You're the Only One I've Told: The Stories Behind Abortion

by Meera Shah

“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” —AUDRE LORDE

In fact, I believe we need to move past this notion that a decision to have an abortion should be left to the “patient and their doctor.” I give my patients the most information I can provide and support them in whatever they decide. I don’t decide with or for them.

There is no such thing as a good abortion or bad abortion or someone who is worthy of an abortion or someone who is not.

non-absolutism (anekantvada). This is the idea that a viewpoint cannot be 100 percent true; therefore, every viewpoint has to have at least some truth to it.

teenagers in many parts of the country struggle to access basic health care because of harmful parental consent laws that impose unnecessary barriers.

Abortion will always be accessible for affluent people, white people—even conservative ones—and those publicly fighting against abortion access.

The term “reproductive justice” was coined in 1994 by twelve Black women and defined as the human right to have children, to not have children, and to parent the children they have in a safe and sustainable environment. In 2007, this theory was expanded by these same women to include the right to sexual pleasure.

Three quarters of those receiving abortion care live in poverty.

We must pay close attention to those who are the most affected by abortion restrictions, and not forget that race and ethnicity have become significant indicators of access.

“To me, ‘spiritual awakening’ is independent of religion,” Sara said. “There’s this profound appreciation, gratitude, humility, care—I don’t know what the right word is—for life. And to me, it’s so antithetical to infuse judgment into that conversation.”

fear of retribution commonly prevents young people from getting care.

This is where we err. We breeze past the gray areas and the complexities of emotions one may feel and in the process, we may lose supporters of reproductive health access.

Eleven states ban private insurance plans from covering abortion and in nine of those states, people can purchase an additional rider that covers abortion (but that would mean that someone would have to plan ahead for their abortion which makes no sense). Other states ban abortion coverage from marketplace plans.

there is research that shows that people are more certain about their abortion than they are about any other medical procedure.14 And waiting periods don’t affect a person’s decision to continue with the abortion.

There is no other medical procedure that requires a doctor to read a propaganda-based script that has been written by politicians. It challenges the trust that doctors must establish with their patients.

Miscarriage is incredibly common—about one in five pregnancies will stop growing and result in early pregnancy loss.

Nick told me that signs that say things like NO UTERUS, NO OPINION seem like they are removing a voice where some women might want input or support, such as from their cis male partner.

And somewhere along the way, a woman’s right to use birth control turned into a woman’s responsibility to use birth control, which is not fair and not inclusive.

hospitals that are Catholic-sponsored follow a set of directives that have been issued by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and are enforced by local bishops.3 These include rules about withholding contraception information, a mandate to avoid any talk of abortion, and forbidding of sterilization.

Today, one in six hospital beds in the United States is in a Catholic hospital.

Institute for Women’s Policy Research showed that four in ten survivors of intimate partner violence report that a partner has tried to get them pregnant against their will or stopped them from using birth control.

for many Jewish theologians that status of personhood does not actually begin until the prenate emerges from the womb.”

In fact, there are about four thousand fake health centers compared to the 780 real providers of abortion care.5 That means that for every one health center that provides abortion care, there are five fake clinics.