "I am here to share my grandmothers’ — yes, both — of their abortion stories." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, One Abortion, Locations not given “Neither one of my grandmas were traumatized in any way, and neither one of them had a worse life because of it. In fact, their lives are better. Two separate women, separate lives and families. I would not be here today without those abortions, and I’m grateful they both felt safe to tell me and others their stories.” Read more.
Feb 8 Feb 8 "I didn't have the tools to navigate these situations due to my upbringing in a culture that didn't talk about sex or womb trauma." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, California “It was when I was seeking my third abortion that I realized I needed real, deep healing around the relationship choices I was making and what they cost my body, as well as some generational trauma I was carrying. My mom was forced to give up her firstborn. She was an immigrant from Peru, experiencing domestic violence, and she gave birth at a Catholic hospital where they didn't speak Spanish. They highly encouraged her to give up her child, which I feel is more coercion when you don't know the language. It's a secret she kept for 31 years, so there's womb trauma on my mom's side.” Read more.
Jan 27 Jan 27 "I was in my mid forties, divorced and dating someone who convinced me we could never get pregnant as we were too old." Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Florida “The last one was over 10 years ago. I’m now almost 60. I’ve had a lot of guilt lately about this all and making the same mistake again and again. I know I did the right thing as the first one made having my beautiful children possible and the last two prevented our lives from being so much more difficult then they already were. Even when I tried to have my first child, the baby died (my miscarriage) so it obviously wasn’t meant to be, just like my other pregnancies that I had to terminate.” Read more.
Jan 21 Jan 21 "I’d do it again if I had to because it’s what's best for me at this time in my life." Sharing Truth Two Abortions, Pennsylvania “I am devastated but I feel in my gut that I made the right choice for ME. I am not financially stable and I want so much more for myself with my career.” Read more.
Jan 21 Jan 21 "I just need to know if someone else out there had a similar experience and if I’m not wrong for considering another abortion.” Sharing Truth Three Abortions, Multiple Abortions, Many different locations This person’s call for help was posted on the Instagram account of Shout Your Abortion. What happened next was a huge flood of supportive comments filled with stories of others who have ended their pregnancies. More than 40 people responded with words of care and support. Read more.
