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Shouting my abortion

2/18/2020

7 Comments

 
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​While watching Aspen Baker’s TED Talk, I began contemplating bias. Bias is something that has been brought up in several SNHS classes, most recently in my journal submission for Fieldwork in Health Studies. I did not discuss this particular bias in my journal submission, but I definitely have preconceived ideas about Christians and Christianity. Living in a country where much of the population is Christian, I have obviously come across many Christians of different denominations. And I know that they are not all the same. Still, when I think about Christians as a whole, I assume that as a group Christians tend to be narrow-minded and/or sheltered from the diversity of the real world. So, when Aspen Baker began talking about one of the volunteers at Exhale who was uncomfortable discussing God with women who had had abortions, it resonated with me.
 
 When I was nineteen, I had an abortion. A year or two later, one of my coworkers also had an abortion. We were discussing our own experiences – how I found my experience to be rather comical and how she found her experience to be a smaller deal than how abortion is usually portrayed. Even though my friend went to Catholic school her whole life, she wasn’t particularly religious, and I am definitely not. At the end of our discussion we agreed that we wouldn’t discuss our abortions with our mutual friend, who is Christian. A few months before I had my abortion, this mutual friend and I were discussing abortion. While she seemed okay with it in theory, she fully endorsed the idea of adoption as a solution for unplanned pregnancy. I was so concerned with how she might react to me having an abortion that I didn’t include her in the conversation or give her the chance to be supportive of my decision.
 
After getting my abortion, I remember the #ShoutYourAbortion movement igniting to protest defunding Planned Parenthood. My mom was also nineteen when she got pregnant with me. I appreciate everything she sacrificed by having me. But watching how my mom and dad struggled financially and how hard my mom worked to juggle work, school, and a kid, I knew from a young age that if I was ever in the same situation, I would get an abortion. And I did. And I don’t regret it. There might be some people who say that I made a selfish decision, but it’s okay for a nineteen-year-old to be selfish. It’s okay for anyone to be selfish once in a while. But the stigmatization of having an abortion kept me from shouting my own, even though it was the right choice for me.
 
 Aspen Baker stated that “Empathy gets created the moment we imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes.” Civil discourse on abortion rights needs more empathy. Women who have abortions are often villainized, but their stories are not all the same. Aspen Baker’s Exhale organization and Twitter campaign #ShoutYourAbortion are examples of this. Women have abortions because they are sexually assaulted. Women have abortions because their pregnancy is dangerous to their own health. Women have abortions because they aren’t ready to be mothers. Polarization erases these women’s stories and promotes stigmatization. Women should be free to shout their abortion without judgement.
 
References
Baker, A. (2015, May). Retrieved January 29, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/aspen_baker_a_better_way_to_talk_about_abortion
Shout Your Abortion. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://shoutyourabortion.com/about/

​Justice Kurihara


7 Comments
Honey Cin
2/18/2020 09:42:56 pm

Hi Justice, thank you for sharing your story. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you. As a kid who was raised in a Christian society, I can understand your assumption about Christian. I believe many unready women will prefer to do abortions if they get access to safe abortion, and their society didn't discriminate against it. So many people are scared of social judgment, and they care too much about other opinions/comments than they care for themselves. You are very strong and brave <3

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Jordan Tomas
2/19/2020 12:09:03 am

Very brave of you sharing your experience with abortion, Justice. It must have been hard to share your experience with others, considering the stigmas and prejudices of women having abortions. It can be hard for a religious standpoint, especially in Christianity. The debate on pro-Life vs. pro-Choice has been really complicated, as we look into the moralities and human rights of this particular debate. The use of pro-Voice is unique and I think will allow women like you to at least feel some comfort in expressing your feelings from these experiences. I can see that the challenge of talking about abortion weighed heavily on you. At least it appears that you are able to get this off your chest in a secure virtual environment.

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Christine Nguyen
2/19/2020 05:46:56 pm

Hi Justice,
I love how you're so bold and not afraid to voice your opinions and facts about the true reality of abortion. Aspen Baker makes a great point in stating how “empathy gets created the moment we imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes.” I agree that there would be more education about abortions and reasons why women choose to abort due to many major reasons. Thank you for sharing your post!

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Joo Kang
2/21/2020 01:24:39 am

I cannot imagine how it could be tough sharing stories but you made it such inspiring objects that we all can learn or relate to it. Especially reproductive justice connecting to religious belief, and as an Asian girl, coming from a Christian family background, it is hard to even discuss the issue. But you made the connection very well and very educational for all. I just love it

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Megan Pintok
2/22/2020 04:18:13 pm

Justice, I want to thank you for being so brave for sharing your story. As myself being someone raised in a Christian family, I can understand your views and assumptions about Christians and morally how they view certain things as right or wrong. I think it is important to educate people of the thoughts and decisions going through a woman’s mind when it comes to considering having an abortion. Your statement “Civil discourse on abortion rights needs more empathy.” is very powerful in terms of voicing these women as human and have the right to make decisions about their bodies without discrimination of being a terrible, selfish person. Thank you for sharing your experience.

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Jaya Cross
2/22/2020 07:13:46 pm

Hello Justice,
Thank you for sharing your story, I commend how brave you are. I think that is important that although your mother had you at the age of nineteen, you made the choice that was best for you. I think that there are so many reasons why people choose to have an abortion but it is a human right to have choice and to make choices based on what seems right, rather than outside influences imposing their opinions.

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Raiye Abunie
3/7/2020 09:16:16 pm

Hello Justice,

I appreciate you taking the time to share your personal story with us. Making sure to educate populations where abortion isn't widely discussed and taught can help women decide their own path. I believe what you did was brave and you were able to choose that path and make your own choice without the influence of a second party. It's a womans body and I believe she has the right to decide what she wants to do.

Thank you!

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