I had an abortion about six months ago. With my previous pregnancies I had felt happy and excited. When we found out I was pregnant this time I just felt panicked. With the family stress of the pandemic, working from home with kids here, and a husband who comes home from work exhausted I was feeling frustrated, tired and disconnected from my husband. Personally I am balancing the social isolation of working from home while also being the primary caregiver for our children. Briefly I thought maybe having another baby could offer hope and meaning in the midst of this crisis, but in reality it just added to my unhappiness; I recognized that some things in my life needed to change.
I called Connect & Breathe to help me sort things out. While we were talking I realized how abortion stigma was blocking my healing process. I told [the volunteer] I was feeling guilty because I didn’t think middle-class moms with minivans had abortions. My husband and my sister are supportive and understand my decision which helps me a lot, but I don't think I can tell my friends since they are all women with young kids like mine, and some of them are very religious.
[The volunteer] told me most people who have abortions are parents, and we discussed how the combination of stigma around abortion and my feeling of being judged makes it really hard to discuss openly. We talked about the ways this experience helped me realize all of these parts of my life where something wasn't quite working. I told her about changes I have started making, like talking more openly with my husband about our relationship and how we need to work on making things better. I decided to start seeing a therapist, and I am beginning to make a plan to ask for a lateral move at work. [The volunteer] helped me realize all of the things I am doing can help to improve my life. I found it was very useful just to talk about my abortion experience and different things I can do to help me heal. I am grateful for the opportunity to get these thoughts out instead of letting them just bouncing around my head.
- Anonymous
I called Connect & Breathe to help me sort things out. While we were talking I realized how abortion stigma was blocking my healing process. I told [the volunteer] I was feeling guilty because I didn’t think middle-class moms with minivans had abortions. My husband and my sister are supportive and understand my decision which helps me a lot, but I don't think I can tell my friends since they are all women with young kids like mine, and some of them are very religious.
[The volunteer] told me most people who have abortions are parents, and we discussed how the combination of stigma around abortion and my feeling of being judged makes it really hard to discuss openly. We talked about the ways this experience helped me realize all of these parts of my life where something wasn't quite working. I told her about changes I have started making, like talking more openly with my husband about our relationship and how we need to work on making things better. I decided to start seeing a therapist, and I am beginning to make a plan to ask for a lateral move at work. [The volunteer] helped me realize all of the things I am doing can help to improve my life. I found it was very useful just to talk about my abortion experience and different things I can do to help me heal. I am grateful for the opportunity to get these thoughts out instead of letting them just bouncing around my head.
- Anonymous
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