I Won’t Be Telling An Abortion Story Because It’s Nobody’s Business And That’s The Point

I’ve seen several articles over the past few days that involve women sharing their abortion stories. I think anything that happens in your life is your story to tell – and I support women who feel compelled to share their stories. I do have to admit that I never find these stories “empowering.” Here’s why.It’s no one’s business.I know many believe it is more empowering to be vocal about our decisions – that somehow shouting our decisions from the mountaintops will make us less alone. Maybe these public declarations will work to remove some of the guilt and shame attached to the word. While I understand the opinion – I’m not sure that it’s one that I fully support.New York Magazine ran piece this week, 26 Women Share Their Abortion Stories. I should have been empowered or comforted by it I guess - like so many other feminists I respect - but it just made me feel a little angry.

“…even in doggedly liberal parts of the country, very few people talk openly about the experience, leaving the reality of abortion, and the emotions that accompany it, a silent witness in our political discourse. Even now, four decades after Roe, some of the women we spoke with would talk only if we didn’t print their real names.“There’s no room,” one woman told us, “to talk about being unsure.”

Every time I read one of these personal anecdotes – there’s a part of me that wonders why we have to share these deeply personal stories. Not because I’m against choice – because I’m not. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m feverishly pro-choice. I just hate what inevitably happens with these personal declarations of women. I feel that ultimately, they are dissected for motivation. Who are we explaining ourselves to and why?
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