Experiencing Abortion: A Weaving of Women's Words

Haworth Innovations in Feminist Studies

by Eve Kushner

If you've had an abortion and are feeling isolated and vulnerable, Experiencing Abortion will remind you that you are not alone and that you must feel your emotions in order to accept your choice and heal. Each woman responds to abortion in her own way, yet, as this sensitive, insightful book shows, there are many similarities among women's post-abortion emotions. Sharing in the firsthand, personal experiences of other women who speak for themselves in this book will help you come to terms with anguish, stress, grief, anger, or any other overwhelming emotions you might be feeling. Don't go on ignoring or blocking out your feelings. Learn to incorporate your experience into your sense of self in a healthy way.By reading Experiencing Abortion, you will learn about the multiple feelings and reactions abortion can trigger, the process of accepting an abortion, and the struggle to control fertility without treating your body as an enemy. Offering you a safe, honest, and supportive environment in which to explore your feelings about your abortion, this book discusses many important topics, way moods can overtake you after abortionhow avoiding your experience can defer acceptance, which in turn leads to denial and guilthow pregnancy, abortion, and subsequent bleeding can affect your perception of your bodythe struggle to enjoy sex after your abortionyour heightened awareness of gender after an abortionhow your intimate relationships may change after an abortionthe psychological reasons you may sometimes forgo birth controlaccepting yourself after a second abortionExperiencing Abortion will help women who have had an abortion understand that it is a complex physical and emotional experience that doesn't necessarily end after a week or a month or a year. It will also help professionals in abortion facilities and therapists who offer pre- and post-abortion counseling understand how abortion affects each individual differently and how they might help women work through their feelings both before and after abortion. Partners, friends, and families will find this book helpful and informative as they try to help their loved one get through this sometimes difficult, even traumatic, experience.

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 20, 1997

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained the stories of women who had abortions (in fact, most of them had multiple abortions) and discusses how they dealt with it. It is a pro-choice book which uses the terms "antichoice" to describe pro-lifers. And yes, I thought the book was almost pro-life in the overall picture you get- that abortion is a hard thing for so many women. It was interesting to read a book about post-abortion grief that did not have a pro-life conclusion, in fact, the author talked about how the pro-choice movement does not allow for honest expressions of grief, guilt and regret on behalf of women who have abortions. Something pro-lifers have pointed out for a while.