Tell Your Story
Telling your story will help you start making sense of your own abortion experience or the abortion of someone close to you. It may be difficult or even painful to tell your story. Keep in mind that you may need to make several attempts to start or finish it. More...
That’s okay.
Telling your story may stir up powerful emotions, or you may feel no emotion at all.
There is no right or wrong way to go about it.
The important thing is to tell it—to acknowledge that your experience is real and it is significant.
If you have experienced or been touched by more than one abortion, it’s helpful to explore the story of each one separately.
Although your story will be unique, remember: You are not alone.
There are some questions on this page that may help you tell your story.
When you’re finished, you’ll have the option to save your story. Because telling your story is essential to moving forward, you may want to refer back to it while you’re working through other healing pathways, such as exploring your emotions or identifying your losses. If you wish to share your story with others, you can submit it to the Web facilitator anonymously.
This space and time is yours.
Questions To Consider If:
Before
When did you find out you were pregnant? Whom did you tell? What was their reaction? What options did you consider? What led up to your decision to abort?
During
When and where did the abortion take place? Who accompanied you to the clinic or doctor’s office? What happened there?
After
What happened right after the abortion? Did you talk to anyone about it? What happened in the days and weeks that followed? What happened in the months and years that followed? What did you feel immediately afterward? What do you feel now? How has the abortion impacted your life?
Note: Not all of the questions will apply to your situation.
Before
When did you find out about the pregnancy? What was your reaction? What was her/their reaction? Who else knew? What role did you play, if any, in the decision to abort?
During
When and where did the abortion take place? Did you accompany her/them to the clinic or doctor’s office? What was that like?
After
What happened right after the abortion? Were you able to talk about it? If so, with whom? What happened in the days and weeks that followed? What happened in the months and years that followed? What did you feel immediately afterward? What do you feel now? How has the abortion impacted your life?
Note: Not all of the questions will apply to your situation. It all depends on when you found out about the pregnancy and abortion.
Please note that the Web facilitator reserves the right to review and post any submitted materials. Identifying details will be removed to protect anonymity. Due to the volume of submissions, there may be a delay in the review and posting of materials.
