The importance of abortion as a human right integral to women's dignity, the destigmatization and normalization of the experience as common for women - there are now more than 46 million abortions occurring in the world today (close to half of which are illegal and unsafe) and one in three U.S. women will have an abortion by the age of 45 - and ending the silence and shame that women may still feel cannot be underestimated in the global struggle for reproductive justice and gender equality. When we normalize abortion as a fact of women's lives, and discuss abortion as an honorable and loving choice that helps women to become better mothers in the future, we are showing respect, understanding, and support for the complexity of women's choices.
So it was with great interest that I read and reflected upon Jacob Appel's "It's Time for an Abortion Pride Movement." This author and bioethicist emphasizes: "The political and social reality today is that pride is a necessary prerequisite for acceptance and equality. That is why the movement is ripe - more than ripe - for an Abortion Pride Movement."
I passionately agree. I also believe that the framework for such a movement already exists and is quite powerful. Talking about abortion pride as a social change movement, destigmatizing abortion - and by extension, destigmatizing women - are concepts I have believed in and fought for all of my adult life. Apple refers to the stigma that abortion still carries: "In contrast to women who have foregone abortion, women who have chosen to terminate their pregnancies are rarely encouraged to take pride in their decisions. This is unfortunate...women who step up to the ethical plate and have the strength to say, ‘This is the wrong time,' or ‘This is the wrong fetus,' should hold their heads up high in the street."
Yes, they should - and many do. I also agree with the writer - because I witnessed it for more than 35 years in my clinical work of abortion care provision - that the difficulty and pain of a private decision such as an abortion that a woman may feel does not mean that she has any doubt regarding the moral clarity and ethical foundation of her abortion choice. We all frequently experience ambivalence when faced with a deep and life-changing crossroads in our lives, and the choice of an abortion is an example of that. Women can feel initial sadness, but simultaneously know what she needs to do, that the abortion is the absolute best choice, and ultimately feel resolution, peace, and pride. In fact, many women do feel goodness, empowerment, increased self-esteem, and pride in the wisdom and the awareness that they took control of a frequently chaotic situation - unwanted pregnancy - and made a moral and ethical decision that was beneficial for their lives, their futures, and, ultimately, was also good for society.
Of course, we don't live in that world yet. Like Appel, describing abortion as safe, legal, and rare" has always deeply offended me...the rare part, that is. Should women be rare? Should our sexuality and sexual expression be rare? Should abortion providers be rare? (They already are.) Should sexual activity be rare? It is, of course, unwanted pregnancy that needs to be rare. Unfortunately, due to misogynistic beliefs and policies, it isn't. As a result, there needs to be as many safe, legal, accessible, funded, and compassionate abortions as women freely chose. As Appel writes: "Choice is merely a foundation. Ultimately, women - if they so desire - should feel comfortable expressing public pride in their brave and wise choices."
Of course they should - and this is the goal of the movement for the normalization of abortion. Women are already speaking out about their abortions, normalizing its occurrence in our lives, and sharing feelings about the importance of voluntary motherhood. This is not a trivialization - a common anti-choice attack - but a recognition of the significance that the abortion experience has in women's lives. We actually already have an Abortion Pride Movement. We need to make it more powerful, more visible, and more influential as a social justice change mechanism and continue to strive to change attitudes about abortion. Society needs to know that safe abortion is a moral good for women, understand more fully why women make this choice, and provide support and respect for women's moral and ethical decision-making. We need to create a world where a woman having an abortion is as respected and supported as a woman having a baby. As the movement for abortion pride and the recognition of women's human rights progresses, we will continue to speak out with our voices, our experiences, our bodies - and our lives. YES - ABORTION PRIDE!
