Wednesday’s Words From Women
April 18, 2012
As anti-choice legislators and groups around the nation continue their efforts to place unnecessary barriers on women’s access to abortion care, it is more important than ever that we bring forward stories from women who have chosen abortion. NAF is interested in hearing about your experience and why you are pro-choice. We encourage you to share your story and personal experiences on our ShareYour Story page.
Here are just a few of the stories that were shared with us recently:
When I was in college, I faithfully used birth control. Nonetheless, I found myself pregnant. The decision to have an abortion was one I entered into with much thought. At the time I was on scholarship. My rent, books, supplies, and very modest living expenses would have made it impossible for me to care for a child. Considering the cost of raising a child to adulthood, I would have had to drop out of school, making it impossible to increase my earnings and properly provide for a family. Now at 56, I strongly believe that contraception (in most cases) prevents abortions. Women do not consider abortion as a form of contraception but rather a difficult decision to make based on individual circumstances. Every woman deserves access.
–Submitted by Penelope* through our website
I am pro-choice because no one can or should tell you what’s right for you. I would never tell another woman to have an abortion or not. I would, however, tell her to do what’s right for her and not let anyone pressure her into continuing with a pregnancy that she is not ready for.
I am unemployed so any help at this time would be appreciated. I know there are people who are struggling worse than me but due to my student loans and other financial obligations, having a child right now would be another added stress that I cannot handle.
–Submitted by Cassidy* through a member clinic
I am just relieved to have choices and options open to me. My story is not very pretty. I never thought I would consider having an abortion but with my circumstances I felt it was the best choice. I was sexually abused for several months and when I found out I was pregnant, I was devastated. I did not choose to have sex with this man and did not want to be connected to him for life—it was a gut wrenching feeling. I am grateful to NAF for supporting me through my procedure.
–Submitted by Romy* through a member clinic
Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we feature real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.