Abortion and Motherhood Series

There are many myths and misconceptions about who gets abortions, and why. Abortion opponents often attempt to demonize women who choose abortion care by depicting them as careless, sexually indiscriminate, anti-children, or selfish. However, the fact is that most women who have abortions are already mothers and feel terminating their pregnancy is the best, most selfless choice they can make for their children and families. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 61 percent of women who have an abortion have one or more children and 72 percent of women who call the NAF Hotline have given birth to one or more children.

This week, NAF was part of a Slate article examining abortion, motherhood, and the many diverse reasons why women who are already mothers choose to terminate a pregnancy. To expand upon this article, this week we are running a blog series with some of the stories we have heard from mothers who chose abortion care.

Thank you for providing me the assistance and support I needed in order to have my procedure. I am a single mother of a child with special needs. I found myself in an abusive relationship and after I saw the red flags, I quickly broke up with the man that I was involved with. A few weeks later, I sprained my ankle and while getting medical care found out that I was pregnant. Due to complications associated with the birth of my daughter, I would not be able to carry this child to term so I got an abortion.

–Evelyn*

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 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.

*Name changed to protect patient privacy