This Is My Abortion

Recently, I had an abortion.

Lining the street in front of the clinic were a dozen or so protesters. They held up large banners with anti-abortion slogans, religious iconography, and images of dead babies.

Just past the bulletproof security doors, the graphic nature of that imagery haunted me in the waiting room. What would my abortion look like? I decided to secretly document my abortion with my cell phone.

My intention in documenting and sharing my abortion is to demystify the sensationalist images propagated by the religious and political right on this matter. The use of lifeless fetus photographs are a propaganda tool in the anti-choice/pro-choice debate in which women and their bodies are used as pawns to push a cultural, political, and religious agenda in the United States.

At 6 weeks of pregnancy, my abortion looked very different than the images I saw when I entered the clinic that day.

This is my abortion.

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Should you feel moved to write me personally, please do so at jane@thisismyabortion.com.

This is a Creative Commons project… take it, use it, share it.

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The comment section below has been set up as a safe space for people to share, connect, and support one another on the matter of abortion. This space was not set up as a venue for debate. I will not be approving comments that include fundamentalist religious opinions, language of hate, or thoughts and language that trigger fear. There are many sites set up on the internet for the purpose of debate and dialogue on abortion. I urge those that feel moved, to visit those sites and express those opinions there.

621 Responses to “This Is My Abortion”

THANK YOU. Seriously, thank you so much. You’re my hero.

Comment by WHEOhio on 4 July 2012

thank you for doing this

Comment by andrea on 5 July 2012

Thank you and right on.

Comment by Nefarious on 5 July 2012

Thank you. I couldn’t look but I’ve always been curious.

Comment by Anonymous on 5 July 2012

Thank you. This is an incredible move by an incredible women.

Comment by sarah on 5 July 2012

This is incredibly brave. Just looking at it made me want to cry. Choosing abortion is never easy, no matter the circumstances. I’m so glad you shared this. More women need to know what to expect and understand that it’s ok.

It’s ok to be scared.
It’s ok to be angry.
It’s even ok to be happy.

Abortions are ok.
Do whats best for you and the potential baby. Even if it means not having it.

Comment by Jennifer on 5 July 2012

Thank you: I volunteer as a clinic escort and I wish that I had prints of this that I could share with patients.

You committed a thoughtful and helpful act. A statement made by a nurse in the documentary “Lake of Fire” has stayed with me:

“Miscarriage happens when your body isn’t ready to have a baby. Abortion happens when the rest of you isn’t ready to have a baby.”

Comment by ErikaM on 5 July 2012

You are brave and you deserve our respect and support. Feminists going under cover, I like it.

Comment by Sadie Wolfe on 5 July 2012

Wow! Your an amazing chica! I recently had an abortion as well and I went through the slew of protesters with my head down as I took my walk of shame in and out of there. Making me feel even more conflicted that I made a horrible mistake! You’re right and females NEED to know that abortion is really the BEST DECISION you will have made in YOUR LIFE! Thanks for having the courge and telling your story : )

Comment by ShannonR on 5 July 2012

I shared you blog with others here: http://www.goddiscussion.com/98146/what-one-woman-saw-after-she-awoke-from-her-abortion/ I gave a link back, but did not use any of your pictures. Thanks for sharing these pictures. I think everything we do to demystify and debunk the anti-abortionists is good. Thanks for sharing.

Comment by Mriana on 5 July 2012

My father, being ultra-conservative, goes off on a rant nearly every day about how abortion is “murder.” Despite multiple attempts to show him he’s wrong, he continues to protest that it’s “killing a person” and that he can’t believe women, who are supposed to be “nurturing and motherly” and “biologically incapable” of such an act would continue to do so.

Thank you for giving me a leg to stand on. Maybe now he’ll be able to understand what we crazy feminists are on about.

Comment by Allie on 5 July 2012

Thank you for posting this! During my first trimester, I considered abortion, and was advised by pro-life “Women’s Choice” resource centers that the trauma of seeing my seven-week-old fetus sucking his or her thumb could be lifelong. Seven-week-old fetuses do not suck their thumbs. Don’t listen to propaganda; it’s whether or not -you- think it’s a baby that matters.

Comment by Helen Scottsburg on 5 July 2012

Thank you so much for doing this. Posts by Jennifer and ErikaM cannot be repeated enough. I hope these pictures will help other women who need to make their own decision. Your efforts and openness is appreciated. You are amazing.

Comment by Jen on 5 July 2012

Thank you for being so brave!!

Comment by Eve on 5 July 2012

Thank you for sharing this. Dispelling the myths around abortion is something that is needed, hopefully this will help people understand the realities of abortions a bit better. Thank you.

Comment by Bri on 5 July 2012

I love the comment made by Jennifer. “Do whats best for you and the potential baby. Even if it means not having it.”

I also really love the quote from ErikaM. “Miscarriage happens when your body isn’t ready to have a baby. Abortion happens when the rest of you isn’t ready to have a baby.”

I would never want someone to force me to have an abortion if I want to keep the baby, but I sure as hell don’t want that choice taken away from me if I deem an abortion necessary.

You are so brave to show the world these photos when really this is your business and yours alone. Thank you for taking a stand and sharing.

Comment by Kat on 5 July 2012

Thank you so much. I hope this goes viral.

Comment by Julie on 5 July 2012

Thank you so much for this. I hope shit tons of people see this, Unfortunately, ignorance will always be a problem. But if this even changes one person’s views on this private matter, then it’s worth it.

Comment by Nicole on 5 July 2012

Thank you for doing this. You have done something amazing for people fighting for choice everywhere.

Comment by Sarah on 5 July 2012

This is an incredibly courageous thing you’ve done here. I admire your strength.

Comment by McClain on 5 July 2012

Interesting how all of these comments are so positive. I had an abortion too, except mine was not 6 weeks, it was 10 weeks and it devastated me. It wasn’t the protesters – there were none there at the time – it was the feeling I got inside of me as I realized this man was vacuuming my baby out of me and putting its parts in a jar. I couldn’t go back though. I had already made a choice. Now I want kids and can’t have them because I developed a bad infection after the abortion. There’s more to it than both sides are willing to see…..WAY more.

You probably won’t post this comment because it doesn’t praise you for what you’ve done, but it made me feel a little bit better to submit anyway….

Comment by TaraT on 5 July 2012

Hello Tara T,

Thank you for your honest feedback. I am very sorry to hear that your experience was so devastating and that the you had such a hard time in your recovery. I do hope that you can find peace with your process.

I agree that there is more to all of it than either side can see. Reality is not partisan and neither is the heart. Things are much more complex than that. Each of our experiences is unique unto itself and should be honored as such. I am speaking to my personal experience and what I was able to capture with my camera.

With solidarity,
Jane

Comment by Jane Young on 5 July 2012

Dear all,

Thank you to all of you who have written personally and are posting your comments. I am overwhelmed with your willingness to share your candid, unique stories with me and your unbiased support.

Knowledge is empowerment and education is the key to making empowering decisions for ourselves, our bodies, and our families.

In gratitude,
Jane

Comment by Jane Young on 5 July 2012

Thank you for posting these. I literally had no idea what the inside of a clinic would look like. I’ve learned more about abortion in the last year than in the whole rest of my life–statistics, numbers, all the things needed to counter supporters of these anti-woman laws that have been springing up. But this is one bit of education that I still had not obtained. It’s easy to repeat facts about the size of a 6-week embryo, but to see it for yourself has an impact that numbers could never have.

Comment by Emmie on 5 July 2012

I am socially liberal and a staunch atheist. I am also adamantly pro-life. I detest religiously motivated arguments and loath being associated with them. Not every pro-life advocate is a religious activist.

I don’t know your situation, but I can still say I wish you had not obtained an abortion. To me, it is indeed a kind of murder. People who hold these opinions are not universally ignorant, sexist, or oppressive. I do not suppose that you ascribe these qualities to all pro-life advocates, because I do not know you and you seem reasonable. I instead criticize those prone to knee-jerk reactionism on both sides of the issue. The one thing we could use more of, in fact, is reasonable people.

My only cultural agenda is to increase critical, autonomous thinking. My only political agenda is to effect change in accordance with my principles. My only religious agenda is to globally eradicate it in all forms.

I have a problem with your abortion, but that does not make me a misogynist. My comment might spur indignation, because (forgive the upcoming, possibly erroneous, assumption)you believe it is none of my business. There is probably some truth to that.

I do not have a problem with you documenting it in this fashion. No harm can come from dispelling myths and misinformation. I try to proceed through life with an open mind, though I am sure everyone believes that about themselves. Perhaps someday you’ll become a pro-life advocate. Perhaps someday, I’ll become a pro-choice advocate. I have no idea.

Take care.

Comment by Scott on 5 July 2012

I just wanted to thank you for doing this. You are a brave and heroic woman just like so many of us who have had to make this choice. You are my hero for this and a hero to all of us.

Thank you,

Anonymous Girl from Louisiana

Comment by Anonymous on 5 July 2012

Thanks for sharing this. It’s refreshing to see unbiased information. Like yourself, I had no idea what it would actually look like. Good on you, girl.

Comment by Tracy on 5 July 2012

This is interesting. I’m against abortion personally, but I’m libertarian, so I’m glad you’ve taken a step towards showing what actually happens, rather than what propoganda says happens. Well done.

Comment by Ben on 5 July 2012

This is what my abortion looked like, too, at about 10 or 11 weeks. It’s difficult to remember exactly how far along I was because it happened in 1975, when I was 15 years old. I am so thankful that I didn’t have to run through a gamut of protesters to get to the clinic. There were no protesters at all at that time. Yes, I lied about my age and did not tell my mother. I was lucky not to have had any complications.

It was emotionally difficult, but it was the right decision for me. And, I was so fortunate that Roe v. Wade made it possible for me to have that choice.

I had an irrational hatred for the doctor who performed the abortion for many years, until I grew up and learned that he was actually a very good doctor, and I was lucky to have had him. I still remember his name. I think I always will.

I have mixed feelings about abortion today. I am fully in support of a woman’s right to choose, and I always will be. However, I also know that abortion terminates a potential life, “potential” being the operative word because not all pregnancies are successful. I will always feel solidarity for any woman who has undergone an abortion, for any reason. I will also always feel contempt for any man who would dare to legislate or control women’s bodies.

Comment by Susan on 6 July 2012

Thank you SO MUCH for dong this. Projects like these and brave women like yourself are going to be responsible for breaking the years of silence that oppression, guilt and shame have systematically built.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!

Comment by Beth on 6 July 2012

It’s not the same thing, but as a gay man with HIV I know what it is like for society to want to punish and control you, and vilify you for wanting to have self-respect and ownership over your own body.

I support you and support all women’s reproductive choices, 100 percent.

Comment by Rodger on 6 July 2012

Simple but brilliant.

We have a wonderful new daughter, only 9 months old now, and I would hate for her to grow up in a world where she did not have the right to control her own life and make choices about her fertility. As HIV+ gay Rodger above reminds us, everyone has a dog in this fight, because the kind of people who are trying to ban abortion also want to dictate the personal lives and choices of _everyone_, not just pregnant women.

Comment by ABM on 6 July 2012

This is wonderful and I’m glad you have shown the truth! I also had an abortion, back in October 2010, and what you’ve shown here is all the aftermath that I saw afterwards and I was 12 weeks at the time, the farthest along you can be to legally obtain an abortion in my state. I was then and am still a wife and mother of two wonderful little boys. My husband and I made the choice together to abort my third pregnancy, due to financial and personal reasons. To be quite honest, I never once felt “bad” about it like it seems we women are blatantly told we are supposed to feel by the anti-choice front. In all reality, my husband and I were relieved and to this day we still are, and not once have either of us ever wished I hadn’t gone through with it. My biggest problem with the anti-choice people: WHY WOULD THEY CARE SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT SOMEONE ELSE DOES WITH THEIR LIFE WHEN IT IS NO CONCERN OF THEIRS AND DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THEIR OWN LIFE?!?

Comment by Kay Jay on 6 July 2012

Thank you. You’re amazing.

Comment by Sarah Jane on 6 July 2012

<3 i don't know if it's because society has desensitized me so much….or it was 4chan. but, the thought of abortion has never scared me. reading these comments, i guess its one of those you-have-to-be-there emotions. You've cleared up a lot of the horror stories that are floating about. it's not bad. there's nothing wrong with choosing for yourself and what you believe is in best interest for your baby.
Thank you for sharing, this is is the side people really need to see!

Comment by Devasaurus on 6 July 2012

this is a brilliant way to show the rest of the world the reality of what abortions are. well done. and thank you for being brave enough to share.

kay, thank you for writing. my husband and i decided to abort an unplanned pregnancy for similar reasons. i had two tweens, who were, and at 26 and 25, continue to be hell on wheels like you, i have never felt “badly” about the choice we made. i’m happy to know that someone else feels the same. don’t know if that makes sense or not, but there it is.

Comment by dot on 6 July 2012

one thing that has to stop in this country is the twisting of reality. whether or not anyone agrees this is the truth.

Comment by cakes on 6 July 2012

Jane,
You are a very brave woman to even look while this was happening, let alone take these pictures. I felt very queazy looking at the pictures above. Actually, I am still a little sick to my stomach, but I am glad I know what an abortion looks like. I am also glad that you were able to have a legal and safe abortion and hope abortion remains a legal, safe option for women in the future.
This has a big impact. What you did. I wish i could give you a hug.

Comment by John on 6 July 2012

Thank you for this. And thank you to your doctor.

Comment by Ana on 6 July 2012

I have mixed feelings on abortion, like many here. I feel that the unborn constitute a potential individual, and therefore deserve a certain degree of respect and protection. However, the mother is certainly no less worthy of my respect and protection for her choice. I suppose I feel like abortion should be solely the choice of the mother, but society should do what they can to provide education and support for individuals so that they aren’t placed in a situation where they may have to consider a abortion in the first place (so much as these things can be avoided).

Anywho, that’s my two cents. This is an interesting and informative, and certainly any steps we can take away from the propaganda and towards the truth is helpful in our discourse. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Comment by Caleb on 6 July 2012

I had an abortion in 2004 and was 7 weeks along. I found out on my 20th birthday I was pregnant and when I told my boyfriend at the time he pretty much let me know he was not interested in being a father. I had major complications the next day and actually had to be rushed back to have another procedure done. I am now unable to have children but luckily for me my husband who was adopted doesn’t want biological children but to adopt ourselves. Even with the problems I had I still to this day do not regret my decision. I will always be pro-choice because you should have the right to decide what is right for you. It was MY decision to have an abortion..no one else’s. I am the one who has to live with that. If I can why can’t other people? But anyways I have seen the pictures the religious people show to try to scare you and so now I am very happy to know what it really looks like. I do thank you for doing that. Thank you for showing the truth.

Comment by Katie on 6 July 2012

I had an abortion in college and another in graduate school. The man who got me pregnant in graduate school and who I decided to have the abortion with is now my husband.

We now have 3 (healthy, normal) children.

I do no regret the abortions, they were the best decision at the time and circumstances.

my abortions looked like yours..

thank you for this.

Comment by me on 6 July 2012

As someone who has had to make the same decision, I thank you. Though it was almost 5 years ago, I also remember the protesters outside and the lies that they yelled at me. Reading all the comments gave me chills, you have helped people in ways you will never know. Thank you!

Comment by Liz on 6 July 2012

You fucking rock for this. Absolutely brilliant. You’re so incredibly brave.

Comment by Chelsea on 6 July 2012

Well Scott, you can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first.

Comment by lucy on 6 July 2012

It is good that these pictures are being shown. People need to think rationally about abortions and not have thier minds clouded with images of torn apart babies.

I am pro-choice. All women should have the right to do whatever they believe is best and should have every right to have a safe abortion if they want one.

But I don’t believe women who have had an abortion should feel they made the RIGHT choice. I see some women wrote that it is the “best decision of their life” and it saddens me. Abortion is something you should deeply regret. It was a selfish decision.

I understand that desensitizing people to the subject is necessary for pro-choice, but we can’t just make abortions “okay”.

Comment by Jen on 6 July 2012

I am always so happy to see people speaking out about what abortion is really like to dispel the myths. You are very brave. I hope it isn’t necessary, but if I ever need an abortion I hope to have your courage to document and speak up about my experience. I am afraid of this option becoming harder and harder to obtain, even with only a 2% chance I’ll need it.

I am also so pleasantly surprised, and kind of sad that it’s so surprising, that the comments are mostly positive, and the ones that are negative are very respectful. On the one hand, I hope that anti-choice activists see this so that there is a little more knowledge that they can’t ignore, but I also hope your comments stay hate free.

Comment by E on 6 July 2012

Thank you.

Comment by Corinne on 6 July 2012

Thank you for sharing what you went through. It is still a struggle for me everyday but I am learning to live with it. You are extremely strong and brave.

Comment by Shannon on 6 July 2012

Thank you for giving an insight into something that has gone in the dark for too long, thank you for showing that this is not a barbaric act, and that it is instead a choice made in lieu of something far more serious. Thank you for give the public a chance to face one of society’s biggest taboos, and letting us know that there’s nothing taboo about it.

Rock on, and stay strong.

Comment by Nia Benjamin on 6 July 2012

thank you for posting this. as a man, this is helpful and informative. it was the right decision and to this day we both still agree on that. but since I was not in the room and did not experienced anything there have always been questions. i appreciate what you have done here.

Comment by david on 6 July 2012

You are wise beyond your years (however old you are) to have the insight to simply document the procedure. I am a longtime male proponent of Choice and this work puts the manipulative imagery in the right context. It boggles my mind that women are still going through the protest scenes in 2012.

Thank you for having the courage to do this – do you have a favored charity that someone can make a small donation on your behalf as a way to pay it forward?

Comment by Vince on 6 July 2012

Jane,
I would like to know if, in the event I ever stage a counter-protest to the anti-choice zealots and their misinformation, if I could print this image onto sinage in effort to dispel the misinformed, gratuitous photographs of dead, fully grown babies the people my wife and I will be counter-protesting towards. The URL to this site would be printed boldly below it.

The misinformation and propaganda campaigns show no real sign of stopping on their own. I feel that the only real way to stopping it would be to utilize the same freedoms of speech the propagandists use.

Comment by Brandon on 6 July 2012

Absolutely Brandon. This project was created as a simple contribution to knowledge. An educated individual will make the most sound choice for themselves. An informed society is an empowered society. Take it, use it, share it. Gracias!

Comment by Jane Young on 6 July 2012

Thank you so much for sharing this. Well done!

Comment by Dawn. on 6 July 2012

I’m not against abortion but i am against using it as a way out. (unless rape) I’m a guy and i would much prefer to give ALL sexually active girls the pill as a backup in case the condom breaks or the douche boyfriend/husband doesn’t want to do his part and wear a condom. Remember, it’s your body so don’t wait for the man to put you in this situation.

This happened to me in college were a girl that was going for her masters got pregnant and i was just an undergrad depending on my parents. I agreed to the abortion because i was scared but i could have used a condom or she being older should have forced me to use one or at least be on the pill if she was going to allow this unsafe practice. Found out later this would be her second abortion, the first one when she was an undergrad. In the beginning we used a condom, then the pull out method. I find it funny now but at the time i was more afraid of getting (any) girl pregnant than catching an STD.

Comment by That guy... on 6 July 2012

Big fan of the truth. Thanks for posting.

Comment by Niki on 7 July 2012

Amazingly courageous. Why some people think something like this is an easy decision is something I cannot fathom.

Comment by gil on 7 July 2012

This is wonderful, thank you. I had an abortion at 19, but it was a medical, not surgical one. It was extremely painful, and I told no one but my then boyfriend. I bled for a long time, but I was told that was normal, much like postpartum bleeding. Afterward I was fine. I now have a son with my husband, over 10 years later.

I was about to start college away from home after 2 years of community college, and I saw no future for a child in it. It was the most humane thing to do at the time. People label abortion as selfish but I beg to differ. Like another comment said, it was the best choice for the potential “child.”

Comment by sarahj on 7 July 2012

Thank you for showing me what I could not look at with my own eyes.

Comment by Cataline on 7 July 2012

Thank you, thank you, thank you. So much.

Comment by c.cholz on 7 July 2012

Thank God

Comment by Pappas on 7 July 2012

Thank you, Jane! Thank you, thank you, thank you. There are no words to communicate my respect and appreciation. <3 <3 <3

Comment by Sarita on 7 July 2012

To Tara T. who had a terrible healing process and lost the ability to even have children.. You shouldn’t take away the choices of other women just because your experience went wrong. That was either your doctors fault or your own bodies fault not everyone else. I’m 20 years old. I was raped when I was 15 and by your means of thinking I would have to live with my own pain and be reminded of it everyday by an innocent baby who was the result of it all. That isn’t fair to me as the 15 year old that I was and that is even more unfair to the child I would have brought into this world.
Take your own advice it really isn’t black and white.

Comment by Alicia on 7 July 2012

All-

I was interviewed by Jessica Gottlieb about this project. You can find the interview here:

http://www.ivillage.com/conversation-woman-behind-thisismyabortioncom/8-a-470707

Many thanks,
Jane

Comment by Jane Young on 7 July 2012

Dear Jane,
I am pro-life. That being said, I am truly sorry that the people outside the clinic you went to were unkind. Not all of us are like that: not all of us hold signs, or shout, or think ill of you. Some of us are there out of love, not to make anyone feel guilty, but to be there for the women when they go into the clinic and to be there for them when they come out. To listen to them, or pray for them, or just to be a friendly face after a hard choice. I know abortion is never an easy choice, and I don’t hate anyone who has had one. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it is a baby, my science classes in embryology told me that as did my heart, but we don’t hate you. I pray outside a clinic every week when I am at school, rain or snow or sunshine, out of love, not out of hate. I want to be there for the women and the babies, not just the babies, because no matter what leads a woman to choose abortion, it is never an easy choice. But I also stand there as a survivor of abortion, someone who the world says shouldn’t be alive today. I know the pain on both sides of the issue, because I have experienced it first hand. I stand outside abortion clinics because I want to help. Please know that we don’t think you are evil for your choice, we don’t hate you, or anyone else who has an abortion. Just know while there are a few pro-lifers who protest in ways that hurt your feelings, doesn’t mean all of us are there to make you feel guilty. And know that you are loved, no matter what you choose. You don’t have to post this, just know that you are loved. God Bless.

Comment by anonymous on 7 July 2012

Perhaps this post will be removed, since while skimming through I saw no other pro-life comments, but my only response to this is yes–I would imagine this is what a six-week abortion looks like. The fetus is not extracted from the uterus in its original form; it is either scraped or suctioned out the small hole through the cervix. That it why this tiny fetus looks like bloody foam. Hopefully another woman farther along will feel so inclined to take pictures of her second-trimester abortion. The reaction might be quite different.

Comment by Meghann on 7 July 2012

This is really brave of you and I know many will appreciate it. Thank you for trying to get the truth out there. The Anti-choice people can be so cruel, with their signs full of lies being shoved in people’s faces on a day that is already hard to handle. I hope I’m never in a situation where I might need to have an abortion, but I am so glad that I have the freedom to make that choice if I need to. I wish you all the best.

Comment by Dani on 7 July 2012

Thank you so much.

Comment by B on 7 July 2012

I have nothing against abortion. I believe everybody is entitled to make their own decision and cope with them, but using crappy vintage-like photo filters should be punishable.

Comment by wss on 7 July 2012

Hi Jane! I have a question (and please don’t be offended!!!) but am confused as to what your pictures are trying to show. I think anyone with even the slightest bit of knowledge about human development would know that at six weeks, your baby is very very small… Obviously you would have had to get much closer to those jars & zoom in much much more to even potentially be able to get a snap-shot of your baby from a camera phone (which is still quite unlikely considering the mass amount of liquid that surrounds and protects the baby at this ago — which, is what is shown in the images). So what are you trying to show with these pictures? Are you saying that because your baby is so small at that age and that you cannot see him/her directly though all the fluid that it’s reason enough to OK abortion?

Comment by Confused on 7 July 2012

I know a lot of women who’s lives have been devestated by having to make this choice, and I would like to make note of something that Alicia inadvertently stated: “I would have to live with my own pain and be reminded of it everyday by an innocent baby ” this is acknowledging that A.) it IS a baby, and B.) its an innocent. I find that really interesting. Also, this is what it looks like SOME time. It takes on a lot of very innocuous forms. It also can look gruesome. I think the people holding signs with dead babies on them are very obviously going about thier protest in a counterproductive manner, and I would like to apologize for thier ignorance and insensitivity. The truth is, this SHOULD be a hard decision, but often times is not. I know a girl who actually condemned me for NOT having an abortion, stating that she had already had five, it was no big deal, and I was just ‘scared’. This is a very personal experience, and has a very wide spectrum of positive and negative effects, and I would hope that everyone looking at this considers the smile on thier child’s face that could have been.

Comment by Sarah on 7 July 2012

Thank you for getting this out there. Demonizing women, simply because they own and make choices for themselves, is appaling.

Comment by Sean on 7 July 2012

I have no idea how you did it, but I’m glad you did. Thank you so much for giving concrete proof that the Pro-Life propaganda has no place here.

Comment by Jas on 7 July 2012

I almost started to believe that annymous post about the pro-lifer who prays outside of clinics out of love. Almost.. until the voice changed from “I” to “we”. Check it out:
“I stand outside abortion clinics because I want to help. Please know that we don’t think you are evil for your choice, we don’t hate you, or anyone else who has an abortion.”

We don’t hate you? Who is we? I guess “we” is everyone who is against abortion? If you are speaking just for yourself, that’s fine. Don’t try to twist it to say all anti-abortion protestors feel like you because quite frankly, I feel you are very much in the minority.

No man or woman has the right to make a decision for any other adult on this planet. Especially when it will change that person’s life forever. I celebrate your life to express your opinion on the subject, but the second it turns into “you should”, you’ve crossed the line. Focus on your own family. Focus on the things you can actually change. Leave the rest of us to live our lives the best way we know how.

If it matters, I am a man and was faced with this decision when my girlfriend at the time became pregnant at 18. Although I would never choose abortion, I would never take away that decision from someone else.

Comment by Brad on 7 July 2012

Dear Brad,
“We” is the group I pray with…my school. And I know a lot of other people who feel the same way, but I was specifically talking about the group I pray with. I don’t go by myself. I go with my school every Saturday while I am there…I suppose I didn’t make that clear enough, but I know I speak for the other people in my group because I have talked to all of them, and I know they feel the same way. I am one of the prayer group leaders, we don’t even face the women coming in out of respect for privacy, we stand in small prayer circles facing each other. No not everyone who is against abortion goes there out of love for the women and the babies, but my group does. If you stand inside our prayer circle at the end before we leave to go home you would know that because it is said every week. We are there to love everyone, women, babies,men, parents, grandparents, and yes the escorts and the doctors and the nurses too. Not every group practices what they preach, but we believe that when the Bible says “they will know we are Christians by our love” it is a lifestyle, not just the words coming out of our mouths. I am not a leader over the whole group but I am a leader, and so I get to talk to the people who go with me. “WE” are there out of love, as am “I.”

Comment by anonymous on 7 July 2012

Holy crap! It just looks like blood.
My moitto on Abortion is that:
A womans body doesn’t belong to religion, government or man!

Comment by sol3ilsocratesinventor on 7 July 2012

Thank you for posting this. I worked in a clinic that performed abortions up to 12/13 weeks gestation and I never saw any products of conception that looked even remotely like the posters and flyers the “prolife” folks use. The vast majority of abortions occur early in pregnancy so they mostly look like yours. I got pregnant on purpose in 2010 but I started having problems around 10 weeks. We went to the doctor and there was no heartbeat, the fetus had not grown past 8 weeks and the problems I was having were the first stages of infection which could have led to sepsis and death. I had a D&C, an abortion, at a hospital to restore my health. People who believe that no abortions should ever take place are naive. Without that abortion, the infection could have lead to severe health problems, infertility, and my death. Because of the abortion, I was later able to conceive, carry, and give birth to a healthy boy 8 months ago. There will always be a need for abortions even in a perfect world where women have access to everything they need in order to have and raise children.

Comment by Jenna on 7 July 2012

Hello all,

I’ve been getting many comments over last 24 hours such as this, which comes as no surprise:
“YOUR PATHETIC, TOO BAD YOUR MOM DIDN’T ABORT YOU SO THAT YOU COULD NOT INFLUENCE THESE YOUNG GIRLS TO CONSIDER ABORTION…”

And this one:
“You’re a sick, sick, bitch”.

And many with language such as this:
“Maybe you do not know God or that abortion is a sin? Praying for you!”

While I believe everyone has a right to their opinion and belief, this is not a public forum set up for hate, instilling fear, or expressing fanaticism. It is my intention for the space that has been created on this site to be a safe one. Comments such as the ones above, will not be included in the conversation.

ThisIsMyAbortion.com was created to contribute another educational perspective on what an abortion can look like to counter the images of the commonly known dead fetus abortion photograph.

General hate mail or any variation of the ones illustrated above, can be directed to websites such as http://www.thisismyabortion.org, which offer other perspectives on the abortion matter and could be a better fit for such opinions. It appears the site is taking emails, but not public comment.

Jane

Comment by Jane Young on 7 July 2012

I know what a dead baby looks like. I have held one. I have taken it from’t it’s mother’s arms, and baptized it, like she asked me to.

I was working as an interfaith chaplain in a hospital at the time. I was there to serve patients of all religions and spiritual paths. And one day when I was on call I got a call to the neo-natal ICU.
Petrified, I went. And I walked into a room and saw a woman, younger than me (I was about 25 at the time) holding her dead baby that she had just delivered.

It was, in truth, an awful and incredible experience. So traumatic. So painful to witness. But, this woman, this mother, was calm and sweet, loving and caring for this being that she had carried inside of her. She asked me to say some prayers and I did. I spent some hours with this family talking and being quiet. And just being the presence of pain and even love.

I know what a dead baby looks like and that image has haunted my dreams. No one should have to see that. No one should have to experience that. But, sometimes we must. Life is full of unexpected traumas that we can’t predict. And women know, in our most ancient of cells the kinds of unexpected traumas that life throws to us and our bodies.

Women get raped, and sometimes they get pregnant. I know a woman who kept her child, whose father was the man who raped her mother. I know many women who have had abortions. Some traumatic, some enlightening. I know that I often visited that one bathroom stall in my university that was tucked away on the first floor, filled with writings on the wall about women’s abortion experiences. That’s where I learned about abortion and all of it’s intricacies when I was 19. I know that rape has been and is still used as a tool for war, as a weapon, and that forced pregnancy is used similarly.

I know that women are trafficked, even in my hometown of Montreal. I know that religion is a powerful and at times beautiful tool for bringing people together. But, I also know that it is currently being used by some to inflict mental, emotional and spiritual traumas on women who are learning about their bodies and their choices. Jane, what you’ve done is helped women and men understand things more clearly. You are brave. Because telling the truth takes courage. From you, we can learn about abortion not in hidden bathroom stalls and hushed conversations. Thank you.

I wish that no one should ever have to see a dead baby ever. I’m grateful for the experience I had in the hospital room that day because I learned a lot about the human spirit. And I wish that you, Jane, did not have to be confronted with those falsified images as you were making the best choice for you. I wish that for you so much.

The images used to try and scare women out of what could be the best choice for them is a form of violence that makes me sick. That is the true “killing”. When freedom is extracted from you with violence, be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, systemic violence against women prevails. It’s small efforts like yours Jane that make, for the me, the biggest impact.

With love and deep admiration,
A

Comment by A on 7 July 2012

Thank you, Jane, for sharing your story. I teach a Human Sexuality undergraduate course and am considering offering my students the option of visiting your page. If you have any other helpful websites surrounding the abortion process, personal experiences, etc., I’d appreciate hearing about them.

Again, thank you for this.

Comment by Joanna on 7 July 2012

Hi Joanna,

Thank you so much. You are doing a wonderful thing. I wish I could take your class.

Please feel free to use this site however you deem appropriate for your curriculum and for your students. This project was created to offer an alternative perspective to the issue of abortion for the purpose of education.

In terms of additional websites, I would start by visiting http://www.womenonwaves.org and http://www.womenonweb.org. Both are organizations based outside the United States that offer services to women in countries where abortion is illegal or a woman would otherwise be unable to obtain one. They may have good resources on their website or would be able to provide you with information or point you in the right direction of where to find what you’re looking for. Planned Parenthood would be another place to contact for sound information for your class.

If anyone sees this post on the site and knows about solid educational sites on the process of abortion, please chime in.

Jane

Comment by Jane Young on 7 July 2012

Wow. I had honestly never even occured to me to question the validity of those so-called “abortion” photos, but the reality is so dramatically different than the pro-life illusion, it’s startling. How can anyone claim the moral highroad and then turn around and use such disturbing images dishonestly? They are the sick ones, not you. Thank you so much for your honesty.

Comment by Amy on 7 July 2012

To Joanna @ 79:

For personal abortion experiences, try http://www.myabortionmylife.com and http://www.theabortiondiaries.com

There is also a wonderful college radio program called “Voices and Choices” where I participated in one of many candid conversations about choice, after viewing the Abortion Diaries:
http://www.voicesandchoicesradio.org/ShowArchives/tabid/58/Default.aspx
The conversation I’m referring to is “2011-5-17 Abortion Conversation with Leah, Toni, Dallas and Angel” and there are many more to choose from!

Comment by WHEOhio on 8 July 2012

American culture is messed up… The West is on the decline…

Comment by Will on 8 July 2012

I’m always amazed that people who claim to be Christians – and who believe that are acting on their Christian faith by opposing abortion – depend so much on lies and misrepresentation. We need to face them boldly with the truth. Thank you for doing this! I’m sure these photos will provide piece of mind to that many women who are tormented by anti-choice propaganda. Thank you and much love!

Comment by Katie on 8 July 2012

Thank you. I had an abortion at 9 weeks, though it would have been earlier if I’d had my way. I however live in an Australian state where abortion is still technically, if not in practise, illegal. The abortion clinic would not accept me until I was at least 8 weeks along. I also didn’t have a choice about about having a penetrative ultrasound or general anaesthesia.
It was the right choice for me. I have no shame, no regret and never will. I do not want children. Even more I do not want to be pregnant again, ever. Those few weeks I was pregnant was more emotionally torturous than any abortion could ever be. I shudder at the thought of something growing inside me. I also appreciate that this is my personal feeling. I would never imagine trying to tell another woman that she shouldn’t get pregnant because of it.

Comment by Amy on 8 July 2012

I never really cared about this topic. I personally would keep the child. And from pictures have showed me, they make abortion out to turn my head away from it. It’s nice to see the truth. But I guess this question is for any one who’s had an abortion. Why not have the baby. And adopt? I guess I’d try to think of every option before abortion. But I assume there to be a good reason. Just curious.

Comment by Ellie on 8 July 2012

You are so amazing, and brave, and just a great human being. The stigma surrounding abortion is only outdone by all the radical lies. Thank you for doing a service to so many disillusioned people.

Comment by Darcy on 8 July 2012

To anonymous who stands outside of clinics in a “loving” manner.

That is not love. Love would be to respect the women going into the clinic. Respect their autonomy over their bodies to make the choice that is best for them. Respect for their privacy before and after a private medical procedure. Love would be respect for the clinic staff and the doctors who are performing the procedure, putting their lives at risk because people like you seem to think that you know what is best for everyone, and wish harm on them and their families.

Love would be making sure that every child born into this world is loved and well taken care of, with their needs met adequately. Not forcing them to be born to parents who do not want them at this point in their lives.

Love would be understanding that often the women walking through those clinic doors are making a decision that not only effects them, but the rest of their families. Women who may not be able to afford to adequately feed and shelter the children they already have, adding one more child to the mix meaning that everyone in the family may have to do without.

Abortion is a very complicated matter and it shouldn’t be. Everyone should trust each individual woman to make the decision that is best for herself.

Comment by Annie on 8 July 2012

we love you jane. keep going. you have all the time in the world to have a baby when you are ready.

Comment by Leia Peison on 8 July 2012

Thank you for sharing your experience and these photos. In a culture rampant with abortion stigma, talking openly about having an abortion takes courage and bravery. I wish talking openly about abortion didn’t involve taking personal and cultural risks, but unfortunately, it does. Thank you for taking that on. The pro-choice and reproductive justice movements stand behind you, as do the 50 million US women who’ve had abortions since 1973.

Comment by Steph Herold on 8 July 2012

You are incredible! Thank you.

Comment by Natalia on 8 July 2012

That is what mine looked like as well. I was 17. When I found out I was pregnant I was only 5 weeks along and they made me wait until I was 8 weeks for the abortion. It was the longest 3 weeks of my life and I had second thoughts many times. But weighing all the circumstances (and there were so many) it was ultimately my choice to terminate the pregnancy. I do not regret my decision. Thank you for posting this.

Comment by tam on 9 July 2012

so many say that “pro-life” people are taking away freedom of choice and to do with your body as you wish… but at the same time, many “pro-choice” people are trying to take away the “pro-lifer’s” freedom of speech and choice to demonstrate their beliefs. Its a battle that just goes around in circles, people trying to fight against what they are trying to stand for. People expect others to believe what they believe. If you are pro-choice, you try to get everyone else to be pro-choice, if you are pro-life you try to get everyone else to be pro-life and you get mad or upset when someone disagrees.

Comment by anon on 9 July 2012

Thanks for showing the truth of abortions. I’ve not had an abortion myself but a friend has had, and I drove her to and from the clinic. Thankfully in my European country there are no protesters in front of clinics. She made her decision really fast, but she was still in agony over it ; she took two pills and had something like a heavy period the day later. Nothing more.

I’m sad that on top of the trauma of having to abort, you had to face the hatred of bigots. Stay strong. Only you can decide whether you’ll have children or not – not the politicians, not the religious, not the shaming males.

Comment by Sylviane on 9 July 2012

It is important to bear in mind that those who protest against abortion do so for hidden reasons.

They object to women having the choice to not be burdened – frequently on their own (by choice or not) – by the upbringing of a child.

Women who choose to keep (or are browbeaten into keeping) their children are frequently labelled as ‘single mothers’ which loads them with a whole lot of negativity that comes with those two words.

Claims such as those mentioned about women’s ‘natural’ ability to nurture are simply untrue. Neither sex has any ‘natural’ tendencies. They are things that have been taught at such an early age that the child has no choice and no understanding of why the agree with these ‘common sense’ beliefs but none of it is ‘natural’.

It can be a no-win situation and one that each person must be able to make – with the correct and accurate information they need – and this website and its images goes some way to doing that.

Well done.

Comment by Pandy on 10 July 2012

Thank you. You are a brave woman. Nobody but you could have made this choice, I am appalled and saddened by the fact that protestors choose to object to what is clearly a personal choice, one that is not ever easy to make. But, it was the right decision for you, at the time. Don’t ever be ashamed.

Comment by Rachael on 10 July 2012

Regardless of my hatred for what you did, I hope you are feeling ok, both physically and mentally.

http://liveactionnews.org/culture/woman-posts-pictures-of-her-abortion/

Comment by Kathleen on 10 July 2012

I had an abortion about 4 years ago now. I was 11 weeks and 2 days pregnant. It doesn’t get to me as much as it used to but from time to time that guilty feeling arises when my midwife mother starts harping on about her hatred for abortion. The image that haunts me the most is the ultrasound. I looked away when the doctor was doing it but he printed a photo of it off and left it on the bench next to me. I saw a little fetus, not just blood and cells.

I am pro-choice ,but I’m also “pro-no one should ever have to go through this because it’s a shit and really fucking hard decision to make”.

I don’t regret my decision, in fact I am thankful of it because my life would be dreadful as a mother at this point in time. (I have dreams I want to fulfill and babies squash them- if we’re all about honesty here!!)

This post is mostly important because it forces people to get honest about their feelings on this difficult social issue which is far more imperative to moving forward than any silly placard, protest or propoganda can and ever will do.

Thank you for sharing this with this world.

Comment by Alison on 10 July 2012

Everyone does not agree with everyone but I agree that women should be able to make any decision they want about what they want to do with their bodies and without scrutiny.

I have had several abortions for my own reasons and abortion is not a birth control method as some people think. It’s very expensive and painful. The thought stays with you forever.

I get tired of these people saying its “murder” blah blah blah….what makes you the high almighty to judge someone else when you know nothing about them (not you but those who think abortion is the worse thing ever).

I had only encountered 1 protestor before. I do feel sorry for these protestors because they are stupid minded….stupid minded in thinking that every single woman’s clinic is just an abortion house, nothing else goes on there. Abortion is just one of the many services people. Educate yourself before you go ranting about the clinics

Comment by tiffany on 10 July 2012

A woman going into an abortion clinic is unlikely to think somebody standing outside is there for her benefit. If you really care about love and happiness, then walk away. Let them face it on their own. They don’t need you.

I’m seventeen, and I don’t plan on getting pregnant any time soon. I’ll put it off until I’m almost past my biological use by date if I can, or at least until I actually want children. But life isn’t something in any kind of control. Not in ours, and to me as an atheist, not in that of a ‘higher being’, so these options need to be available.

Adoption is not simple. A few comments up someone suggested it could’ve been a possibility. But that child is then in the world, and one day, they might want answers. Who knows what even brought that child into the world. How do you tell a woman she can’t move on in life, because there’s someone out there with a thousand questions for her?

Life is hard enough as it is for some people, at least give them the chance not to have to pass that onto anybody else.

Comment by Phoebe on 10 July 2012

As a UK resident, I long believed we were treating this highly delicate matter very well- until recently. There has been documented protesting outside some London clinics, and this upsets me greatly. The protesters are selfish, narrow-minded and dangerous. They are risking the future of my own children, in my view. I will have a child when I feel the time to be right, and unfortunately not all people think like that- poor choices made by unfit mothers cause far more damage than any abortion. How many social difficulties are incurred indirectly by children being born that are not wanted?… (hope this does not come across as a sweeping generalization)…
I am a firm pro-choice woman. I have never had a termination myself, but a relative has, and she was treated so well, I would like to thank the medical staff that continue to be there for any woman needing and wanting this procedure, and you as a writer for putting this our there in cyberspace.

Comment by Anna on 10 July 2012

I had an abortion 10 years ago. Surprised and attacked from all sides of the clinic with bible thumpers waving the book in my face telling me how I will go to hell. Didn’t mind since my mother has been taking me to pro choice rallies since I was 9 years old. These are the same people that burned the doctors barn and killed his beloved horses. I remember feeling nervous but never doubting it was the right choice. My partner and I were too young and not sure of our future together since we had only been together 6 months. 10 years later, still together, now with two beautiful children. I remember how fast it was. I remember I couldn’t see a thing. I appreciate your photos. This is just an affirmation of how I felt then, and still after my children, that a fetus is a fetus, and a baby is a baby. THERE IS a difference.

Comment by Sara on 10 July 2012

Great piece of work. You have entered a new realm. Thank you.

Comment by bob on 10 July 2012

Jane, thanks for bringing this to the fore. I had an abortion 6 years ago. the circumstances are not really anyone’s business but essentially it was just my choice, I wanted an abortion and I had one. I’ve never regretted my decision for a second and I don’t feel any guilt, honestly, not even one second. When I want a baby and I’m ready, I’ll have one if I can. It’s my life, my body and my choice. I don’t care what anyone else thinks and I’m not obliged to.

Pro-lifers should mind their own business. Women should stick together, we have it hard enough out here already, wherever we live and whoever we are. Have some respect for lives which are already being lived and bodies which are already fully formed. If you have nothing constructive to say, don’t say anything, switch off the computer and work on being a better human being.

You’re amazingly brave Jane. Thank you, on behalf of women everywhere.

Comment by Gina on 10 July 2012

Thank you for posting this. I am pro-choice although I know myself I could never have an abortion. And if I were to become pregnant unplanned, it would be my choice to keep the baby regardless of circumstance, but I know that others might choose differently. I can only imagine what a torturous decision some women have to make regarding abortion and no matter what a woman chooses, it is her decision to make and no-one else’s. People standing outside clinics protesting have no idea what decisions or what agony may have lead a woman there, and frankly, it is none of their business either.

I respect every woman’s right to choose and I will not stand for anyone who tells me what I can and cannot do with my own body, but equally, part of me always thinks “what about the (potential) baby? What about its right to its own (potential) body?” This is why although I firmly believe everyone should have the right to choose, I could never go through with it myself. But I have never been in the situation, so perhaps I might behave differently if the choice ever presented itself.

Thank you again for dispelling the myths surrounding abortion. Anything which leads to greater understanding and awareness is always good, and your bravery in publishing these photos, and no doubt reading some hateful comments sent your way, is to be commended.

Wishing you all the best x

Comment by Rachael on 10 July 2012

Thank you so much for doing this. I often worry what would happen if I myself needed an abortion. I wish there were more unbiased sources of information out there.

Comment by Anonymous on 10 July 2012

Everyone has a right to their opinion as do I. Most of the comments are thank you for doing this, thank you for showing this, your such an amazing woman. What if this child would have been a woman, there is no one to congratulate her on anything. I used to be pro-choice then i lost a child, gave birth to my son, lost a child and had my last and final child a little girl. So going through pregnancies, births and losses I can say now when you have gone through a loss that wasn’t my choice is terrible and the fact that someone would CHOSE to have this I will never understand. Seeing pictures of empty jars then a jar with blood in it is rather pg, go online and good abortion procedure. See one for real if you ever think about having an abortion, not saying it will stop you or anything but SEE the procedure. If you can watch it and say i can do that, then that is your business.

Comment by momof2 on 10 July 2012

Thank you so much! This is what an average abortion looks like. Many of the pictures that protesters use are actually pictures of 2nd and 3rd trimester miscarriages and stillbirths that they lifted from medical textbooks.

Comment by Michelle on 10 July 2012

Thank you so much for standing up to all the people who pretend abortion is anything more than what it is. They’d make a woman feel guilty for having her period, given the chance. I will never forget this, you are an inspiration.

Comment by Jayme on 10 July 2012

Momof2: Just because you have had losses out of your control does not mean someone else needs to have the control taking from them. I am sorry for your loss, but your loss does not mean every other person shouldn’t be able to make their own choice in the matter of abortion.

Jane: You rock. I had an abortion at seventeen at about seven weeks. I was too scared to look at the products, and now I really wish I had. Because I spent so much time beating myself up for making the absolute best choice, not only for me, but for the potential future child and the children I will have someday. I would have been unable to place the child for adoption, and would have missed out on most of the opportunities I now have being a parent way before I was ready.

Comment by Annie on 10 July 2012

As an Irish woman currently being force fed misleading pro-life propaganda, thank you.
No woman ever wants to go through that but should have the right to do so safely, legally and shame free in their own country.

Comment by Leanne on 10 July 2012

I had one when I was 19. The room had. A sound machine , and calming pictures, also the machine they used to do the procedeure was completely covered up so you couldn’t see.

Comment by Jackie on 10 July 2012

You are so brave and I am proud of you putting this out there. I am sick of seeing posters of anti abortion posters around the Dublin City area and making women afraid to have their voice and their opinion heard. I never had an abortion, i dont have a kid either, but i did have a shock a good few years ago thinking that i was pregnant, but i wasnt.

You made a brave decision and I am very pleased that you put this out there

Comment by Laura Murray on 10 July 2012

Jane, you’re awesome.
I’ve had more than one abortion, at 17, 21, 27 and again at 30.
Am I ashamed, no. I made the best decision for myself (and my unborn child) at the time. I I didn’t use it as a form of birth control- I was using some form of protection each time.

at 17, those protesters got the best of me, and I was haunted by the images of dead babies for years. At 30, through my tears, I cussed those protesters out as I left the clinic. If I was smart enough, I would have used that energy to create something more postive, like this.

I now have a 5 month old baby girl who is the love of my life, and I’m so happy that I waited until I WAS READY to have her, because now I can give her all the love and attention and knowledge that I didn’t have back then…. and there’s no child out there, wondering who her real mother is (for all of you wondering why more women aren’t open to adopting)

I work with college age women and so of them get pregnant. I’ll be sharing your site with them, to help dispell the myths associated with getting an abortion.

Words can’t express my gratitute to you.

Comment by sam on 10 July 2012

Thank you for doing this. You are very brave.

Comment by Ally on 10 July 2012

I will agree that pictures of abortions are highly disturbing. I have been at pro-life rallies and I feel like anyone who is pro-life only because they saw an alleged picture of an aborted fetus is simply uneducated.

I am pro-life because I believe that the Constitution protects the lives of Americans, despite age, religion, race, etc. Biologically, I feel like a fetus is in fact an independent living organism, from the point of conception. Once an egg is fertilized, it is an independent, alive separate being. Although it may be a “parasite” in the sense that it can’t survive without the woman, but this I feel is invalid. Of course a fetus can’t survive out of the womb, as much as I could not survive on an island devoid of nutrition. If I deserve to die because I cannot stay alive, then you are not following the Constitution.

Comment by Aaron on 10 July 2012

Thanks for posting this important information for all women.
There are 175 countries that provide maternity leave for mothers but not the USA?!
Here are the statistics: http://holykaw.alltop.com/paid-maternity-leave-in-the-us-versus-other-c

To the anonymous comments re: praying for Jane
Please stop talking nonsense & go pray & volunteer for all the children who are starving & need an education & much more.
No one likes abortion but it is sometimes necessary for the health of the mother & first off it’s the mother’s decision, not someone else’s.
If you’re against abortion, don’t have one!
Stop trying to legislate personal decisions.
Mother of 3
Jeanabella

Comment by Jeanabella on 10 July 2012

Thank you, thank you for being so humane and brave, Jane.

Comment by SK on 10 July 2012

I hope that one day I have the courage to discuss my abortion publicly. My abortion did not hurt my body, it did not ruin my life. I felt some sadness but mostly relief. 3 months later I know I made the right choice for myself and the baby. I was not ready…and I didn’t think it was fair to myself or the baby to go through with it when I felt that way.

Momof2: I have also lost a child. My first pregnancy was ectopic. I did not have any access to prenatal care because I didn’t have any health insurance. I was trying to qualify for Medicaid (I planned to keep the baby) when the miscarriage happened and I had to be hospitalized overnight. I lost a lot of blood and could have died. I was devastated and depressed over the loss of that pregnancy for months.

However, when I became pregnant a second time 2 years later, I knew in my heart it wasn’t the right time in my life. So I chose abortion, even after I had that traumatic loss, because it was the right choice for ME. You had your experience, and that’s certainly valid, but please understand that plenty of the people who have had abortions have also had involuntary miscarriages. Not everyone has the same experience as you.

Comment by Emily on 10 July 2012

Jane,

First off, thank you so very, very much for putting this in the public consciousness. While I doubt it will change the minds of the zealots out there, it may give confidence to women who might be considering their options. I sincerely hope it does.

Second, I’ve had two abortions myself. The first when I was 18, the second when I was 27. The circumstances of the first were plain naivete on my part, and those of the second were much more than complicated. I regret neither. In fact, if I did anything right in my life I chose not to bring a life into the chaotic world that I happen to inhabit.

Lastly, I hope that you COMPLETELY ignore any of the hate mail, or even well-meaning “prayer” mail that I’m sure you’re getting. Your courageous and obviously needed and welcomed act is something most women in your position would, understandably so, not even begin to consider let alone manage to carry out. You have made an impact I think, and a very good one at that. Don’t let the zealots get to you.

Thanks again and take care

Comment by Aimee on 10 July 2012

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Comment by Heather on 10 July 2012

This was a very simple yet brilliant thing you’ve done right here and it should have been published far more publicly and in a very positive light. You aren’t promoting or condemning, simply showing the clear facts in photos which is so reassuring and really dispels the over exaggeration of the propaganda used by pro-life groups. Thank you for this. It has put me in great confidence that I should not be worried if I am ever in the situation which requires an abortion.

Charlotte

Comment by Charlotte on 10 July 2012

Well done for sharing this. Well done also for standing up and being counted, particularly as you must have known the kind of responses you would – and did – receive.

The pro-life movement does itself a great disservice by jumbling its message with confused religious approaches, misogyny and villification of women. I wouldn’t wish the worst of it on men, but where is their responsibility in this issue?

It’s interesting to note that the comment no. 26 posted by Scott states he wishes the author hadn’t had her abortion, and then insists that he just wants people (women?) to be “critical, autonomous” – she was. She thought critically about this, and autonomously decided that the best thing was to proceed with an abortion.

Remember: if you don’t believe in abortion, don’t have one. It’s not up to you what others do.

Well done with this, and good luck

Comment by Marie on 10 July 2012

Commenter 107 – this is an abortion “for real”. The author didn’t have a late abortion. She had this one.

Comment by Marie on 10 July 2012

Thank you for this. I still feel shakey, have a lump in my throat and stomach but as a young woman who dreams of having children when she’s ready but totally terrified of what would happen if I became pregant before that I feel it’s important I know as much as I can handle about this procedure.

I go to university in Northern Ireland where abortion is still illegal, but my home is England, so if I should need one the option is there. I have friends who have savings set aside, plans in place for how they would travel to England. The idea of the added stress that would cause them, that some women who would be so incapable financially to even cross over to have an abortion, let alone raise a child… I can’t even comprehend that kind of choice. But I still believe the choice should be available, no one should be forced into anything.

I read somewhere “There’s no such thing as pro-abortion, only pro-choice”, I think I understand, no one enjoys, or looks forward to something that traumatic and I am eternally grateful that where I live the clinics are not picketed, that dialouge is open, and that my mother is unmoveably supportive of me, should I ever need to make that choice.

For the gentleman wondering why woman don’t put up babies for adoption, as well as the children potentially wondering about a parent who either didn’t want, or was incapable of caring for them, at the moment in England a child put up for adoption at 1 month old waits 15 months (on average) to be adopted, between time they are in foster care. At such a fragile and vital age it can be very difficult to explain the concept of all that moving around, and must be difficult for them to attach etc. Perhaps that is also something to be considered.

I very much agree with an earlier comment, “Do whats best for you and the potential baby. Even if it means not having it.”

I can only hope that if I should ever be in such a difficult postition I will be brave enough to do the right thing, be that to carry on full term, adopt the child, raise it myself, or terminate the pregnancy.

Thank you for making a decisican I will hopefully never have to make a little bit more informed.

Comment by Amy on 10 July 2012

amazing story. i’m glad you were able to use your voice to help other women in the same position & do it from a positive place. i’m hoping to see a lot more of this sort of coming out about abortion. stigma kills. kudos to you!

Comment by meadowgirl on 10 July 2012

I had an abortion in the early 70′s and had to travel to NY state because the state I lived in hadn’t legalized abortion. I remember the vacuum bottle contained a small amount of red fluid similar to the pictures posted here. No evidence of any bones or flesh – just bloody secretions. I will never regret my decision and I thank the good lord that safe abortions are still legal in this country.
We must continue to offer women support and choices. I’m thankful I never had to walk through a group of protesters who could do much more with their energy if they volunteered to babysit, feed and care for the unwanted children who are born because their mothers didn’t have the courage or support to terminate and unwanted pregnancy. Every child should be a wanted child.

Comment by gloria on 10 July 2012

I agree that this is very brave. The discourse around abortion is cruel and often misogynistic and I hope that this type of honesty helps women.

Comment by Ollie on 10 July 2012

Thank you for your brave photography and sharing your story. I had an abortion when I was in my early 20s and similarly am appalled and angered by the pro-life protesters who deceptively mislead others with their propaganda. I have never regretted my decision and I’m now in my mid 30s. It was a “medical” abortion. I took some hormone pills that caused me to have cramping and a period. And that’s all it was: a bloody period just like any other except the cramps were stronger because of the medication. The majority of abortions are medical abortions like mine.

Comment by M on 10 July 2012

Way to go, Jane. I applaud you for your courage to post this. I had an abortion 35 years ago; I was lucky enough to have a mother who took me to the clinic and was there to take me back home. I have never felt “bad” about it; but I’ve also not talked about it to anyone except my husband. Even then, it was just the one time before we got married, and we’ve never talked about it since. He knows I’m passionately pro-choice, and I know he supports me. Even then, being pro-choice brings with it the agony of making a choice. That decision should always be based on the facts, and not the propaganda. Thank-you.

Comment by Cyndi on 10 July 2012

Well done for having the will and presence of mind to take this action after being heckled and harassed by heartless protesters.

I’m sure that many women will be reassured, or at least better informed, by your important website.

Best wishes,

Matthew

Comment by Matthew on 10 July 2012

I had an abortion when I was 15. This is not something I am proud of but I knew at the time I would not be able to provide for the future child. The hardest part was that I had to do it alone, and people judged me. I felt bad and empty afterwards but I know I did the right thing. Now 6 ears later I am so glad i made that decision. My life is in my hands and I am able to o things I never would have been able to do if I had had that baby. I also now have the choice to have a baby when I am ready and that means the world to me. I do not tell a lot pf people about his but I think you are very brave so I thought I should share my story. thank you!

Comment by Zelah on 10 July 2012

I echo the sentiments of gratitude and deeply admire your brilliance for creating this!

Lily

Comment by Lily on 10 July 2012

thank you, thank you, thank you. a thousand times thank you.

Comment by anonymous on 10 July 2012

Thank you for your bravery and honesty, and if the time is right in the future I think you can feel confident that you are just the sort of person who ought to be a parent!

Comment by lisa on 10 July 2012

Jane, you might wish to share this link with people who have read your story or visited your site. It’s a hour-long radio show I hosted several years ago, where three women share their experiences having abortions. One went on to counsel other women against abortion. Another trained as a doula and works for a hotline that helps women who need financial assistance for abortions. Our third guest, like your mom, tried to abort a pregnancy before Roe v. Wade. It was an intense and unusual discussion.

http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/as-we-are-abortion-stories/

Comment by Emily on 10 July 2012

Thank you for these images,Jane you have helped many women understand in images what abortion is really about. I had an abortion many years ago and it was before the
days of mass pickets outside clinics. I was living in New York City at the time and I remember the morning of the abortion I and the other women who where there that day
sat in a room together before we were called for our procedures and shared our stories with each other……as women often do..some were silent ,some spoke,it was comforting.
Safe legal abortion is the right of every women and every man who loves women will
support this. Abortion protesters have lost the ability to love and with that loss they
have no ability for compassion. I am sad for them.

Comment by Roberta on 10 July 2012

Thank you for this. Every pregnant person should have the right to choose abortion, and have the right to have their options spelled out for them in a clear, medically and factually accurate manner. That includes accurate pictures (the pictures most anti-choicers use, I believe, are actually mutilated animal fetuses, medical waste from surgeries, etc) of the procedure, if requested.

For those that say people with uteri should “just” use birth control to keep from getting pregnant, well, that’s not always enough. The pill is about 90% effective as used by most people, because we’re not automatons that can take a pill in exactly the same manner at the same time every day of our lives. Other methods – IUDs and Nuva Ring – are more effective, but they still have failure rates. Abstinence has an 85% failure rate – 85 out of every 100 people with uteri using abstinence as a form of birth control end up pregnant over the course of a year. In short, there’s no method that can 100% guarantee you won’t get pregnant.

I’m lucky enough to be able to afford birth control, and (incidentally) lucky enough to have a medical condition that makes it both near-impossible for me to accidentally get pregnant AND imperative for me stay on hormonal birth control, so my insurance has always covered birth control. It’s sad that I’m so grateful for having a potentially fatal medical condition, but that is the state of our society.

So thanks again for advocating for choice, and for showing everyone what abortion actually looks like.

Comment by Ms. Elise on 10 July 2012

This is a great way for people to understand that this isn’t such a horrible thing.
If I get pregnant I probably will get an abortion.
I am just not ready yet for such a great responsibility and If i do bring a child into this world I want to make sure that I wouldn’t be bringing it into such a chaotic world.
Thank you for sharing this.
I truly admire you.

Comment by Sri on 10 July 2012

This is a marvelous thing you have done. Abortion is illegal in Ireland and the nutty right-wing are paying for advertising hoardings right now (see http://3menmakeatiger.blogspot.ie/2012/07/bad-science-of-youth-defence-and.html).

The disturbing thing about this issue is that so many men are involved in telling women what to do with their bodies.

As a man, I don’t believe that an abortion is something any woman would choose to have unless they believed that it was absolutely necessary. Once a woman has decided that an abortion is the solution for them, it is for no one to prevent that procedure being carried out in safe and peaceful surroundings without any interference, it’s private, for goodness sake.

Comment by Jon Pierson, Ireland on 10 July 2012

Thank you for sharing this. The image is very powerful. I am writing from Turkey, a country where until recently abortion was not a big issue, and women have the right to abort without many constraints. Recently, however, the government took up the issue and the prime minister declared that he is against abortion, also that he wants all women to have three kids (very Fuhrer like). I would like to remind to ALL people on earth that everywhere the female body is used as a tool for political and economic agendas. No abortion means future CHEAP LABOR, MANIPULATED MASSES (as anti-abortion mostly effects poorer populations), and potential passive HOUSEWIVES who are not involved in the decision making of any kind. This is not merely a “life” issue. It’s a class issue, it’s a gender issue, it’s a race issue!

With Solidarity!

Comment by sibel on 10 July 2012

It is hard to admit, but I have had an abortion. Do I think about the child that could have been? Absolutely. Do I think about the life I would not have been able to provide for him/her? Every day. Mine was not a healthy pregnancy. There were many, many risks involved but I did not question my decision. I was only 5 weeks along and had not taken any care or consideration that I might be pregnant. I think that the decision is so so personal. I needed to make this for myself. And I’m doing ok with it. It is the hardest decision to make – regardless of religion or beliefs or guilt or age. The mother/pregnant woman has every right to make the decision themselves.

Comment by Morgan on 10 July 2012

well done for taking a stand. As a man, I’d never cast my vote against choice for women.

Comment by Mike C on 10 July 2012

Thank you so much for posting this. I had an abortion at 16, and although I have previously had councilling, and can now openly speak about the experience,

I could never remove the horrible images I’d seen online from my head, but I wanted to try and know as much about what had happened as possible.

The more recent rise of anti-abortion campaigns hits home hard with any woman who has had to go through an abortion- it is insulting and offensive to try and demonise women who choose to have an abortion- for whatever reason, and as we know, it is one of the hardest descisions any of us will ever have to make.

We should all have the right to make the decision for ourselves. Thank you so much for spreading the word.

Comment by Jess E on 10 July 2012

Way to go! Good for you People can be so silly these days about personal choices. It’s ridiculous. I’m sorry you had to go through that protest line.

Comment by Leah on 10 July 2012

Thank you so much for this.

Comment by Jennifer on 10 July 2012

Birth control? It works if you use it.

Comment by Julie on 10 July 2012

As a woman who has had an abortion, I thank you for this. It was about the most painful decision I ever had to make, but it was for the best. Sometimes, the pro-life propaganda can get to me though. Thank you for being strong enough to post this and reminding me that I made the best decision I could!

Comment by Rain on 10 July 2012

Thank you for making a stand against ignorance, misinformation and bullying.

Comment by Sinfanti on 10 July 2012

It took a lot of guts to do what you did. However, I’m worried you are giving false ideas that abortion is completely safe and not barbaric. I work in an operating room and we do abortions at various gestations. They all aren’t as easy as yours. It’s a surgery. And precautions should be taken against unnecessary surgeries. I’ve seen very bad things happen. I’ve seen the baby’s heart beat on the ultrasound right before the termination. Yes. The baby is still alive while this is going on. And in that small canister of blood for the 6 week fetus. The fetus is in there too. For later gestations, the canisters aren’t so cute. They gross out most people.

The problem is that pro lifers use a scared straight tactic to prevent abortions. It ain’t working!!! Regular people are in the dark about most surgeries, let alone abortion. People need to make informed decisions. As glad as I am that you’ve put people’s minds at ease for their past, I’m worried you’ve encourage people to this abortion is no big deal and those other pictures are untrue “propaganda”.

Basically, we all should be able to make choices about our futures. Let’s not forget our choices for the moment can have life long effects. Keeping a baby or terminating both are life long choices. Just don’t think of abortion as an easy fix.

Comment by LA on 10 July 2012

correction… there is no such thing as an “unwanted” child. Just because you dont want it, does not mean that somebody else doesn’t. Most importantly, if God did not want the child, he would have not allowed it to start forming in the first place.

Comment by anon on 10 July 2012

To those stating it is “God’s matter” (or something similar):

Your religion does not give you the right to tell someone how to make their choices.

If you don’t like abortion, then don’t get one.

Proud of you, Jane.

Comment by Sydney on 10 July 2012

I love you, and I’m so sorry that the world has let you down so terribly. You deserve so much more.

Comment by crystal on 10 July 2012

Thank you for sharing your story. Your courage is an honor and an inspiration.

Comment by Lesley on 10 July 2012

What a positive thing to do, I’ve always thought the womans life should be valued and she should be allowed to control what goes on in her own body. Two of my friends have had abortions – one was on the pill but still managed to get pregnant and one was using a condom which must have split but somehow she didn’t realise until too late. Both are happy with their abortions and see believe they did the right thing. In contrast my friend who is a catholic has kept her baby even though she got pregnant by accident and I feel so bad for the child – she was not ready to have one and I really feel bad for him – he sits in front of the tv all day watching childrens tv as she is too exhausted and depressed to look after him and recently he broke his leg whilst playing unattended. She just doesn’t have the energy to give him the love and attention he needs and I can only think that this is because she never wanted him

Comment by Clare on 10 July 2012

Abortion is a truly personal thing. Every one of us has a different opinion/feeling on abortion and whether it is right for us as an individual. No-one regardless of their position has the right to try and make the other agree with them, on this deeply personal issue. By all means be pro-life/pro-choice, but please dont force your unwelcomed and un-needed personal feelings on this deeply personal issue, on someone who does not agree with you. Keep your thoughts to yourself and carry on doing what is right for you as an individual. I too had an abortion many years ago, it was a very positive experience and something I have never regretted. The only negative experience I had that day were the pro-lifers outside the clinic, trying to impose on me their own personal views of abortion. Amongst them were men and adolescant boys, please tell me what do they know, and why they should have any influence over my decision to do what feels right to me.

Jane I have to say I think you are brilliant for doing what you have done.

Comment by Louise Haig on 10 July 2012

It still amazes me that people can be so cruel as to show these horrific images to women at such an already dark and emotionally draining moment. Nice one for fighting back and I hope you can ignore the inevitable backlash from those who think they have more control over your life than you do.

Comment by Jonathan on 10 July 2012

These photographs look lurid and heightened, which is not my experience of legal abortion at the age of 18 or of legal abortion at 40.

It looks mysterious, with the strange angles and the highlighted blood and the absence of people. It looks creepy. Totally contrary to my experience.

My abortions were physically uncomfortable and psychically hugely comforting. Each was in a brightly lit operating theater, and consisted of some hours of preparation and then mere minutes of operation. There were supportive people around me, instead of the scary landscape shown here. The situation was never any more garishly lit than your average pelvic exam in your average gyn’s office. None felt like this, at all. This looks frightening.

Comment by Meg on 10 July 2012

It is 25 years since I had to make my decision. As a young single girl I struggled with my choice going back and forth for weeks ( I was only 4 weeks when I realised my situation and had to wait until 8 weeks for the procedure. My parents did know and put no pressure on me either way saying they would support me no matter what and ultimately paid for the procedure and my Dad took me to the clinic discussing everything else but what I was about to do.
I still have days when I feel guilty, when I wonder who this could have been, would I have coped, did I do the right thing.
It annoys me that people make this decision lightly. We have our reasons, we have our demons and we ultimately have to make the right choice for us at the time in the situation we are in.
Did I make the right choice most definately YES. I am now married with 2 beautiful teenage daughters and living a very happy life, which I don’t think I would have if I had not gone to that clinic.
My husband and both of my girls know of my choice and know that it was not an easy choice for me. I feel they need to know the truth about me to enable them to have a more realist view of life.

That was my experience not everyone is the same….. There were women at the clinic that seemed to think of abortion as a form of contraception. Having 3rd, 4th even 5th procedures. These women I despised at the time and still do. We all make mistakes or find our selves in a difficult situation but they just seemed to abuse the system.

Comment by Mandy on 10 July 2012

correction….It annoys me that people THINK we make this decision lightly.

Comment by Mandy on 10 July 2012

Thank you for doing this from Naples, Italy.

Comment by Eleanor on 10 July 2012

To the anonymous person above me, there is such a thing as an unwanted child. A child that won’t have a healthy life because of economic reasons, a child who will be born into a potentially abusive situation, a woman who won’t have anyone to help her besides herself. Maybe the child is wanted, but the woman knows that if this child is born it won’t have a happy and healthy life. You can’t assume anyone’s situation except your own. People live in circumstances that sometimes cannot be changed. Don’t try to take away their right to choice, and don’t assume your assertion of freedom of religion overrides that in any way, shape, or form.
Adoption in the United States is a process that frequently is problematic. It can harm the child mentally and emotionally when away from any real sort of parent at such a young age. It is likely that the child will live the in the system until they are 18 and then will be kicked to the curb. The percentage of people willing to adopt in the United States has greatly declined throughout the years. Bonding with adopted children is scientifically harder, and a process that takes time and patience. Most parents who adopt report feeling that they have difficulty boding with the child. Not to mention the fact that if a woman bears a child, that bond between her and the child will be felt immediately. The woman will have a hard time giving up the child even if she knows her circumstances are not the best or right at all for a child.
And I’m sorry, but let’s just not get religion involved in this. Pregnancy can be a mistake. It’s a biological process and a chance possibility. People of all religions or no religion can become pregnant and know that it is a mistake. It’s not up to you or “God” to decide what woman should keep her child.

To Jane, thank you for this website and thank you for your courage. It is people like you who help women and men everywhere continue the fight that is not over yet. Our reproductive rights as people are constantly being threatened.

To everyone else, don’t let an oppressive government tell you that they’re going to take away your right to decide. Be real and make your own choice. Demand your right to a healthy life.

Comment by Stephanie on 10 July 2012

As someone who has had 2 abortions, once when 17 and another at 21, I thank you.

To anyone who says that abortion is the easy way out, until you have walked a day in the shoes of a woman with an unplanned, unwanted, or forced pregnancy, you have no right to judge the decision she makes about her body and her future.

For me, the trauma came more from the protesters outside the clinic and their actions than the actual abortions themselves. And I know that this has been the experience also for other women I know who have had to terminate a pregnancy also.

I don’t go a day without thinking “what if I had had the baby” but I also do not go a day where I did not regret the decision I made. It was the right decision at the time and I stand by it, even nearly 20 years later.

Thank you for publishing these photos. Simply thank you.

Comment by Mia on 10 July 2012

Thank you so much for this. I am American but I’m lucky to be living in the UK, where the attitude towards abortion is a bit more progressive. I had an abortion last year. It was free and in an NHS hospital. There weren’t any ridiculous barriers along the way, like waiting periods or forced ultrasounds or ‘counselling’. And there weren’t any protesters with graphic images waiting for me at the doors. I shudder to think how different my experience would have been in the US.

Comment by BN on 10 July 2012

Thank you for presenting the reality. I admire your courage.

Comment by David on 10 July 2012

Thank you for doing this! I live in Europe and I always thought “Well, here it can never become as extreme as in the US.” In general, abortion is allowed in Europe (not in Ireland, but this is an exception). But now, here are also more and more religious fundamentalists demonstrating against it, and it really makes me afraid! I have already participated in pro-choice demonstrations and I hope that we will never come to the point where the situation is like in the US. I have never had an abortion, but I am so glad that I could if I needed it!
Thanks once again for doing this.

Comment by Angelika on 10 July 2012

I was born to an US immigrant who was married to my father. When my father learned that my mother was pregnant he left her all alone in a strange land barely even knowing the language. She had another child with another man within 11 months of my birth. She eventually had a nervous breakdown. My sister & I ended up at an orphanage and then foster care. After several years we went back to our mother who abused me. My life was a hell. Now as an adult I can see how this horrific experience made be a better person. I have made many accomplishments in this life and I feel I contribute to society. My point is that according to many people I should have been aborted so that I wouldn’t have had to go through all of the suffering that I did. Food for thought.

Comment by lucy on 10 July 2012

thank you for doing this. it’s important to see these images as they reveal the hysteria and lies behind a lot of the pro life campaigns.
i would like to ask some of the more sober pro lifers who comment here whether they feel that all life is sacred or only human life? do they refrain from killing spiders in their houses, for e.g. if all life is not as sacred as human life how do they reconcile that with ‘all god’s creatures’? i find myself deeply suspicious of pro life movement because they seem to care SO much about a few cells or a fetus but barely at all about children once they are born into this world and have no-one to care for them (for e.g. fighting healthcare reform in the US – which can mean life or death for so many children).

Comment by suzanne on 11 July 2012

I might only be 17, but I can’t thank you enough for this. My best friend had a pregnancy scare in January and I just didn’t know what to say. If she was pregnant, it was either keep the baby or abort it. It might of been a difficult decision for me, but for the possibly pregnant woman having to go over the options, it’s one of the most emotional experiences anyone should have to make. Luckily, she wasn’t pregnant, but if she was and she had to choose, I don’t know what would of happened or how she would’ve handled it. I guess it’s such a quick thing that your mind takes so long to recover from the shock and by the time you’ve reached the time to make the decision, everything seems such a rush because even a couple of weeks can be the difference between an abortion or being forced to keep the baby that you’re not ready to look after yet.

Comment by Jodie on 11 July 2012

You really are amazing, I had an abortion in November last year and am happy to say it went really well.
I had no idea what any of the procedure looked like due to being under general anaesthetic.
It is such an insight and even now when I am still comfortable with my decision, it helps to see that there isn’t anything traumatic or grotesque and that its just a bit of blood.
Thank God there is someone like you who is producing counter images and thoughts to those of pro life activists.
Everyone should have a choice of what happens to their own bodies and no one should be able to judge other people’s options. There is so much stigma for teenage girls who have babies and so many children in the care system as a result of parents who weren’t ready, no one thinks about that when they are hitting out at women who are trying to make a conscious decision for not only themselves but also for the life that they created.
I was shocked to read that there were activists outside your clinic, that must be so horrific and confusing, I don’t think I would have been so strong as to go through with it if I had been bombarded with pictures and angry people…
Reading your article in the Guardian, I am sorry to hear about your mother as well, but its fantastic she survived and went on to have a child as inspiring as you!
Thank you for this website, you have completely reaffirmed my decision and probably a lot of other peoples’ too x

Comment by Steph on 11 July 2012

Thank you for having the courage to tell the truth.

Comment by Jude on 11 July 2012

I admire you and others like you who decide to act in this way – this topic has such biased views on either side and both aren’t half as educated on the topic as they may think, me included so it’s nice to see someone showing abortion in an unbiased fashion. I think it’s great what you’ve done and go you!

Comment by Hope on 11 July 2012

Perhaps this is an issue with my browser, but I only see four photos. None of them are labeled, and none includes a doctor or a patient. I am guessing that what we see is the material removed during the procedure, but some specific labeling would be helpful for those of us without a healthcare background or personal experience.

Comment by D on 11 July 2012

I recently had a medical abortion, and was surprised by how caring and supportive the doctors and nurses were. There needs to be more information like this made available to girls, so they don’t feel scared or pressured into making a decision that isn’t right for them. I was quite lucky with the amount of support that I had, regardless of what decision I made. If only everyone had that support available.

Comment by Ann on 11 July 2012

In reply to lucy on July 10 (167):
Are you and your sister still in touch with your mother?

Comment by Sam on 11 July 2012

Hi there “D”,

You are correct. There are no doctors in the image. I did not take any pictures with any of the caregivers in the photographs to respect their privacy and for obvious security concerns.

You are also correct that what you see is the material removed from the procedure. This picture was shot immediately after the procedure was over. There were no unseen contraptions inside the jar or anything else that is hidden from these shots.

Hope that is helpful.

Jane

Comment by Jane on 11 July 2012

I had an abortion at 17, eight years ago. I am now the mother of a beautiful two year old daughter, and I am so glad that women are speaking out more – thank you for being one of them. I struggled with my decision for years. I cried daily for months, and then the pain started to fade, with the help of an online support group. But never did I regret my decision. I was much too young, and never would I dream of taking the choice away from others.
I agree that no one is pro-abortion. No one wakes up and says “hey, I think I’ll get pregnant so I can have an abortion next month”. It’s not a comfortable thing, it’s not an easy decision. But it IS a decision, one that we all have a right to make.
Thank you for removing the stigma. I searched the internet in my weeks post-abortion for photos of my fetus, and at 6 weeks the images I saw were none like the one you have posted. It didn’t help my healing, and instead pushed me back further. But now, I look back and I am happy I had the chance to decide, a chance to give a GOOD life to my daughter now because my child then would have been born into a world that was unfit, and I know the decision was right for me. And I still don’t regret it. Was it hard? Yes. Was it a loss just like any other? Absolutely. But it was the right thing to do for me at the time, and for my unborn child.

Comment by Janet on 11 July 2012

Thank you. I had an abortion too, several years ago, but opted for taking a pill that would end the pregnancy. I didn’t think I could take “the vacuum cleaner-like sounds” of what I envisioned the proceedure being like in the office (as it was described to me). I took the pill and had a horrible 24-hours at home…only to find it didn’t take, so I had to repeat it. Each time I had to walk through a group of protestors like those you mentioned. Do the posters they carry make us feel guilty? Yes. Do the things they say make us feel bad? Yes. But thankfully some of us are strong enough to do what needs to be done–to make the individual decision that is best for ourself, the father, and the child.

Comment by Melissa on 11 July 2012

Thank you for doing this!

Comment by Ash on 11 July 2012

January of 2004 was when I had mine. I was around 11 weeks. I had had a miscarriage that previous August, and I was heavily drinking on weekends and partying with my then husband (now ex). I was so upset about the first miscarriage that I couldn’t deal with being pregnant again (my ex told me that I was going to sleep with him or else and he refused protection. I had been unable to get back on the pill at this point or the procedure wouldn’t have been necessary). After what I now know was marital rape, I became pregnant again and was also pressured into the procedure, but considering the fact that we had no money, I was drinking to numb the pain of the situation, and I was nearly suicidal, I am glad that I went through it. Part of me still regrets it, but I know that it was the best decision, albeit a crappy one to have to be made.

These images are the few things that I remember from my procedure as well. Unfortunately, there were retained products of conception and I developed an infection. Fortunately, it was dealt with easily, and I am now married to a wonderful man and I have two beautiful boys, one of whom is from my first marriage (I got pregnant one last time with my worthless ex in 2005 – and finally got the courage to divorce him once my son was born). My second son was born in 2010. We are happy with our two boys, and I am so glad that you had the courage to post up the reality of what an abortion looks like. So many people labor under the delusion of the signs of the protesters. Thank you, again. I haven’t even told my own mother about my abortion. Some people know about it, but not many.

Comment by Heather on 11 July 2012

The mothers of Steve Jobs, Tim Tebow and Justin Bieber were faced with potential problems when they became pregnant. They gave birth to their babies and look how wonderfully these men have grown up and contributed to the world. I say this in love.

Comment by aussie on 11 July 2012

The pictures shown of fetuses at various stages are those that have not been vacuumed out of a body. Imagine taking a vacuum to any developing fetus. The results will look like something that had been placed in a blender. It could not come out whole, because it wasn’t meant to remain whole. The pictures you shared may have offered the temporary comfort, but the “Oh-It’s-Not-That-Bad” rationalization for the patient doesn’t allow the person to examine the wholeness of the choice and meditate on circumstances in which she arrived to have to make that choice. But it is not valid to justify that because the fetus doesn’t look like a fetus that it wasn’t one. Had the fetus been left to develop, it would look just like the babies in the pictures.

I write because I hope that women do not desensitize themselves to that degree. I have known women who take it so casually that they use abortion as birth control: One woman I know has chosen abortion FIVE times.

Abortion is a difficult choice for any one. I know personally. I used to get angry at the ProLife faction, at what I thought was heavy-handed thinking. After all, no woman grows up saying, “Gosh, before I die, I really want to experience abortion.’ It is not a bucket list choice. But in some cases, the ProChoice faction presents just as strong, but an artificial perspective.

Then I perceived it as a way out and saving a child I was not ready for. The man didn’t want to marry and it was the season of new feminism of the 70s. I bought into the rationalization that I was carrying cells. After it, I carried the shame hidden, hoping the next relationship I formed would be solid and I would be able to support a loving family. It became a shadow on my life. I wish I had given up the child for adoption now. I have gone on, but the truth of my choice will always weigh on me. If it did not, I actually would worry more.

A second time after a rape, I aborted again. At that time, there was no morning after pill a hospital could give. But It was interesting that no one even suggested that I carry it. Many years later I thought about the fact that the child was 50% of my DNA; and since I believe God doesn’t make junk, whatever percentage of the man who raped me had some portion of good and that was part of the child as well. No one tells a woman that. I guess what I am saying is that now I feel I violated that child in a more severe manner than the man violated me.
Today I would make a different choice. It took years to work through the grief and the disappointment in my choices.

I ended up marrying later, and having children. But the pregnancies were difficult to carry because of the abortions. My daughter died prematurely at 7 mo. gestation and my twins were born prematurely at 29 weeks gestation; my son died 10 hrs. after birth. My other son struggled and survived, but faced health challenges due to prematurity. I caution women who choose abortion that the choice does in many cases bear medical consequences. That is a reality check.

This is written not to judge other’s choices, but to reflect on the long term consequences by sharing mine. It is good to allow women to view all aspects of abortion. What you have shared was brave of you. It was good you have offered a forum for others to share their thoughts and experiences. Thank you for “listening” to another view. I wish you and all the other women who have shared their experiences, good health and that any grief they have may be clean and deep and adequate to bring them through to the other side of their sorrow.

Comment by Deb on 11 July 2012

I find it curious that some people define their pro-life stance on the Constitution, when that only has anything to do with Americans… just peculiar and strange as there aren’t women only in the States. I guess it’s fine for them if women in other countries are having the procedure? (Doubtful, but it’s kind of a silly reason to say why you’re pro-life.)

I really wish women didn’t have to deal with all the negative that comes with this choice. We should be able to do what we need to do for ourselves without anyone, man, religion, politicians telling us how we should be, what we should do. Who knows whats better for us than ourselves? We all have our experiences with this, for choosing why we did, whether for health, timing, economic standings, or the ability to provide for potential being.

Thank you for doing this.

Comment by Jen on 11 July 2012

First of all, as most have said, thank you for making the effort to dispel the myth of what abortion looks like. I work at a hospital that provides abortions and trains doctors to provide them, so I have seen many abortions. It frustrates me to no end that the anti-abortion images (all of which I have seen have been misrepresented) are all that is available to the public. Yes, some aborted fetuses look similar to some of the pictures the protestors show and I don’t think we should shy away from that, but the vast majority don’t. I have always wished that everyone could see what most abortions really look like.

That being said, had you gone to a different clinic, what you saw would have been even less scary-looking. Most abortions in the U.S. occur at less than 9 weeks of pregnancy and at that stage many/most clinics (in my region, anyway) use a different method – called manual vacuum aspiration – for abortion. There is no big, noisy machine with tubes and jars; there is just a very small, hand-held, syringe-looking aspirator that requires no electricity and can fit in your pocket. (Here is a picture: http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/270753/enlarge) Attached to this is, essentially, a straw that goes from the device into your uterus.

Everything comes out into the aspirator and then it is emptied so the provider can examine what came out to be sure they got everything. Most of what comes out is just blood and uterine lining. If the pregnancy is far enough along for there to be fetal parts, they make sure to find all of them. But most abortions occur so early in pregnancy that there are no fetal parts; there is no “baby” to be found. The only way they know they got the whole pregnancy is because they can see the gestational sac, which is a fluffy, cloud-looking thing. (Here’s a picture: http://ars.sciencedirect.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0002937897704101-gr1.jpg) I wish everyone could see this and see that there is really no baby there.

This makes sense when you think about medication abortion, where women take a pill to induce miscarriage. This is available up to 9 weeks gestation and it happens at home, so the women see everything that comes out. I’ve never heard anyone report that they saw a baby or even a fetus. And think about all the women who have early miscarriages and don’t even know it.

Anyway, I really wish the people who know what they’re talking about would put more pictures out. I’d do it myself, but all the ones I have are copyrighted.

Comment by Stacy on 11 July 2012

Thank you for this. I used to be one of those people; I never protested but I held the same uneducated, bigoted beliefs and I was vocal about it. Out from under the thumbs of my strict mormon parents (by becoming a ward of the state), I started to learn about all the ways I was raised wrong, including beliefs about abortion. You mean, babies don’t burst into perfect miniature being, invested with consciousness and a soul, when a man seals his virgin wife in the temple? I’ve heard “fetus” before, but WTH is a zygote? an oocyte? blastocyst??

The more I learn about my body and its reproductive functions, the more I am determined to teach my daughter about her rights to regulate her own body and its reproductive functions. When it’s time to get more technical about abortion, I will be showing her pictures like these. Right now, it’s “well, honey, some people get pregnant and have babies, some people adopt babies, some people don’t want to be pregnant or have babies at all, or just not now, or not with the person they’re having sex with, and it’s all okay. Birth control and abortion are just ways to stop a pregnancy before it grows into a baby. And what’s the most effective form of birth control? That’s right honey, condoms + backup.”

Comment by hobbitwife on 11 July 2012

thankyou so much. i did this and i wasn’t brave enough to see how it was, and the pro life things were tearing me up, i finally don’t feel like such a monster.

Comment by anonymouse on 11 July 2012

Hello Jane,
I am sorry to hear that your circumstances led you to feel the need to have an abortion. That is never an easy situation or choice.

While this is your experience of abortion, you had a suction abortion. This is a diagram from a medical site of what you experienced: http://catalog.nucleusinc.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=11271&ExhibitKeywordsRaw=&TL=&A=2
Pro-lifers do not claim that a suction abortion looks any differently. The child is more recognizable in the womb, and then it is ground up finely into the canister. However, if you ask your physician, they will tell you there are a variety of types of abortion. In fact, a suction abortion is only possible very early on in the pregnancy.
When the child grows, he or she must be removed piece by piece. Here is a medical diagram of such a procedure: http://catalog.nucleusinc.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=9663&ExhibitKeywordsRaw=&TL=&A=2

There are other procedures as well. For example, a child may be poisoned with saline solution. He or she may be delivered completely intact but discolored b/c of the poisoning.

Call up your local Planned Parenthood even. They may not admit to the pictures pro-lifers display, but they will tell you that there are various types of abortion. Not all make the child unrecognizeable.

Please know that this is not a message to create fear, but an entreatise to check your facts before you go posting that the pictures used are fake. Abortionists and pro-choice physicians have signed off on these photos to say they are real.

Comment by Grace on 11 July 2012

Thank you for this, you are so brave!

I had an abortion about 4 years ago, I was 6 weeks and I decided to take the pill. I already had 2 children with someone extremely abusive and who occasionally raped me….I could not give him a third child. I was alone when the abortion happened….and I was home….my kids were sleeping. It was very peaceful and I documented it too, for myself, to remind myself to be more careful to avoid these situations. And I do NOT regret it at all. I’d do it again if I had to.

This is empowering.

Thank you, again and forever.

Comment by Maria on 11 July 2012

You are brave, and I applaud you. You’ve done a service for us all.

Comment by sb on 11 July 2012

Thank-you for your part in pulling back the curtain on the myths being promoted by extremists who seek to deny safe, legal access to a female’s right to choose if, when, and under what circumstances she brings life into this world. I also had a safe, legal abortion, in a planned parenthood clinic, 21 years ago, was given no drugs that altered my cognitive ability to experience the procedure, and it in no way resembled the verbal or pictorial images used by anti-choice radicals who park themselves outside these clinics and harass patients as they come and go. As with any other medical procedure, there is always risk, but we can greatly diminish that risk by keeping abortions legal and therefore accessible under safe conditions, with follow-up care protocols. I in no way regret having had an abortion, and went on to have one child later, under circumstances that made it possible for me to be a responsible parent. The ignorance combined with adamance and frequently fueled by religious fervor of anti-choicers cannot be altered, as there have always been and always will be people born into our world who are unable to comprehend where their right to hold extremist beliefs collides with others’ rights to NOT share those beliefs. Thank-you again, and be well, while you move forward on your chosen path. Also, I’d like to give a warm, grateful shout-out to all the physicians and other health care professionals, including the nonclinical ones, who provide this essential service in our modern, civilized society. I so appreciate your skill and courage!!!

Comment by Linda on 11 July 2012

@Grace: There may be a kernel of truth to what you say, but that’s how they mislead you. Yes, there are a variety of methods of abortion (many of which are no longer routinely practiced). But the method you – and all the other anti-abortion people – reference is VERY rarely, if ever, used. Late (24+ weeks) abortion account for only 0.07% of the abortions in the U.S. and the ones I know of use a different method anyway.

Also, even the anti-abortion pictures that are real are usually (I would even venture to say always) misrepresented. So doctors may (or may not) have “signed off on” them, vouching that they are real pictures, but that doesn’t mean the captions are accurate.

Regardless, the point is that when you walk, at 6 weeks, into an abortion clinic and see protestors holding signs of full-grown dead babies and they’re telling you “This is what you’re doing to your baby,” that’s simply not true.

Comment by Stacy on 11 July 2012

Twenty-nine years ago yesterday, I had my abortion. I was eight weeks pregnant and this is exactly what it looked like. Thank you, Jane, for your bravery and for getting the truth out there.

Comment by Theresa on 11 July 2012

Thank you for your post! Years ago, when my period was unusually late (2-3 weeks), I was advised by an herbalist that making a strong tea of four herbs would cause the built-up lining of my uterus to detach, just at it would in having a natural period, and if I were experiencing an early pregnancy, it too would be cleared in the process. So I made a very strong warm tea of these dried herbs: pennyroyal, black cohosh, mugwort and yarrow. I drank several cups throughout the day for several days until a bleed was initiated. Whether or not I was pregnant, the remedy worked well for me. This method has been used for generations as a general feminine cleansing, as well as to end unwanted pregnancies. For me, it was easy, painless and safe, and more women need to know that this is an option for them. There’s a lot more information available on the web about “natural abortion,” and using herbs to terminate an early pregnancy.

Comment by Annon on 11 July 2012

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

My mother was a clinic escort for years, even when she was pregnant with me. Some of the women who visited the clinic were uncomfortable being escorted by a visibly pregnant woman, but my mother thought it was important that they know there are women all over who support their choices. Her mother-in-law, however, was a vehemently pro-life protester at that same clinic. There were many days the clinic would call my mother to take her off that day’s rotation lest she run into her mother-in-law.

I am a firm believer in making educated decisions. By sharing your pictures and your experience, you are helping educate more people.

Thank you.

Comment by Erin on 11 July 2012

with all due respect, in regards to the images you posted – a terminated 6 week old embryo would look drastically different (primarily in size) than a 12 week old fetus. both you and I looked like the 6 week old embryo in that jar at one time as well.
I am 8 weeks pregnant, at 6 weeks I had my first ultrasound, saw & heard the heart beat. I was wondering if anyone who has had an abortion here heard the heartbeat prior to terminating it?
just a question…

Nikki

Comment by nikki on 11 July 2012

Thank you for doing this. The truth needs to be told!
I’m sure you received a lot of hate mail and death threats, please do not allow their evil rhetoric to scare you. In fact, it is best to never read the trash they speak.

A few years ago, I encountered a group holding up the anti-abortion signs you speak of and I engaged them. It was one of the scariest moments of my life, when I revealed to them that I supported a woman’s right to decide. It is important to note that I was just passing by and had nothing to do with the issue they were protesting, and during this exchange, I remained calm and refrained from using insulting language. Despite that, several of these “good Christian” protesters ganged up on me and shouted at me, insulted me, and one tried to attack me but was restrained by another. They were just nasty and vile people.

Why are so many of these Christian so full of hate? Isn’t that against their religion?

Comment by SDC on 11 July 2012

As a currently pregnant woman and one who has had an abortion and two miscarriages as well as a live birth (that sounds like I have been busy but these were years apart and I am happy to currently be pregnant with my husband and man I love) I applaud what you have done here. I had to borrow money from my two best friends to pay for my abortion and didn’t tell anyone for a long time because of fear. I was raised in church and knew other’s opinions and seen the propaganda. It was a terrifying decision but one I knew to be right at the time. A woman should be able to make an educated choice about her body and have access to all options. Thank you for taking a stand.

Comment by Ashley on 11 July 2012

I have a wonderful daughter who is 9 years old that is the result of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.

During my pregnancy I was significantly mentally ill. Being a rather sheltered girl raised Catholic, I had no idea how to even go about getting an abortion in the best of circumstances, much less when I was in denial that I was even pregnant–even though I was puking so much that I actually LOST weight (went from about 125 to 115 during the pregnancy).

After having my daughter, I was so mentally ill with post-partum depression and anxiety that I was incapable of parenting her, and I was suicidal for years. I was very luck to be middle class and have a supportive family and a mother who eventually quit her own job in order to help share the load.

It took about 5 years for me to sort myself out and get even remotely healthy and financially stable, but I managed it.

I am terrified of becoming pregnant again, because I worry that it will make me crazy. I feel horrible shame and guilt because I was so sick that I barely even remember anything from my daughter’s first 3 or 4 years of life. The past 10 years have been torturous for me, and I am forever grateful that I am a privileged white suburban woman, because I don’t see how I could have survived otherwise.

I see people all the time referring to abortion as the “easy way out.”

Of COURSE it is.

My question is why on earth would you wish the hard way on anyone?

As someone who did travel the hard way, I can sincerely say that I will always always always be pro-choice. My daughter will know how to take care of herself–how to have healthy relationships, how to avoid men who don’t respect her, how to get and use birth control. She will know that she can talk to me about anything. And she will never, if I can do anything about it, have to suffer what I did. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Comment by B on 11 July 2012

I have never had an abortion. But I went through a similar deep soul-searching thought when faced with the situation of whether my elderly mother should try to go in permanent kidney dialysis for the rest of her life.
She had an RN, BS in Nursing, & a Masters in Public Health Education, yet felt that her mind might be clouded with all the medications she was then taking. So she trusted me to make the final call.
Her doctor interviewed us separately & then told us our decisions jointly & THEN revealed his own. All 3 concurred on the same medical grounds & best interests of the patient.

I hope that when my end days come, it will be my choice as well.
Don’t forget that many “Pro-Lifers” are trying to legally dictate the ends of h
uman lifespans, as well as the beginnings!!

Comment by KMC on 11 July 2012

Because of the constant lies and propaganda from the so-called Pro-Lifers, there are large numbers of people who really believe that, from the moment of conception, there is a tiny, fully formed baby, instead of reality (per your photos).

I’m a retired clinic defender. Some years ago, our local Pro-Choice group had set up a table outside a major grocery store to register voters and get signatures on petitions. Our table was prominently labeled as Pro-Choice and I was wearing a Pro-Choice T-shirt. A woman walking by stopped to tell me that she thought she’d just had a miscarriage because she had passed a lot of large blood clots. She said she had saved the clots and laid them out on toilet paper so that she could look through them to find the baby. She seemed puzzled by the fact that she didn’t find a baby. I tried to tell her the medical facts about it but she just walked away with that puzzled, confused look on her face. Oh, by the way, she had mentioned that she was Pro-Life.

Many, perhaps most, people who call themselves Pro-Life have been lied to so many times by their leaders that they’re simply not interested in facts. It’s much easier to be told what to think than to have to acknowledge that you’ve been lied to.

Comment by Eyesbright on 11 July 2012

i am pro life. I haven’t always been, however I had a hard time with “When Life Begins” It opens a few issues I’d rather not deal with. I have never protested or done anything at or near any clinic or facility. I came across your site and was intrigued.

I think I read most of the comments and I didn’t see any reaction to the contents of the jar aside from a reference or two about blood.. To be honest, it reminded of something not that different than you might find at a store or in your refrigerator. To me, in a non-emotional way, I have to ask “What’s in the jar?”. I’m thinking no one is real proud of the ingredient label on the outside.

I tend to question how folks can look at that jar and have a disconnect from what is inside.

I honestly am glad you posted these pictures. For those who find themselves thinking they need this procedure, they should know what they are in for. I hope things worked out for you.

I wish you well

Comment by Charlie on 11 July 2012

As a former RN who assisted with hundreds of abortions, I can attest to the accuracy of your photos as this is standard in every abortion I ever assisted. Thank you for your courage.

Comment by Beth Maples-Bays on 11 July 2012

Thank You.

Comment by Joelayne on 11 July 2012

Good for you. That is how it looked when I miscarried too. There were no cute lil babies ready to be diapered, just blood and a few clots. This is what it normally is, the religious folks are utterly and completely wrong. Also un-American, trying to force their religion on us all and freedom stealing.

Thank you for this site.

Comment by DenimDeb on 11 July 2012

@ 181 (aussie) – That is such a silly argument. Seriously. Let’s say all of the mothers of those famous people, for whatever reason, decided to have an abortion. Guess what – other people would still have been born to fill those roles. It’s not as though the world was in danger of running out of tween pop stars, football players, or tech people. Come on now.

@ commenters that suggest “just have the baby and give it away” – not every woman can have an uneventful, safe pregnancy. Some women have absolutely medically necessary abortions because, for whatever reason, they would lose their lives if they continued the pregnancy. So please stop just assuming that every woman that gets pregnant can “just have the baby” – some can’t. What are they supposed to do – die? How very pro-life of you.

@ commenters that suggest “if you can watch an abortion and are still fine with it, then you may have one”. How very kind of you to give permission. However, imagine if you did that for *every* surgery. Would you like to have to sit through watching a knee replacement surgery before you have one? How about watching a doctor lance a boil before you receive that procedure? How about a vasectomy? Oh – would that be unnecessary? Exactly. You shouldn’t be required to watch a medical procedure before you have one done – that’s absurd.

@ Jane, Thank you for sharing your experience.

Comment by S W on 11 July 2012

Well done, I think this is so brave

Comment by Rebecca on 11 July 2012

Thank-you for doing this!!
You go girl!!!

Comment by just-b on 11 July 2012

thank you. a thousand times, thank you.

Comment by emma on 11 July 2012

Sorry, one more thing.

@ 181 (aussie).

You mentioned people we like – what about if Hitler’s mom had an abortion? End one life to save 6 million lives. Would it be okay then? What about bin Laden’s mom – end one life to save 3,000?

Or even more – what if I decided to keep my baby, and they became an abortion doctor?

I am sorry to keep on this – but this was the same argument used toward me when I had an abortion a decade ago. “What if you child had been the next president?” It always made me think, “I dunno, what if I had the next Timothy McVeigh?”

Stop shaming women. Just trust us to make our choices.

Comment by S W on 11 July 2012

I would never presume to know the path another woman may be walking, as I hope another woman would not presume to know mine. I will, however, support, love, and believe in the choices each woman makes for herself. Here’s hoping that each of us find the grace to support the choice an individual woman makes involving her reproductive and sexual health regardless of our own personal beliefs. Have a beautiful day!

Comment by Tammy on 11 July 2012

jane, thank you for posting – thank you for demystifying and showing abortion for what it is: a necessary, routine and non-invasive procedure that many women have undergone historically and will undergo into the future. thank you. i am training to become a women’s health NP so that I can provide first trimester procedures in states where i am allowed to do so – i look forward to working with women like you in my profession.

with much love and gratitude, marge

Comment by marge on 11 July 2012

This is not an easy decision – we all do what we think is right and don’t deserve to be censured.

Thank you for sharing the truth about a subject where there are so many hateful lies.

Comment by Karin on 11 July 2012

I tend to get upset at the trend to equate abortion with murder. A close family member of mine was murdered in the late 90s, her life violently taken from her at 24 years old. It was cruel. It was unusual. And over a decade later, it is still completely unnatural to me to comprehend that she is gone, and gone forever. How can one possibly compare that to the termination of a pregnancy, a life that never lived at all?

I count myself so lucky to have been raised by a loving and compassionate family, who respect a woman’s choice because they respect life, and not the other way around.

Jane, you have my utmost respect and gratitude for sharing this with the world. Keep your chin up, we’re all on your side.

Comment by S on 11 July 2012

To anyone on the fence about the importance of working to maintain the right to legal abortion in the US or to stop those insisting on parental consent, let me share a history of my journey, as a reminder of the ongoing need to resist the politics of pro-choice activists.

At 16, before Roe v. Wade, I was molested by the Youth minister at the fundamentalist Nazarene church I attended, and I got pregnant. Frantic, frightened, and constantly nauseated, I tried jumping off curbs, out of trees, and taking quinine pills, to no avail. At about six weeks, I was lucky enough to read of “Clergy Council for Problem Pregnancy” in my local newspaper. The next Sunday I sought out the Episcopal priest to find out how to seek an abortion, which led me to a Jewish temple 65 miles away, where I was given information on how to travel, through a sort of “underground railway system”, to Mexico. Scared of telling my mother (who would not have allowed me to abort), I was able to tell an aunt, who paid for everything and took me to Mexico at about nine weeks.

The clinic was in a private house in Mexico City, where we had to have a code phrase in order to be allowed in; the waiting room was filled with 20 or so girls and women, all of them American. The doctor was kindly and comforting and once I was on the gurney, the procedure itself took only minutes. The greatest traumas were the molestation, the fear and shame from that, the journey to and from a foreign country, and the aftermath I experienced when my mother and my church found out about the molestation and abortion.

My church did what we see everyday in the news now…they shipped the guy off to another church, and excommunicated/banned me from attending. The only “brotherly love” I felt was from the liberal clergy of other sects and the people involved in the network.

To the religious pro-lifers with their hatred and vile—-in my experiences with you, I find you are most often hypocritical and sadly ignorant, having confused self-righteousness with love. If I had had that baby, none of you would have been worthy of adopting him/her.

I knew then, as I still do today, that having the abortion was the right thing and that I was indeed fortunate, despite the challenges to source and obtain the procedure. I am sure 1000′s of other girls and women then did not have the resources or options that I did. I will forever defend R v W so that no woman has to resort to dangerous and difficult situations to abort.

Jane, as so many here have said, thank you—may we all stand proudly for our right to decide for ourselves, as teens and as adults.

Comment by Jann on 11 July 2012

I had an abortion 3 years ago, and it has taken me 2 years to come to terms with my decision because of all the propoganda that goes with it. Although i was 21 i had not been with my partner long and i didnt want to feel obliged to stay with him, i didnt own my own house and didnt have a good job – i wouldnt of been able to provide and felt the best thing for my child would be to not have it. Its not an easy decision but it was the only option that felt right to me. When people found out a lot were disgusted given my age, but at 21 i didnt feel grown up myself! Others who found out would tell me their story- its funny how many people have gone through the same thing. It shouldnt be a taboo subject and people should be able to talk honestly and openly without any fear of being judged. Well done for standing up to those people who scare and belittle people who have to make this decision. Being educated and knowing all the facts are very important.

Comment by Hayley on 11 July 2012

Firstly, I think your intentions are good and I understand the need to remove the unnecessary fears and horror stories surrounding abortion. I also think anti-abortionists, especially those who protest outside of clinics, are cruel and terrible people. The women (and also the men involved in abortions, as I think the father’s often get forgotten) should not be intimidated in such a way at such a hard time in their life and in such a private issue.

Although I have had an abortion in the past and my experience was similar to your own, I disagree with the claims that the pictures of fetuses used in anti-abortion are not real. Yes in an abortion like this one, you don’t end up with a fetus in a jar, BUT, as someone above pointed out, it’s really not that simple. The only reason it’s form is not visible once removed is because of the vacuum technique used, ANYTHING would appear liquidised once it’s been vacuumed through a small tube – just because it doesn’t look like a partly formed fetus in your pictures, doesn’t mean it didn’t before the abortion process began.
I am not saying this because I am against abortion, I am pro-choice, and as I say, I have had an abortion myself, but I don’t agree with the way that you are presenting these pictures and a lot of the comments being made.

Last year, a year after having had an abortion, I fell pregnant again and this time circumstances were different and I planned to keep the child. I miscarried at 12weeks (a time at which an abortion is still possible) I had a very traumatic experience which involved “giving birth” to the stillborn fetus. I heard the doctor say “wow” (quite frankly inappropriate and insensitive I must say) and I managed to pull myself up to see what had come out of me. I saw the fetus, at only 12weeks formed, and I can tell you now, it looked like a baby. A tiny tiny, partly formed baby of course, but exactly the photos show (those often used by anti-abortionists for example). This is because it hadn’t been vacuumed out of me.
You shouldn’t present these pictures as if to reassure women that the fetus doesn’t look like a baby in these early stages of pregnancy. That is simply not true.

Comment by Mini on 11 July 2012

I had an abortion when I was 19 and my now husband of 33 years was the father. We made the difficult decision together, but knew it was the best thing to do. Neither of us were ready or able to be a decent parent. We were students and very poor. I know if I had that baby, it would have stressed us to point where I would have lost the love of my life. We were able to marry a few years later and had our first son after 5 years of marriage. We have two grown sons and are very proud of them. We chose to have the boys and were able to provide them with a good, safe home. Thank you your bravery for doing this. I salute you! Sandee Delano

Comment by Sandee Delano on 11 July 2012

Thank You for doing this. It is needed to illustrate what abortion is, at least for one human being. I had two abortions, both when married, and am very glad I had them. The first one, in the late 70s was when I was divorcing my abusive first husband. I knew at that time that I did not have the resources to care for a child alone. The second one was when I and my now husband (of 30+ years!) were first going together. We were not ready to become parents, having both come out of emotionally wrenching divorces. We were not even ready to be a “couple”. A little over a year later, we were and I got pregnant right away. We now have two wonderful, smart, funny, resourceful children, the oldest of whom is awaiting his first child. I never had the slightest regret that I chose as I did. I did what I thought and felt the moral, ethical thing to do. I believe very strongly that all children should be wanted. There are a lot of lies being told about abortion today and I am glad you are contributing to the truth. Thank You for all of us.

Comment by Cathi Smith on 11 July 2012

Thank you. I agree with all of the comments that this kind of open and demystifying information and conversation is sorely needed. I have never regretted my decision to have an abortion. It was absolutely the best choice I could have made for myself, my partner, and my children. Even though I know better and am fearless when it comes to discussing so many things, I rarely admit to having had an abortion because of the intense level of public shaming. When I have told people, I have been stunned by the number of women I know who have also had abortions, but feel equally pressured to stay silent about them. I am terrified that my daughters will not have the same kind of access to abortion that I had should they ever find themselves in need of the procedure.

Comment by Rose on 11 July 2012

I have had more than one abortion. Never felt bad about it. After my first one, I got it in my head that I was pro-life – then I got pregnant just as I was getting back into college (after being a drop-out) – well, I became Pro-choice again really quickly.

People often say “I was adopted and if my birth mother had aborted me I wouldn’t be here.” My 15-year-old niece came up with the most amazing response. She said, “Well my mom had an abortion and if she had not, I wouldn’t be here because my dad’s family was very religious and they wouldn’t have allowed him to marry a woman who’d been a single mom as a teenager.”

I look at my daughter and understand that had I not had those abortions, I would never have met her!!

I came up with a satirical take on how people who believe in personhood and conception would need to treat every menstrual cycle as a miscarriage. I encourage people to leave comments on the board – and stay in character – so as to keep the satire alive.

http://personhoodfunerals.com/

the blood in my photos is not real, but vampire blood from Halloween.

Comment by LeahsMom on 11 July 2012

I do not regret an abortion obtained in 1973. Now in my later years, I’ve wondered what that child would have been like? I have two wonderful children that are now young adults. Actually older than I was then. I have always cautioned them to be careful and respectful of any consequences. But ultimately I would advise each of them to make the best decision for their specific situations. I did not make the decision to abort lightly. Ultimately I had to choose between my fetus or my dad. Although I chose the later, I’ve also made sure that my children understand that I love them unconditionally, and would continue to love and support them regardless of their choice. Than you for highlighting a very contentious subject. I agree, you are brave…. you’re also very quick, because I don’t think I would have had the forethought to bring my phone with me, much less snap pictures!! Many blessings on your life… K

Comment by Kathy Parker on 11 July 2012

Absolutely inspiring move, and so courageous. Thankyou. I will share this as I also feel it needs to go viral.

Comment by Lena on 11 July 2012

Jane, thank you for sharing this. I was a young teen when Roe V Wade was decided and heard a lot of misinformation about abortion. When I was 18, I began volunteering to be with women having abortions. I have volunteered for decades now and have wished to have such photos (the doctors don’t allow volunteers to do such photography). The results of real first trimester abortions are an intact clot of tissue less than an inch long along with blood from the uterus that was in the lining. What you have done is vitally important.

On Youtube you will see videos that are supposed to be of abortions but are actually cutting in footage of amniocentesis using needles to collect fluid (not abort) to check in the 6th month and beyond to trick viewers into thinking a baby is big and running from the needle. Also, those gruesome photos of aborted fetuses are NOT of first trimester abortions. In the 1970′s anti choice activists stole the fetuses from medical waste. They were from abortions performed from the 5th to 7th months on fetuses who had died in the womb and had been taken out already dead.

For those of you who have had abortions- do not feel guilty. You did nothing wrong. There was the potential to become a human being but what was removed was not a person. You did the right thing for yourself and the fetus. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Do not let the anti-choicers put you on a guilt trip.

Comment by Terri on 11 July 2012

I admire your courage and I thank you. Reading your story and seeing the pictures, will help any woman facing that tough walk through the protestors and the clinic doors, its still scary, still hard, but this is the reality of it, not the shame and scare tactics.

Comment by Steph on 11 July 2012

Why did you have to secretly take the photos? Is it illegal to do so?

Comment by mIke on 11 July 2012

In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, amongst other such ancient cultures states that 49 days … or 7 weeks-ish… is when there is a soul in the body. Thats when the pituitary gland activates and thats when a fetus determines if it’s either male or female; and also, they believe that’s how long it takes to return into the energy pool when you are dead. I think that is when a fetus is a “person”… otherwise it is just a form of life with nothing in it. What do I know tho.. I’m just me. This was very brave of you, yes.. It’s hard for women who have had babies to understand difficult things and not make signs and stand near abortion clinics with all their free time. As well as rape and other such things that people don’t understand either who haven’t gone through that. Perseverance is not always the answer.

Comment by Isis on 11 July 2012

Well done, Jane.

I helped to found and still help to run the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP). You should know that our only purpose is to raise money to help poor women and girls all over the US who would choose abortion if they could only afford it. We make that happen!

Judith
wrrap.org

Comment by Judith Krain on 11 July 2012

You are an awesome and amazing woman for this. I’m so glad that the public can see the truth. I’m sick of prolifers scaring women.

Comment by Lynn on 11 July 2012

You are courageous. Thank you.

Comment by H on 11 July 2012

Thank you Jann for having the courage to share your story with the rest of us.

In solidarity,
Jane

Comment by Jane on 11 July 2012

It was a matter of security and respect for my abortion caregivers.

Jane

Comment by Jane on 11 July 2012

I couldn’t read through all of the comments to see if any had mentioned this, but I find it deeply ironic/awesome that you are Jane. Where I come from, not too long ago (pre-Roe), Jane Collective was the service you consulted to get abortions when things weren’t legal. It was women helping women and at an affordable price when things weren’t possible.

I’m appreciative of this history just as I am appreciative of you sharing your story, Jane (and all those in the comments).

Comment by RJ on 11 July 2012

Thank you. i do not for one second regret my abortion. i was saddened after my abortion because i knew that i COULD have had a family with a man i loved very much. that didn’t mean that i should have, or that it was the right time for me to have a child.

I still remember the nurse who held my hand during the procedure. it was painful, and she was the most caring, supportive person i could have asked for. she respected me and my decision. she talked me through the process. she did it every day because she was passionate about helping women.

I am more passionately pro-choice than ever now because of my abortion. i will say that i did read all of the comments because i hold this matter so closely to my heart. it warms my heart to hear the solidarity on these posts. and for this reason, i believe that we should all speak out about our abortions. no longer should we keep these things secret. when people begin to realize that they ALL know someone who has had an abortion, it will stop being political and become personal. in solidarity to all the brave women. love.

Comment by kat on 11 July 2012

there are many reasons we as woman make the decisions we do as a mother i couldnt bear the thought of an abortion if i thought i couldnt handle a child or didnt want one i would fix myself although i also know there are many reasons why a woman would choose abortion i have friends that have had to make that very hard decision some handle it the best they could and were able to continue life as normal and others will never be the same. but it is nice for those of you who this might be the only option for to see someone can help you through this decsion and share there expirence as woman we often feel alone whether we are surrounded by family friends people of support but until its someone whose been there and done that there not the right one to comfort us so thank you jane for one reason and that is supporting other woman like yourself i hope you are able to cope well and live a very happy and full life as you deserve it as well as our unborn children do and what better person to wrap there arms around our children if we cant than the lord who embraces these sweet souls so i wish you well jane and every woman who has endured this pain your always a mother and your baby loves you no matter what thank you woman for being brave and strong

Comment by a mother on 11 July 2012

Thank you thank you thank you for doing this.

I had an abortion a decade ago. An abortion that I considered long and hard. An abortion that may or may not have been selfish (what is “selfish” except considering oneself? and why is that so bad?). An abortion that went smoothly and caused me no problems. An abortion that I am absolutely not sorry for having.

For the past five years I have been a nurse and have spent much of my time working in abortion care. I am endlessly frustrated by the emotional pain and fear that my patients experience as a result of false and intentionally misleading abortion photos and information. Thank you for sharing these pictures of your experience – they are so much more accurate than the gruesome images in women’s imaginations. I look forward to sharing them with colleagues, clients, friends, and anyone else who shows the slightest bit of interest.

Women deserve this kind of truth. Thank you.

Comment by Erin on 11 July 2012

Thank you and thank you and thank you a thousand times. People like you restore my faith in humanity and bring me to tears.

Comment by Juliana on 11 July 2012

Thank you for your honesty. I went through one at 18 and it was the right tough choice.

Comment by Brian Brownbridge on 11 July 2012

I have two awesome daughters and we are done having children. My family is here. If I were to somehow get pregnant now I would not want to add to my family. I have always been terrified at the thought that I might have to have an abortion, knowing now what it is like to have kids and what I would be giving up. At the same time if I had the kid I know what I would be taking on. Seeing these pictures helps me see that deciding not to follow through with a pregnancy at such an early stage is not the horrifying event I have been lead to feel. Thank you for sharing this with us and giving me that peace.

Comment by Kim on 11 July 2012

I’m grateful to you for the photos and grateful to all the women who have posted about their experiences. We need to have these conversations in a safe space. I had my abortion at 9 weeks and it looked like yours. If anyone wants to know what an embryo looks like at any point in time they can find photos at reputable sites. Pro-Lifers routinely show pictures of 18 week fetuses, but the vast majority of abortions are well before 12 weeks.
To those who ask, why not adoption? Its easier said than done. To carry a pregnancy all those months, coping with family and friends who try to talk you into keeping your child, the emotional, physical, and financial tolls are just too much for most women and girls. There is very little social support for people considering adoption. “How can you give up your baby?” is what you’ll be hearing. I never had regrets about my abortion. Having a baby with that man would have been wrong for me and wrong for the child.
I believe with all of my heart that every child deserves to be loved and wanted, and that is why abortion must remain an option. There have always been abortions and there always will be, whether legal and safe or not.
And until 1869 the Church had no problem with abortions prior to “quickening” (that is about 4 months into a pregnancy). It was only in 1869 that they decided that they had been wrong and that God put the soul in at conception. Earlier they believed that ensoulment did not happen until quickening and so early abortions were not a spiritual matter.

I am deeply spiritual. I prayed over my decision and have only peace and love in my heart about it. I believe what I was taught as a Catholic school girl: the soul is immortal. And so if my embryo even had a soul attached to it yet, I am confident that soul was not harmed in any way. I did not reject that soul; for all I know that soul has already entered my life in another way. Or will. Or perhaps our connection was only meant to be for a few weeks.
I don’t know for sure about these things and neither can anyone else. I’m so tired of people pretending to know the unknowable with such confidence that they can inflict their sense of truth on others. Each of us has our own path to spirit and connection to spirit.

Motherhood is sacred. Don’t blaspheme it by forcing it on women who don’t want it or can’t cope with it. That demeans the life force in all of us. IMHO

Comment by Marie on 11 July 2012

I think it’s wonderful that you’ve made public the images of your abortion. The photos illustrate abortion as it should be illustrated: they show the setup and results of a safe, clean, and elegant medical procedure.

Bravo, Jane.

Comment by Laura on 11 July 2012

Looks no different than liposuction, a little bloodier. I’m adopted, I would if I was a womanpregnamt and not ready go that route. But I also know that if I couldn’t trust myself I would have an abortion since it truly is more humane than having a kid you can’t take care of, or have the time for.
I’ve gone with two girls to get them, one would have.been disowned, the other was pregnant by a father who raped her. He was in the DA’s office and she was afraid of nothing being done of she reported it. I and some others helped her get away, just afterwards to a better life. There are for many long term anguish and feelings of guilt that are pretty similar to many who have given kids up for adoption. My older sister and bio parents were both haunted by it, but knew they had made the right choice as most women who have to under go an abortion. To me there should be no men deciding on a woman’s bodily rights and like so many rights should never be politicized. Kudos for your presence of mind.

Comment by David on 11 July 2012

Taking pictures is courageous? This is news to me

Comment by Seriously? on 11 July 2012

Mandy, Your story touched my heart. You are real, and the world needs that. You love your family, and the world needs that so much too!!! These things inspire me as a woman, and I thank you for that. I am pro-life, so maybe I am in the wrong place, but I am here to understand the hearts of women like you. Every woman here is so beautiful. I want to be honest with yall, but I always feel like this comes off sounding like judgement I don’t know how to tell you/show you how immensely I love br each one of you without sounding cheesy… I don’t know how to tell you I was there, and I know without sounding like I’m trying to be above you but I dont (judge you), and I do (love you), and I’m not (above you). I am a woman; a single, free-spirited broken, loving, thoughtful, opinionated, caring, adventurous woman. I am the face of a woman who has been where you are, and I am the face of a woman that loves you on the other side of the fence. I am there often (at that fence) to pray for you, because I love you, and I too am a broken, strong, beautiful woman just like you. When I say “you,” I do not mean a collective you, like “all women.” I mean YOU,:)

Comment by crystal on 11 July 2012

The world needs more brave, strong, rational people like you. Thank you so, so much for your courage and honesty. You are doing a great service to many people out there, myself included.

Comment by camille on 11 July 2012

A lot of people are talking about adoption as an option to consider, and I truly believe that adoption can be more difficult and emotionally straining than having an abortion. Knowing that your child is walking around, and you have no idea what they look like, if they’re being treated well or if they even know you exist is terrifying.

I have seen two parts to both abortion and adoption. My mother made the choice to have an abortion before I was born, it was a decision that was difficult, and my mother still feels emotion thinking about it. But, she knows that she made the right decision, and I’m glad she shared her story with me. I’ve been pro-choice ever since I knew what pro-choice meant.

Adoption is not always the best solution, there are too many children that are already unwanted and unloved. My biological father, was raised for the first five years by his drunken, abusive mother and then placed into foster care. He moved from foster home to foster home and became severely emotionally scarred. He was and probably still is physically and emotionally abusive towards women.

If you are not ready, or capable of caring, loving and supporting your child, then it is the best interest of everyone involved to abort. My boyfriend and I have been together for three years, and thankfully we have never needed to make that decision. We have both strongly agreed that we will not have children of our own, and that we would eventually adopt when the time came that we felt we are ready to raise children.

Comment by J on 11 July 2012

I’ve always been pro choice when it comes to abortion, but seeing this has probably put me off, I understand completely why you did this, but at least when looking at all the protester pictures you know they are shock tactics and pretend they’re not real. Seeing this, your potential child as blood and cells in a jar, has completely knocked those pictures into oblivion and showed the real horror of an abortion. I respect your choice and I respect your honesty, but I think this could have the opposite effect on some people, like it has me.

Comment by Emma on 11 July 2012

Great Idea, I’ve shared your post on my blog and on my facebook profile.
Thank you for your idea.

Comment by Gianpy on 12 July 2012

We should all have a choice in how we approach our reproduction. That choice should be informed by what we know about ourselves and about the world. Our emotions are certainly involved but again, they should be informed by knowledge, by as many facts as we can gather and process. Whether that information results in our changing our position, as it has done for Emma, or reinforcing our beliefs, our choice should remain just that, our choice.
I have often wished that there was a counter-illustration to the inflammatory and inaccurate photos used by anti-choice fanatics. Thank you for making an illustration of reality available.

Comment by Minerva on 12 July 2012

Thank you for sharing this. When I came across it, I was almost afraid to look, but I’m glad I did.

Comment by Jaden on 12 July 2012

THANK YOU. Seriously, thank you so much. You’re my hero.

Comment by Fabio - Italy on 12 July 2012

Thanks for having this website. I had an abortion & never regretted it. It’s really not that big of a deal.

Comment by Melissa on 12 July 2012

Tks Jane, may your courage help us keep an hard-won right in our dark-ages.
You reminded me so much of Ani di Franco’s Lost Woman Song… 20 years elapsed and still fighting for freedom of choice.

Comment by Alessio - Italy on 12 July 2012

Your photo are very important.

Comment by Ross on 12 July 2012

Back in 1986, I self- pubished a zine called “My Last Nerve” where I shared my experience having an abortion. I am not ashamed, I have never felt any regret, and looking back 28 years later (i actually had the abortion in 1983), I am so grateful for the opportunity to have this choice for myself and my potential child in a safe, sanitary and legal manner. I felt that women should know that there are people out there who can openly and honestly discuss their experience with abortion. Thank you so much for doing this. You are brave and you are strong.

Comment by Carol on 12 July 2012

Such bravery!!

It’s been so long since abortion was illegal, and people have forgotten what desperate and dangerous times those were for women of all classses. Both my mother and her sister had abortions when they were illegal. My aunt had hers in the 1930s when she was just 18. She nearly died, because when abortions are illegal, there is no way to check the credentials of the one doing the procedure. She lived, but was never able to have children again.
My mother, a very conservative woman, got pregnant when she was almost 40. She was divorced, had 3 children, and it was just weeks after President Kennedy was assassinated. Back then, in 1963, an unmarried woman having a child was a public disgrace! The father of this baby had 2 boys, both full grown, and did not want any more children, so he arranged for my mother to have an abortion. It turned out that the doctor did an absolute horrible job, and by the next evening, my mother was hemorrhaging and almost died. She also was lucky to live, and she also could not have children again, but in her case, it was a good thing, because she was done having children.

There were few alternatives until 1972. We cannot go back to thsoe times!

This woman did a brave thing. Women need to know that the images being paraded by anti abortion protesters are not what a standard abortion looks like!

The men in our government looking to use religion to control womens’ lives are sociopaths. Shame on them! And now they want to mess with birth control access too! (all while they have constant access to Viagra, paid for by the taxpayers who pay their salaries and health insurance coverage)

Making abortion illegal again will kill many. It will not stop abortions either. Learn some history. It was never just hookers getting illegal abortions before 1972. It was every kind of “good girl” you can think of. Too many died needlessly. Many more lost the ability to ever have a child again. Repeating this will be a crime! It cannot happen again.

Comment by Jill on 12 July 2012

I absolutely do not regret my abortion. It was 1983 and I had just graduated from college. I had no job, I was struggling to make ends meet by doing temp work. I was too broke to take care of my self and my cat, let alone a baby. The father was someone I absolutely did not want to raise a child with. Adoption was out of the question. At 6 weeks I had my abortion. I did not have to face any RTL protesters, when I entered the building. I had to wait an hour in the waiting room. My resolve to have an abortion only strengthened as I waited.

The abortion took about 30 minutes, which included time to let the the injected Novocain work. The doctor was a soft spoken, gentle black man in his 40′s. The only feelings I felt after the abortion was relief. When I found out I was pregnant, I tried self-aborting with herbs, it didn’t work.

If I had not had my abortion, I would not have the wonderful 14 yr old daughter that I have today. I am a spiritual person, I firmly believe in the never ending continuance of the soul after the body dies. When I found out I was pregnant. I had a heart to heart talk to the soul that had decided to be my child. I explained that this was the wrong time and circumstances. I wasn’t ready to be a mom and I wanted her to have a father that I loved and wanted to be with. She just had to be patient and wait. And patient she was…. she waited 14 years for me to be ready.

Comment by Libby on 12 July 2012

Thank you so much for these pictures. It is nice to see what actually happens, instead of the awful pictures show by pro life supports.

Comment by Becca on 12 July 2012

Thank you so much for demystifying, clarifying and being brave enough to share your experience. While I’ve never needed an abortion myself, I am a staunch pro-choice supporter. What you’ve done here is so important to combat the misinformation and scare tactics from the religious right. At such a vulnerable, emotional time in a woman’s life, she needs to have access to is kind of truth. Thank you again.

Comment by D on 12 July 2012

You were only 6 weeks along. Of course it would look nothing more than a fancy period in a jar.

Had you been 12 weeks, would you have shared the photos? 15 weeks? 24 weeks? Why or why not?

Comment by hellogolly on 12 July 2012

Hello @Hellogolly,

I probably would have done the same thing if it was at any legal stage of termination. For clarification, I did look at my ultrasound before the procedure and it was nothing more than a small, barely recognizable shadow at that time. I took the pictures at the stage of my pregnancy. This is my personal experience.

I would ask the same of the anti-choice protestors outside. Without knowing what stage of pregnancy I was at, why couldn’t they have shown an honest depiction of what my termination would look like at 6 weeks rather than the dead fetus image at 15 or 24 weeks?

Thanks for your question.
Jane

Comment by Jane on 12 July 2012

Hi,
I wanted to thank you for what you did with that post&pictures. Be blessed =)

Comment by Marie Alicia on 12 July 2012

Thank you for doing this!

Ignore comments like this one:

151. correction… there is no such thing as an “unwanted” child. Just because you dont want it, does not mean that somebody else doesn’t. Most importantly, if God did not want the child, he would have not allowed it to start forming in the first place.

Comment by anon on July 10, 2012 at 6:04 pm

Ok, so by that logic, if a person got cancer, it’s god’s way of sentencing you to die. Refute that!

Comment by Delfina on 12 July 2012

I was afraid to click the link and see the photos, but I did and it just looks like blood.

I wonder what it would look like if the blood was drained though. I have seen a tiny miscarried fetus on cafemom, because the mother wanted to honor the fetus, which was a baby to her, and she put him/her in a little box with items, pictures, etc. and buried the box. The being in the picture didn’t look like a human, but it had features. I have seen “In The Womb” videos and those seem to tell more than either the pro-life images or this, a jar of blood. The beings are somewhat inhuman with weird features, but clearly more assembled than a jar of blood.

I also feel, the earlier the better. Your abortion is 6-weeks but a 20-week fetus can also be legally and electively aborted. So, for that matter, can a 14-week fetus, within the range of when most abortions in the U.S. are performed. I am pro-choice but I think the first trimester should be the cutoff, maybe sooner. We clearly believe in a cut off, which right now is what 24 weeks? The age that the baby could potentially survive outside the womb. It makes sense as a cutoff, but women could still be in a crises pregnancy that they didn’t find out about until later or didn’t have access to abortion for until later. And, if they don’t find out about their pregnancy until 25-weeks, I don’t think they can go legally induce labor and have the baby and abandon it under a doctor’s care. So, they are faced with the same dilemma as women who are earlier in their pregnancies would be faced with if abortion is illegal- carry an unwanted pregnancy and parent or place for adoption or take at-home measures to illegally terminate. I don’t know, maybe an earlier cut-off would make more women more likely to find out if they are pregnant and seek abortion as soon as possible. Maybe not. I think research on brain development and pain receptors is the place to pay attention for an earlier cut-off or perhaps for anesthetics for the fetus. I believe fetuses feel pain before 24-weeks. Some research suggests that fetuses can feel pain at 18-weeks or before.

Obviously, I clicked the link, so I do appreciate what your documentation has done to clear up some of the information about abortion. It’s a weighty topic, worthy of thought and discussion. Still, I don’t think it’s ever really cause for celebration. I wish that we lived in a world where abortion was unnecessary, where there was enough money and support for each woman to carry to term and parent (and no children being impregnated against their will). But, alas, it isn’t so. So, abortion is an option, but not really one to celebrate. Loss of life, any life, is always sad to me. Then again, I am vegan, so extra sensitive to the lives of those that aren’t sentient in the same way adult humans are.

Comment by Grace on 12 July 2012

Jane –
I am one of the women who could never have the courage to have an abortion due to the fear and guilt that I’m sure would follow me afterwards (I tend to obsess about the “what-ifs”). That being said, I am also one of the women who has never had a teenage pregnancy, never been raped, never been living under the poverty level, never had an incestual encounter – never had a reason to want to rid myself of an unwanted pregnancy. If I *were* one of those women, maybe that fear of potential guilt of “what-ifs” would be taken over by the fear and resentment if that child were to be born. I wouldn’t know; I have never been through that experience and cannot speak for those women who have.

We have to understand that life is not black and white. There are gray areas – in abortion as well as every other aspect of life. Not everyone who has an abortion is evil. They are not always selfish. They are not always destined for hell (I am Christian if you are wondering; aren’t we taught that all sins are equal in God’s eyes anyway?). We are all human and can only do the best we know how to at that time in our lives. We shouldn’t condemn each other when we haven’t walked in someone else’s shoes.

I consider myself to be pro-life. For all of the babies that are born, I am grateful. Life is a wondrous thing, no matter what reason they were brought into the world. We should always do our best to cherish life. HOWEVER, I also consider myself (and always always will) to be pro-choice. I understand the need to control your own choices and choices regarding your body.

Governments who force women to have children once they are pregnant are no different than governments who force women to have abortions if they are a certain gender. Just like a religious choice, the decisions we make about our bodies should be our own.

Comment by Leanna on 12 July 2012

Thank you so much for posting this. I had two abortions (failed contraception twice) after becoming a mother to a special needs child. Both were chemical terminations so I never had the “vacuum.” I was in my early 40s and was surrounded by these very young women in the waiting room. That was weird being so old. I struggled with my decision both times and will have to take that to my grave with me but I don’t regret what I did. I’m just sad that circumstance (money and time) weren’t on my side to enable to me have those babies.

Comment by T_reader on 12 July 2012

Hi,
I would like to add (maybe someone has already mentioned it) but I think there is a big difference both morally and psychologically in having an abortion at 6 weeks versus 6 or 7 months. I could not tell you when the cutoff would be, and it’s not a decision to make quickly, but if you choose abortion personally I think you should do it as soon as possible!

Comment by Anne on 12 July 2012

@ 167 (Lucy). Thank you so much for sharing your story. Many people on this site have spoken about their unborn “child” (their words, not mine) and made comments to the effect that their child was better off not being born. All the while, I read people saying that no-body can make choices for anyone else. But there’s an inconsistency here that you Lucy have pointed out, because abortion does make a choice for someone else. If someone wants to say their abortion was the best thing for them, that’s their business. But if they say their abortion was best for their unborn child…that’s quite a stretch. What right does anyone have to say about another person that it was better that they were not born?

Although I think the title is problematic, I am what you would call “pro-life” and I work full time in a “pro-life” organization in Canada. My experience with women who choose abortion is that the man who got them pregnant is usually pressuring them to get an abortion, is absent, or is abusive or otherwise a jerk. It seems to me, most women would not choose an abortion if they had loving, supportive boyfriends/husbands who were willing to do whatever it took to support them and their pregnancy/baby.

My experience and research also tells me that most women (not all) have abortions not because they freely choose it as a positive option, but because they feel like they have no choice. Women (and their children) deserve much better than abortion. Perhaps both pro-choice and pro-life people can work together to build a world in which no woman would want to choose an abortion!

BTW I know adoption is very hard and there are many adoption horror stories out there, but those stories are in the minority (at least in my country, Canada), and there are so many wonderful couples waiting to adopt. We practice open adoption here, which is very healthy for both mother and child. The child grows up knowing he/she is loved by both her adoptive parents and birth mother and has a relationship with both. Obviously, it’s a woman’s business if she wants to pursue this option or not, but I believe this is an option too often not even presented to women, and too often, the positive stories are not being told.

Jane: much love to you and all the women who have walked the road of abortion. I am not ashamed to say I am a Christian, although I am ashamed sometimes to hear and see what some do in the name of Christ. It’s too easy to protest but not nearly as easy to enter into a woman’s situation and show her true help and compassion. I do not support what you have done, but have never walked a mile in your shoes, so I am unfit to judge. I believe everyone of us, myself included, are deeply flawed human beings and make many mistakes in life. One day we will have to stand before God and answer for decisions we have made. I believe, without Jesus, we would all stand condemned and I know that I am guilty of things that are probably far worse than abortion. I pray that you and others who have commented her would be able to see through false-christians who, as one lady put it quite aptly, confuse self-righteousness with love, and see Jesus who is able to transform a person and give them eternal life and unending joy.

Comment by George on 12 July 2012

Thanks for answering, Jane.

Dishonesty, on both sides, makes a mockery of the entire issue.

Comment by hellogolly on 12 July 2012

Thank you for your honesty. We are many, and this truth will set many more free.

Comment by Jane2 on 12 July 2012

Abortion is a deeply, deeply personal choice and a deeply personal experience. You are very brave to share this with the world. I think what you’ve done here is very important.

Comment by Kimberly on 12 July 2012

Thank you for this dose of reality. I wish there was some way to share these photos with more people to shiw the truth of early abortions, and I wish there were more such photos. But this is a good first step, and I think you for taking it. I’ve been fortunate to not have needed an abortion so far in my life, but I strongly support any woman who decides to have one just as much as I support women giving birth or going for adoption. We women need to pull together so we can have autonomy over ourselves.

Comment by Alicia on 12 July 2012

thank you! you are brave and help all women!

Comment by sara on 12 July 2012

Thank you for publishing this. My mother also had an abortion before she had me. The man who got her pregnant was not my father, and I truly believe that if she had not had an abortion, I would not exist, because my grandfather would have forced her to marry the guy (who I hear was a jerk.)

I never got to talk about it with her because I found out from my aunt after she died, but I feel very lucky and blessed to know this, and to know that should I need an abortion, both my aunt (still living) and my mother would support me in whatever choice I felt was best.

Be well, and thank you again for sharing your story.

Comment by Anon in MD on 12 July 2012

I had an early medical termination in the UK. It was an NHS procedure in a hospital not a specific clinic so I didn’t have to confront protesters. I was 17 at the time and my then boyfriend took away my choice so I can confidently say that I am pro choice and that a man who feels it is right to force a woman to have an abortion or to not have an abortion is disgusting.

I know that I would not have been ready to have carried that pregnancy to term but I would have liked to make my decision myself. He didn’t even have the courage to come with me but fortunately my mum did.

The medical abortion essentially induces miscarriage and I never saw anything that looked remotely like a baby… because it wasn’t a baby, it was a fetus. I did see many blood clots and I bled a lot. In the UK this procedure is done under medical supervision (thankfully) I do not think I could have coped at home.

The boy (for whilst he was the same age as me he was not grown up enough to be called a man) who forced me into that decision continued to force me into having sex even when I didn’t want it and he made me feel like I was worthless and could do no better. I am happily rid of that ball and chain.

I would not like to be in that position again and I would like to think that offered the choice I would be able to carry the pregnancy to term but I can’t know until I am in the situation again. (hopefully not for a few years being only 19 now)

Thank you Jane for putting this out there, women need to educate themselves and make their own decisions, it is theirs to make! Religion, politics, man’s selfishness and social stigma should never play a major role in the decision (that being said the father should have some input but the decision should not be his alone).

Comment by Anna on 12 July 2012

I had a miscarriage at 8 weeks, so it probably looked very similar to this, but I mourned that loss greatly. In all fairness, it was a planned pregnancy and very much wanted. Maybe some of the readers feel like these photos show a 6 week old fetus is nothing but a little blood and tissue, but that blood and tissue to me is proof of a life and a death. I can’t help that seeing these photos makes it clear that what’s in those vials is human life and it breaks my heart. You wanted to counter the pro-life sensationalism with the “truth”, but this is nothing more than pro-choice sensationalism. The flip side of the coin. Abortion is one issue I’m not sure anything said about it will sway anyone’s opinion one way or another. And this whole thing just makes me sad.

Comment by Kari on 12 July 2012

I agree it’s important to shine the light of truth on this and many other issues.

I also remember when I was pregnant with my first child telling my husband early in the pregnancy that I could finally understand how women were able to have abortions…until the baby started moving and making her presence known in the 2nd trimester I didn’t have anything physical or concrete to prove to me that there was a life growing inside my body. I had to believe the medical tests and trust that the life we created would, in time, come to fruition.

I would never deem myself capable of choosing what is right for another person…but I am very disturbed at the complete lack of discussion about healthy, responsible sexual behavior. Everyone seems to jump right over the fact that a lot of abortions are the result of normal, everyday, non-violent sex between two consenting human beings. Why is there not more discussion about responsible sex? I’ve been sexually active for 22 years and had exactly two planned pregnancies. Frankly, in large part I’ve been extremely careful so that I would never be faced with such a heart-rending decision.

Modern-day contraception isn’t rocket science. I don’t consider someone who isn’t willing to take all of the necessary steps to prevent pregnancy, but chooses to engage in sexual activity at a time when it wouldn’t be “right” to bring a baby into the world and then chooses abortion “heroic”. I consider that selfish and irresponsible.

And while we’re shining the light of truth on the matter…how can we ever truly know how many times contraception truly “fails”? I’m not in agreement with the self-righteous religious who would tout “Abstinence works every time it’s been tried.” but I have a hard time believing the majority of abortions are due to contraceptive failures.

I agree it would be tragic to deny abortion as a solution in cases of rape, incest or serious illness or threat to the mother…but should it really be just another alternate form of contraception?

Comment by Michelle on 12 July 2012

Thank you for being brave enough to share your experience with the public. Women deserve the truth. I hope you are recovering well.

Comment by Heather on 12 July 2012

You have taken a brave step, I hope you are safe and remain so.
Thank you for your efforts to educate and to support our rights.

Comment by Cathleen B on 12 July 2012

Bravo! As someone who worked with abortion patients, this is exactly what it looks like. It’s really about time we demystified the whole process.

Comment by Leila on 12 July 2012

@George, I see an inconsistency in your argument as well. The fact that a fetus is not a person notwithstanding, I agree that abortion does make a choice for “someone” else. But so does childbirth – and yet you advocate for that. So making a choice for someone else is not really what anti-abortion people have a problem with; it seems that they only have a problem when they don’t get to be the ones to make it.

Comment by Stacy on 12 July 2012

I have seen this image before. In 1991 I was 21 and a student in college. I found that I was pregnant. I decided that I was not financially able or emotionally able to have and raise a child. This was a mutual decision with the male involved. He also was working to improve his education and life. The procedure was at a clinic, and the results did look the same as yours. I will say that it was very painful for me. Whether that is the same with everyone I cannot say. Emotionally it was a difficult decision but that mainly stemmed from the unknown. After the procedure I was sore but healthy and bled like I would from a period. As a child I was absolutely anti abortion. I wore the tiny feet earrings and had stickers on my mirror. I grabbed all the literature from our state fair booth each year. My mother warned me that as I matured I would change. That I should never condemn or think harshly on others for their choice. Back then I didn’t believe her. Until that decision fell upon me. All of my preconceived notions flew out the window when real life applied to me. It is always easier for those who have never walked a mile in another’s shoes. I learned… I grew up… I matured. I used to condemn and now I embrace. We have many hard choices in life. All lives are different and who are we to impose our beliefs on others. My aunt had a child at 16 and adopted it out. She then could no longer have children. She adopted a child years later. I also have an adopted step daughter. I have seen from both sides the issues that can be created from adopting out and in. It is a truly selfless person who can choose to give up their child after having born it. I knew then as I know now, I am not strong enough nor selfless enough to do that. I am now 42 and have 3 children of various ages. I have raised my children to accept others beliefs and even if you do not believe the same way to respect those beliefs. All are taught to form their own opinions and aware that life can and will change those opinions as they age. If I had had access to your photos back then, rather than thinking my “baby” was those tiny feet I wore in my ears, it would have aided me in my decision and dispelled a lot of fear. I was faced with a life altering decision and made the best decision for me at that time in my life. Would I do it again? Yes… Does anyone have the right to take that decision away from me? No… not spiritually, not emotionally and not legally. Thanks you for giving other females the truth as I always have. They are the same truth.. unvarnished…untainted.. unbiased. Just…the truth.

Gina

Comment by Gina on 12 July 2012

Good on you for doing this. I used to work in a hospital lab where we received products of conception in large numbers daily, and it is nice to see some true images of an abortion putting the stereotypical view to rest. There are many reasons for having an abortion and I am sure yours was just as valid as anyone else’s. You have not brought an unwanted child into the world which I respect more than any person with children they don’t want or can not afford. Shame on those who are probably religiously protesting for judging (a job apparently for a God to do when you die) you or anyone else who wishes to do the best for your situation.

Comment by Ree on 12 July 2012

Thankyou, thank you, thank you. I had an abortion 13 years ago and I have never regretted my choice, the propaganda that the anti-choice movement puts out there angers me to the core every time I see it. I am so glad to see someone out there put the truth of the matter out there for all to see.

Comment by Wendy G on 12 July 2012

Jane:

You are an amazing, beautiful, strong woman. I commend you for becoming so vulnerable and showing what really goes on behind the scenes, to dispel the fear and the UNKNOWN.

Your courage is astounding, and to the devil with anyone who says otherwise. Thank you for putting this together. I’m definitely going to be sharing it with everyone I know.

To the men who think they get a say in what a woman does with her body:

You don’t.

All a man does in the creation of a child is orgasm: there is no real understanding what kind of commitment (body, mind, spirit) it takes to carry a child in one’s body. So, until men can carry children and nurture them until they’re old enough to be on their own, keep your opinions and judgments about MY body (and other women’s bodies) to yourself.

Comment by Sekhmet on 12 July 2012

I agree with those who praise you for doing this. Also want to add that no one WANTS an abortion.

What I really want to see is people who support SUPPORTING CHILDREN WHO ARE BORN! I want every legislator who writes or supports an anti-abortion bill to COMMIT to giving a portion of their income to providing care and an education to every child who might otherwise be aborted. WHY ARE BORN CHILDREN ABANDONED TO HUNGER, LACK OF CARE, POVERTY, AND A LACK OF EDUCATION???
Why do pro-lifers only care about a foetus being born – and forget about support for that child’s ACTUAL LIFE EXPERIENCE?

Even the act of giving a child up for adoption is a terrible blow tto children. Some hunt for their birth mothers forever.

And, if you are a Christian bible believing person you should know that every child conceived ‘out of holy Christian wedlock’ is a BASTARD – and they and their progency are banned from Christian community for 10 generations! Read your Bible. God does not want bastards born! Read your Bible!!

Comment by mary Lu on 12 July 2012

I have never had an abortion and I hope that I never have to as I don’t feel that it would be an easy thing to go through no matter what the circumstances.

I have struggled with the concept of abortion for years, first religiously as a Catholic, and then after losing my faith I struggled with it in terms of the ‘right to life’, which no doubt was a hangover from my religious upbringing also.

More recently, I struggled with it intellectually. I am a feminist but I did not like the way that abortion is always seen as either a religious or a feminist issue. My strong feeling was that at times it could be neither. However, I have read around the subject recently and I finally feel comfortable with being pro-choice and comfortable intellectually and scientifically with abortion. It is good to have seen these pictures to know what it is to abort a foetus in the early stages of pregnancy.

For the past two years I have lived in Ireland, where abortion is illegal. The pro-choice campaign here is loud and strong as it needs to be against such opposition, but ‘going to England’ is still the reality for all but a tiny minority of women. I hope that the North and the Republic have the sense soon to legalise abortion, at the very least up to 12 weeks.

Thank you Jane for showing this.

Comment by Alex on 12 July 2012

After each abortion I provide, I search for a baby or anything that even faintly resembles a baby. There is none. No fetus before the 14th week has even the semblance of a human baby, and there is no chance of a fetus surviving on until the 24th week. It is not a baby. It is a choice, which for many women is difficult because of various pressures, but only the woman who is carrying unwanted fetal tissue has the right to make that choice. Men must be supportive of the woman who makes the choice of what she will do with her body and the cells within it; if men could become pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.

Comment by Dr. Arthur Frederick Ide on 12 July 2012

Thank you for your powerful, true photos. People like you can change the world.

Comment by Lorraine on 12 July 2012

i considred an abortion when i got pregnant with my son and decided against as i was told i would never have kids. I am so proud of u for posting these pictures. U r one brave woman.

Comment by audirose on 12 July 2012

Thank you for doing this. I fully believe abortion should be legal so it will be safe.

A lot of the imagery involved does not make one feel safe about the issue at all. The fact that it is not really possible to see the procedure prior to experiencing it certainly makes it a lot scarier, even when one is reassured by others.

Comment by Jasmine on 12 July 2012

Dear Jane,

I discovered your story off of a link that I had liked on Facebook. I think that its incredibly brave of you to do it much less share it online.

I had gotten pregnant at 15 and was in no position to become a parent, Since I have in a way learned to cope but still have to keep it confidential because of judgmental opinions. Before it happened I was against the procedure but once put in the position I was in my views changed, I agree that it is something to be considered if you are unable to support, I’d rather do what I did then have a child that I could not support, wasnt ready to raise and try and survive off of welfare..Its unfair to yourself and more importantly the person you created. I am 19 now and I have come to acceptance with what I had to do, but no mistake I do still think about it and I do still get upset about it..But for awhile I repressed it. I just had to write you and let you know how MUCH I truly appreciated seeing this link and seeing that someone was brave enough to stand up and voice this. I was deceived by media thinking that I, during the process had a person a real person with limbs and eyes and heart sitting on a table after what had been done. Also another things was that I hardly remember anything after they had injected me with the liquid to put me to sleep( please excuse I do not know how to spell the word) Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and stand up for us.

Comment by Stephanie on 12 July 2012

Just another morsel for thought… No matter what the “bunch of cells” looked like before, after being sucked through a vaccum 10 times it’s size, there is no medical way it will look the same. While those pictures from the protestors are of fully formed fetus’, there is no medical way (short of inducing full on labor) to produce what your fetus actually looks like at whatever gestation. So while this may be what an abortion looks like, the protestors still have vaild photographs, just not of abortions. I think in order to really debunk all myths, photos of this after shot as well as photos of the fetus at that gestation should be shown. This to me represents only one side as well.

Comment by Medical girl on 12 July 2012

Many girls who are not ready to be mothers give birth every day. Many of them are afraid of abortion and adoption, so they choose to keep their babies. Too many of these children end up in the system and it breaks my heart. I volunteer with special needs children in the foster care system. Many of them are low-functioning due to drug abuse and/or physical abuse of parents who were not ready to care for them. Although each of them is precious, I can’t help but think their pain and suffering could have been avoided.

My husband and I had a miscarriage a few years ago and it was utterly devastating. It looked similar to the pictures you show here. We WANTED a baby, so we were sad. But when I see your pictures, I don’t feel this sadness. That is blood and matter that may have turned into a human being. But it was not one already. Bless you and thank you for what you have posted here.

Comment by Mindy on 12 July 2012

Thank you Jane for sharing your experience of terminating your pregnancy. It is so important that we have these discussions and that women can always have the choice about their reproductive life. These discussions do empower women to realise they can choose and not feel traumatized by those in society (most often men or those following narrow religious doctrine) who would take over our bodies as if it is their right !!
Let us always keep our voices loud on this most fundamental of women’s rights.

Comment by Christine on 12 July 2012

Thank you so much for being courageous and sharing this online.

Comment by Erica on 12 July 2012

Thank you for creating this page and sharing your photos with us. I have learned so much just from these photos. I’ll try to briefly share my story about my experience. I found out i was pregnant in 2008 and i immediately knew i wasn’t ready but i also had so many mixed emotions. I had an ultrasound done and found out i was 5 weeks along. For the next two weeks i bounced back and forth with my decision on whether to have an abortion or not. At around 7 weeks I started having cramping but thought nothing of it . It was also at this time that i had been calling around to find organizations that help fund an abortion since i was financially strapped. I decided on an abortion and made an appointment at the clinic. About 2 days before my appointment i started bleeding lightly and having horrible migraines. I stayed in bed both days feeling absolutely miserable. I remember my ride to the clinic when the day came, i remember the protesters, i remember feeling really ashamed and embarrassed and nervous. Once i checked in they called me in and i informed them i had been bleeding for 2 days. They did an ultrasound before starting the procedure and said they didn’t see anything, i was miscarrying. I remember having an array of mixed emotions after that ultrasound. In a way i was relieved. I was confused as to why my body naturally rid itself. I was curious of what the abortion would have been like had i not been miscarrying. I’ll never forget that experience but i at least now know what it would have really looked like.

Comment by Sharon on 12 July 2012

As a pregnant mom-to-be this is not a decision I could make myself, but I respect the fact that you felt you had a reason to do this, be it financial, health, etc. Never let someone else decide what is right for you and your body.

Most people can’t figure out the difference between an abortion and a LATE TERM abortion. Even at 20 weeks my baby girl is not developed enough to survive outside the womb, and in my opinion is not yet a person as much as a part of me. I know what her name WILL be, her skin tone, likely facial features and what hair color she will probably be born with, but that’s all in the future, not the present. The horrible imagery portrayed by the violent, angry, sign-wielding pro-lifers are things that are only done in extreme circumstances in this country. The problem is letting one’s religion supersede science, fact and the personal wishes of those in question.

Thank you for taking the time to document what actually does happen in what had to be a difficult and emotional time for you, and if you ever do decide to have children in the future when the time is right I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

Comment by Robin on 12 July 2012

Thank you. I feel very fortunate to be young, healthy and never have been in situation where I would have had to consider abortion. I know several women however, who were not as fortunate and had to make the difficult decision to abort. One was a very close member of my family. After getting pregnant at 18 when abortion was not legal, my grandfather forced her to carry her fetus to term and give the baby up for adoption. He wouldn’t allow her to leave the house for the last 5 months of her pregnancy, and after being locked in her room till her due date her child was ripped from her and she wasn’t allowed to hold her before she was taken away and handed over to her adoptive parents. The feeling of shame, guilt and grief over this event still effect her 50 years later, and when faced with the decision again later in life, she had the abortion and tells me she has never ever regretted it. I hope that if I should ever have to face this decision, I will be able to make an informed choice. I regret to say that until now I had no idea what the result of a legal abortion looks like, having only been informed by the images of hate protesters. It is so important to stop the flow of misinformation surrounding this issue and inform women what the realities of it are, and let them know it’s their decision alone and whatever they chose they will be supported.

Comment by Alex on 12 July 2012

I just wanted to say that not all abortions are done at 6 weeks when the embryo is very small, and that some of the anti-abortion images of “dead babies” – that some of you have been talking about – are legitimate images of later-term aborted babies.

Generally abortions can only be done in the first trimester, but there are cases, (usually when a baby will be born with a severe disability), where a baby can be aborted well into the second trimester.

Not all countries have the first trimester ‘rule’, and in some poorer countries (I know particularly of some Eastern European countries) women with large obvious “bumps” are aborting babies just because they don’t want them (a healthy baby).

I think it’s a cop-out when women have abortions and think of it as just a mass of cells. You only need to look at images in a text book and you will know how big and formed a 12 week old embryo is.

I have been sexually active since the (immature and irresponsible) age of 16, however I have never had an unplanned pregnancy (two planned). I have always been careful with birth control/contraception, so I don’t know why there continue to be SO many unplanned pregnancies.

Perhaps more education is needed, and availability of contraceptives, so that (particularly young) people aren’t put in the position of having to choose an abortion. The unwanted pregnancies shouldn’t be happening in the first place.

Comment by Katie on 12 July 2012

In my personal aspect I cannot say I am against, or even for the procedure.

However, I simply wish to say THANK YOU. When people choose to reveal personal aspects of their life especially in the desire to educate others it is always of value!

Providing a perspective that usually goes unseen is admirable, so again… Thank you for allowing the rest of us to see what we otherwise would not.

Comment by Shannon on 12 July 2012

Wow. Thank you… with a single webpage and four photos, you’ve confronted and dispelled the untruths promulgated by anti-choice propogandists. You should get a Pulitzer for this, as well as the thanks of countless women facing their own personal and difficult choice.

What I can’t forgive pro-life protest crowd in front of abortion clinics for is that they deliberately interject themselves into what should be a personal and private decision. I support free speech, but where does it say that it trumps other Constitutional rights (e.g. right to privacy)?

Comment by Fx on 12 July 2012

Thank you for doing this. I could not have found this at a more perfect time for me.

I have had two abortions. My first was when I was twenty at 7 weeks and my second was when I was twenty-two at 16 weeks. My second was about performed on January 1 of this year. It has taken me years & months to come to terms with my decisions, but I have forgiven myself to the best of my ability.

I have recently changed my views of my experiences entirely. I recently saw my first abortion protest and it shocked me. At first I became upset, but them wildly and irrationally angry. Why are people fighting for things that do not exist? Why are they degrading women when it is not their place to judge? Why aren’t they demonstrating for the children that are already here? Fighting for foster children, abused children, or our flawed education system? Its baffling to me. Its upsetting. People are so concerned with what their version of “God” would want. Who are they to judge? It is not their place.

Thank you.

Comment by Ash on 12 July 2012

I do not understand the term “pro-life”. Whose life are you referring to? If a woman is forced to create a child, that is pro- one life and con- another’s: the woman who doesn’t want a child. Pro-life is a meaningless term and it should be eliminated from the abortion debate. Let’s make it happen. If you’re not pro-choice, you’re anti-woman.

Funny to read all these comments about women who were against it until they needed one. Good reminder to think outside the little boxes we put ourselves in and practice EMPATHY. Empathy is what makes us human. Use it.

Also: Jane: You are brave and fantastic

Comment by kristen on 12 July 2012

Thank you for posting this. I’ve been through it all; I’ve had a child, given a baby up for adoption, and recently had an abortion. After my first child, i became pregnant soon after. The father bullied me into going to term, telling me he wasn’t going to let me “murder” his baby. I knew we couldn’t afford another, but I went along with what he said because he had me convinced that I would be “very sorry” if I went behind his back and had an abortion. At the end of it, he decided we needed to give it up for adoption once it’s born. She was a beautiful baby, and the couple that adopted her are sweet and loving and were better off than we were, so I knew she would be taken care of. But I mourn for the little baby I carried to term; knowing she’s out there and I can’t love her. If I had been stronger, I would have gone with the abortion. I hope it doesn’t make me sound horrible, but having to give up a newborn is so much more devastating than just having a procedure to prevent it from ever becoming one. In the case of the abortion I had, it was a different father, and I made my own decision to have it aborted; and I was actually happy that I did, though there was still some lingering guilt. But now that I’ve read and seen your pictures, I no longer feel guilty. There was no “baby shaped fetus sucking its thumb” in me at 9 weeks. Thank you so very much for posting these pictures, and for making me feel like i made the right choice, finally, in the end.

Comment by Lauren on 12 July 2012

THANK YOU! You are so brave! I know that no human can judge another without walking in their shoes. I have shared this via my Facebook page and will pass along the message you are sharing! I cant begin to imagine the ammount of hate mail that you are getting but just know that it is better to do something that helps put fellow friends minds at ease than to care about who disagrees! Stay strong

Comment by Jessica on 12 July 2012

You made the right decision. Good on you for doing what was right for you at the time.
Thank you for posting the pics and revealing the reality of the situation.Women need to feel empowered and know they can make decisions for themselves. Everyone has a right to make a choice about their future, we are not living in the dark ages, time to progress and move forward.

Comment by Nicole on 12 July 2012

Well done for doing this.
Looks just like a period!

Comment by Ana on 12 July 2012

Hello & thank you. Those are great photos from a little cell phone. If you see how easy the whole thing was, don’t you agree that women should know how to do this simple process by ourselves? Why should we have to go through the trauma of entering a clinic through all those hostile picket lines and paying big bucks for something we can do in the privacy of our own homes with the support of our hand-picked friends and advisers? I support Gynecological Self-Help, Home-Birth, Self-Help Health Care & going back to the ancient traditions of Moon Lodges for women. Starting from puberty, girls and women should be taught the basics of how to control our own bodies ~ how to control our own periods, our own fertility and our own birthing and non-birthing processes. When all women are in control of our own bodies, we can heal ourselves and the planet and put an end to war. When we allow politicians, governments, churches and the military-industrial-pharmaceutical-medical corporate for-profit industries to control our bodies and our lives, we are nothing more than chattel-property citizen-slaves to a violent and corrupted fascist state that will continue to use and abuse and experiment on women and our children forever. It’s time for women to stand up and SAY NO NOW. What are we waiting for anyway? Get together with your women friends now, get your speculum and get busy learning how to control our own bodies. It’s not as difficult as they would have us believe. After all, it’s been going on since the beginning of life on the planet, that women were given this role. It’s time we take back control of our own bodies and our own lives and kick the money-mongers out of our birth canals.

Comment by Jeanne Ingress on 12 July 2012

Thank you for posting this.

Comment by Tess on 13 July 2012

Thank you for this! I had an abortion when i was 19 after being raped by a druggie and thief. I knew there was no way i could support a baby or give the baby the love and support a baby needs. Now i have 2 beautiful baby boys to a wonderful man. It was the hardest decision of my life and i still have guilt about the decision….but your article and pictures really helped me see that this was what was best for the baby….especially with how abusive the “father” was. Thank you so much and God Bless!

Comment by Jane on 13 July 2012

In reply to Katie

“The unwanted pregnancies shouldn’t be happening in the first place”

Unplanned pregnancies should just stop happening altogether… please analyse that statement very carefully

You’re aware that condoms are only ninety percent effective correct, that means if one hundred couples had sex statistically ten of them would wind up pregnant

The thing about unplanned pregnancies, is that they’re unplanned, unwanted and most importantly unavoidable. The only one hundred percent effective countermeasure to unplanned pregnancy is full, global abstinence. Which is a fairy tale notion that only the church believes would be a superior state of being.

We’re so glad that you were lucky and careful, but you’re applying your own point of view on a very broad issue and it is betraying a lack of understanding, Not everyone is able to take the pill, there are allergic reactions to the pill, broken condoms, pain and discomfort from IUDs, the point is there are absolutely no catch all, unavoidable ways to stop all pregnancy everywhere in healthy sexual adults. And that doesn’t even take into account rape victims…

The point is this unwanted pregnancies are unavoidable, abortion is an option when other options fail.

Comment by Male on 13 July 2012

Dear, I’m Italian, so please forgive my English. I have seen the photos, I have read your words. Now I look again at the photos… 6 weeks of pregnancy I think anybody should expect to see a baby in that glass, but… I can see a life. Among blood I can see a life. That same life every woman has a chance to nourish, that same life our mothers gave to us. I think in that glass everyone can see himself/herself if… our mothers should have decided to make an abortion. Someone on the comments said it’s like a period, ok, but period for a women indicates her capacity to have pregnancy. It’s not a period, it’s a life.
I respect your choice and your courage to share the experience, but I am not going to believe that these photos show that abortion is a good thing. In that blood there was a child, this I believe.
Greetings

Comment by Annarita on 13 July 2012

Dear, I am Italian, so please forgive my Emglish. I have senn the photos, I have read your words, now I look again at the photos… 6 weeks pregnancy, I think anybody could expect to see a baby in that glass, but… I can see a life in that glass. The same life everywoman has the chance to nourish, the same life our mothers gave to us. I think eveyone can see himself/herself in that glass, if… our mother would have decided to make an abortion. Someone on the comments said it’s like a period, but a period for a woman is the chance to have pregnancy. I respect your choice and the courage to share the experience, but I’m not goig to belive that these photos show thata abortion is a good thing. I that glass there’s a baby, a beautiful new life.
Greetings

Comment by Annarita on 13 July 2012

Thank you for sharing your project. Catholic University Students for Choice in DC will be sharing this story with our peers. Thanks!

Comment by Callie Otto on 13 July 2012

Thank you so much for this. I had a miscarriage at eight weeks when I was sixteen, I was planning on having an abortion and terrified that it would hurt terribly, or that something looking like a baby would come out of me.
Thank you for showing the world what an abortion really looks like. Having an abortion is never going to be an easy decision to make but sometimes it is the best decision. Misinforming women with pictures of fully formed foetuses undermines our autonomy and our right to determine what happens to our own bodies.
Thank you for being brave, thank you for being honest.

Comment by Meg on 13 July 2012

Thank you. You are indeed a very brave woman. I feel that all women need to be fully informed before making this decision and I sincerely hope they find you and this very powerful website.

Comment by Canada on 13 July 2012

I don’t believe it’s anyone’s place to judge another on what they have done or what they believe. The greatest thing about our humanity is being given a mind to think freely and differently. I will not judge another religion or lack-there-of, I will not judge someone’s sexuality, I will not judge someone’s beliefs and choices. No one deserves to be scared away from what they believe in their heart. I was once a silent protester, although never outside a clinic. I realize now that so much more can be done by simply talking with others and opening your mind to other ways of thinking. Then you may more closely know your own beliefs.
I don’t yet know where I identify with this issue. I do believe that a soul does live within a mother during pregnancy, but it is not my place to tell you what you should believe or the choices you make. I’m glad you have made this site. I hope people will read, truely listen, and strengthen their own beliefs on the subject. It has done that for me. Thank you

Comment by Nicole on 13 July 2012

I don’t know which is more surprising- the images or the exceedingly positive support shown here in the comments! Thank you so much for sharing your story, I’ve always been pro-choice and have yet to be faced with a decision as difficult as having an abortion but access to information such as this is enlightening and comforting to say the least. Again, thank you for being so brave and sharing this.

Comment by Katie on 13 July 2012

BRAVO!!

I am far from being pro-abortion, but I am completely pro-choice, and this is information that people need to have.
thank you for being brave enough to offer up your truth!

Comment by Darlene Doskas on 13 July 2012

@Stacy, Thanks for your reply:) I suppose I would say that the choice you speak of has already been made. Apart from tragic situation of rape, whenever a man or a woman choose to have sex they are making a choice that may effect “someone” (as you say) other than themselves because no contraceptives are %100. But once that choice has been made and a new human life has been created, there are only two options now available: life or death. So you are absolutely right, making a choice for someone else is not what I have a problem with. It is the nature of the one choice, namely death, that I have a problem with. That’s why it’s very difficult (and unfair) to have the label “anti-choice” constantly thrown in my face. Not from you, your response was very civil and I thank you for that. It is not choice itself that I am against; I am against what is being chosen.

As for a fetus not being a person…..well, that is exactly where the real discussion lies:)

Comment by George on 13 July 2012

Thank you for sharing this story and information.

In this day and age when access to birth control is being restricted and the war on women threatens to steal our right to choose, it’s so powerful to have this process demystified. I wish more people would open their eyes to the fact that an early abortion is really just a clump of cells. It’s not really life, but potential life. The more importance we assign to a potential child, the less importance we assign to the woman who carries the child.

Comment by Marla on 13 July 2012

As far as abortion goes, I have no doubts that this is what it looks like, but that’s not what it looks like when you miscarry at 8 weeks. I’m pro-choice, and while I’m glad you’ve done this, appreciate it for what it is, I also can’t help but think this is what happens to a fetus when it’s vacuumed out -pulped and unrecognizable.

Comment by Jen on 13 July 2012

Thank you so much for this. Religious beliefs, political beliefs etc. aside, its LONG overdue for people to see exactly what an abortion looks like. A woman cannot make a truly informed decision without information, and for those who have not yet decided where they fall pro or anti choice, the more information, the better. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And many many good thoughts come your way.

Comment by Jen on 13 July 2012

ok– so you showed one at 6 weeks. What do they look like at 6 months?

Comment by Nate on 13 July 2012

I have been on every side of this scenario, and I thank you for posting these pictures.
I am currently 7 months pregnant, I have a 16 year old son that I gave up for an open adoption shortly after my 16th birthday, and I have also had an abortion.
I shared with my husband the fact that I had an abortion (long before we ever got together), and he was displeased to say the least.
It made me think, and I almost felt bad for my decision.
Two days ago I came across the abortion paperwork (I don’t know why I held onto it) and it said I was 6.5 weeks pregnant at the time. I still believe this was the best decision for me, and I feel even stronger about it after seeing these photos.

Comment by Jessica on 13 July 2012

Thank you for this. I had an abortion when I was 19 years old, 20 years ago. There is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t think about it. I have forgotten how far along I was, what time of year it was, etc. I remember the protesters and their signs, the woman who was there for her SEVENTH. I remember thinking that birth control was much cheaper than 7 abortions. I did it because I was scared of keeping the baby. Right before I found out I was pregnant I found out that I was in an abusive relationship and we had broken up. I didn’t want to have to have that man in my life forever. I have a beautiful little girls who will be 10 next month. It took me 5 years to get pregnant with her, not because of the abortion.I don’t believe that I could do it again. I am pro-choice simply because I know I would have done something stupid if I had not had the choice. No woman deserves to die at the hands of a back alley abortionist or a coat hager.

Comment by Amy on 13 July 2012

This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing it. I have long tried to describe what my abortion would have looked like (it was done at around the same period of time yours was – 6-8 weeks or so) and this illustrates it in a way I couldn’t.
And there were no camera phones in 1999.
Good for you. There needs to be more truth and less bullshit about abortion, and you are helping that happen.

Take care.

Comment by Renae on 13 July 2012

Thank you for posting it…we got a victory here in Italy when abortion was legalized in 1978. Don’t judge rather think about phedophilie among priests in Vatican City: history shows us that religion is bound to fail.
I did an abortion and my self-determination told me that I was right.
(“emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind”)

Comment by Vi7italy on 13 July 2012

Thank you for sharing your experience in photo’s. It’s nice to know that not every abortion ends up in a visibly, fully formed, bloody fetus. I truly despise those blown up photo’s that anti-choicer’s parade around.

Comment by Beckie on 13 July 2012

You are wonderful and brave, thank you thank you thank you for doing this.

Comment by Anonymous on 13 July 2012

As a man, who doesn’t even know anyone in need of an abortion, let me say Thank You. You are a brave woman.

Comment by Hugo on 13 July 2012

Dear Jane,
I totally disagree with the idea of abortion, because I always wonder why women who decide to make it don’t take in consideration the adoption of the baby.

I don’t know if my opinion derives from my culture (I’m Italian and I’m catholic) or from my soul of future and potential mother. (I’m 24).

I am against abortion. HOWEVER, I am so sorry for all that people who think to have the “religious” right to influence your mind and your life with protests and very bad photos.
Shame on them.

Woman’s body is sacred, and for this reason every woman should have the FREEDOM to decide. Moreover, every woman should have the freedom to live peacefully, without catholics or christian people who put to shame their same religion.

I think abortion is killing a future guy, but I’ll NEVER judge women who do it, I’ll NEVER make a protest and I’ll NEVER NEVER offend you.

Besides, I’m always PROTECTING your right to do the abortion. ALWAYS.

You are very brave, and I’m so sorry for what you have done, but it’s your choice, it’s your body and your life. I support you.

Good luck. Laura (Italy)

Comment by Laura on 13 July 2012

When I was 16 my dad committed suicide, and I lost myself entirely. I became an entirely new person, what had once been a 16 year old care free girl became a woman with 10 years more experience in a matter of months.
I moved away and lived with my boyfriend and his family, and we decided that we wanted to start a family. At 17 I got pregnant and at 18 I delivered my beautiful amazing son. Now at nearly 21 I know I made the best decision of my life. I have always wanted to be a mother, as a child I practically raised my brother and sister while my mother helped my father with his addiction and depression. Some might argue that someone who had just faced such a tragedy would not be ready to bring a child into that, especially so young. But in my case they couldn’t be more wrong. My son saved me, I learned how to grieve, how to love, how to trust and how to forgive my father for his actions. Had I not made that decision I would not be the strong independent woman I am today, I would be quite the opposite.
Now all of that being said, I chose to have my son. I knew what I was getting into and I went in prepared. Had I not, had for example the older guy I was seeing when I was 15 knocked me up I can’t guarantee that I would have kept the pregnancy, I can say for near certain that I would not have. It is your body, your choice. No one should ever tell you what you can and can’t do with your body. I’m actually very glad you showed those photos, I came here expecting to see the propaganda images of the tiny dead baby, the images I so gruesomely stumble across while googling stages in my pregnancy.

Comment by Katie on 13 July 2012

thank you for being brave for the rest of us who aren’t

Comment by angela on 13 July 2012

Its a women choice, its a choice I have had to make twice, its a choice that I had to live with. Its something that made me who I am today. Women have the right to receive clear, unambiguous honest information. THANK YOU for facilitating this.

In the UK people need to start having the conversation that family planning is OK, we are all living through difficult financial times, the planet has reduced resources. Young women need to know that there is more waiting for them than the ‘motherhood’ route. You can be a part of a society and not be a mother, just as you can be a mother.

with love, and with thanks for your courage.

Comment by Kayess on 13 July 2012

It feels to me like women are being forced to fight a battle that we thought we’d already won, and on many fronts. When I had an abortion I did not have to face protesters, my experience was very much like yours apart from that, calm, supportive and professional. For me the decision was not a hard one, either emotionally or morally. It was a simple medical procedure and the only feelings that I have about it many years later, is relief that it was available as an option.

What you are offering is the kind of debate that I wish it were possible to have about abortion, informed, reasonable, brave and respectful. Thank you.

Comment by Sam on 13 July 2012

Thank you. SERIOUSLY.

Comment by Beatrice on 14 July 2012

Your pictures look very “clinical.” I had an abortion myself and even though I could have produced very similar pictures to yours, just judging from these pictures, it looks very cold.

I was very fortunate to have a very empathetic and very warm experience during my procedure. The women at the abortion clinic were incredibly nice and incredibly supportive. Interestingly enough, the doctor who performed my abortion was pregnant herself, and she was incredibly nice, as it should be.

I have never regretted my decision for a single moment. It is my decision and every woman should have this right.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Comment by Miriam on 14 July 2012

Many people have many things to say about this. I could never have an abortion, but it is my choice. Yet i thank you for showing others the truth, because in the end the choice is what matters.

Comment by LotusBlossom on 14 July 2012

Wow, thank you for doing this. I saw the link at another website and wanted to come here, but at the same time was so afraid. I had an abortion 30 years ago. The images of tiny baby parts (propagated by pro-life groups) has haunted me for all of those years. I was a very young woman who felt that my decision was best for me, but still I’ve been traumatized every time I see the “pictures.” Now, I feel that I can be at peace. I think I’ve always known in my heart that your photos were the truth, but finally seeing it as an absolute gives me peace. thank you!

Comment by Ann on 14 July 2012

I worked in a hospital before Rowe vs Wade. It was a city hospital in a fairly good size city. Several times a week women were in the ER after attempting to abort themselves. Knitting needles was a common tool. Soft drinks came in bottles and some women would break off the top of the neck and use that. All came in bleeding, some were never able to have children, a rare few died from loss of blood or infection because they came to theER too late to be helped.

A colleague of minedecidedto get an abortion because of several very personal reason. She did have 3 kids and was married. She couldn’t have one done legally because none of our docs wanted to risk losing their license..reasonably so. Everyone knew of an underground that performed them. She literally stood on a corner with the required black skirt and small suitcase. After waiting about 10 minutes or so she decided she couldn’t go through with it knowing these were generally not MDs providing this ‘service’ and the chances of very serous complications were great. She need up having a miscarriage.

Most of us who livedthu the pre Rowe vs.Wade, especially those of us who worked in hospital ERs and labs, celebrated this law expecting that women would no longer have to die in attempting their own abortions.

Having gone to catholic schools all my life, we were taught that life is precious and sex was solely for procreation! This was the 60s after all. Nevertheless, as an educated and thoughtful woman i made choices counter to my religious upbringing and truly believe God still loves me and knows better than i why each of of makes any decsions.

Life is precious. No one I know has made the decision to abort lightly. But all women should have the right to making their own decisions about their bodies. Last I knew we answer to God alone…not any other human who has a different point of view.

I congratulate all of you who have had the courage to make whatever decision was right for you and to share it here. Let’s hope we’ never get back to the knitting needle and broken bottle days.

Comment by Lizbeth on 14 July 2012

Funny, who is for abortion has been born

Comment by Liza on 14 July 2012

Cool! this shows how much liars are the “pro-life”! Congratulations by idea.

Comment by Pedro on 14 July 2012

Who should stand for the rights of the children’s body ? i don´t get it: people claims for the rights of their own bodies but the “same” people do not recognize that the body inside a mom is a third person and should have his own and equal rights onto his body. I don´t support abortion, but i understand the reasons for a abortion; but im my humble opinion, this argument – right of my body – is a wrong or “narrow” one. Sorry for my bad english, its my second language. thanks

Comment by Luis Carlos on 14 July 2012

Thank you for sharing this. I was also surprised to find that I had/have passed blood clots bigger than the embryonic sac expelled during my surgical abortion at 6 weeks gestation. It’s so eye-roll inducing when forced-birthers wax on and on about babies being torn limb from limb during abortions. Their stupidity/willful ignorance is truly astounding. During the time when most women have abortions (less than 9 weeks, when the conceptus is still an embryo and not yet a fetus) there exist limb buds at most. Also, the embryonic sac is expelled and, in fact, is what the medical professionals look for to ensure that the abortion has taken place. But forced-birthers and other religiotards aren’t ones to let facts, reality, or even scripture get in the way of their misogyny.

Comment by BJ Survivor on 14 July 2012

I do not want to criticize you or get into a debate on this topic, because that was your decision. You and you alone have to deal with it. I just wanted to say that I have never seen a tag on those pictures of aborted babies that says “all abortions look like this”. Anyone that knows anything about the development of the baby during a pregnancy knows that at 6 weeks it does not look like a fully-formed baby. Duh.

Comment by Amber on 14 July 2012

I thought about many things I could write here, but I believe everyone has said enough already. So I can only say thank you, right from Brazil, South America.

Thank you once again. This is wonderful.

Take care, Jane.

Comment by Juliana on 14 July 2012

Thanks, just thanks.

Comment by Hell on 14 July 2012

Hi, I´m from Brasil. And abortion here is ilegal.
You could go to jail.
There are a lot of illegal clinics that do it, though. And because of that many women died of infection.
But the worst part is not having a choice.
Americans are lucky to have a choice. We listen to the news about the anti-abortion laws some of the americans are fighting for.
Don´t let it happen. It´s a huge step back.

You´re brave to post this.
All women are entitled to the truth.
Thank you

Comment by Laura on 14 July 2012

thank you! the only effective way to fight the hysteric demented propaganda out there is with simple fact, brave honesty & compassionate understanding. i applaud this and all women that begin stand up against the hateful anti-choice campaigns with their own stories. we need this so much right now as the rights of women’s health & rights are in grave danger all over this country.

Comment by melissa on 14 July 2012

You’re completely right. In the publicity against abortion conducted by religious and political interests, there is a clear intention to affect deeply all the people; specially the women. The abortion is undoubtedly a right for any woman, as the parturition involves directly her own body. It is not logic, and there is no sense in allowing churches and/or conservative politicians to decide about the use of woman’s body.

Comment by Fabio Amaral Di Fini on 14 July 2012

Grazie from Italy. We are struggling over here.
It’s very difficult to have an abortion over here especially with the ru486.

Thanks.
Very interesting project.

Comment by Alessandra on 14 July 2012

Liberty. That’s it. Thank you.

Comment by Chris on 14 July 2012

Congratulations!
About your pictures.. For me is the same to present a juice to somebody explaining: this is an orange… It makes no sense… Lol… Be happy mam, but let others be too..

World dont need more freedom, but need more love… Lets love a little bit more and promote that..

Kind hugs with love for you and your family (you have this big Treasure)
Jose

Comment by Jose on 14 July 2012

Congratulations for your initiative. Greetings from Brazil.

Comment by jose on 14 July 2012

Like TaraT, I became infertile from an abortion at 17 years old. At 32 I was told the infection ravaged my reproductive organs and I could not have children. I was devastated by the abortion and was further devastated 15 years later. TaraT and I are more common than people think. But, I was lucky as I found myself pregnant at 39 years old, unplanned and in a new relationship. My son is nearly 4 years old and I could never imagine having an abortion now. We tried for another baby, but after 4 years trying it has not happened. I guess lightning does not always strike twice. Some of us are now pro-life due to our own experiences. I was never told of the risks when I had my abortion and learned years later. It is not always about the religious hysterical right wing types (I am more left wing and a pagan), but some of us speak from personal experience.

Comment by AM on 14 July 2012

I had an abortion at 18. I am just shy of my 35th birthday and now have 3 beautiful boys with my wonderful husband. While I do long for the baby I aborted at times (yes, I do think of “him” a baby in my heart), I still feel we made the best choice for all of us involved at that time in our lives. I was fully aware of all the options and truly considered them. The father (my boyfriend at the time, now a close friend) and I made the decision together and seeing how our lives have transpired has only reinforced that we made the right decision. I am in awe of you and your bravery and you have inspired me to do more to support these women going through the toughest decision (often times alone); I’m going to look into becoming an abortion escort right now.

Comment by Carly on 14 July 2012

Hello, You are a heroin woman. Im brazil, abortion is not allowed, but every day, hundreds of women die, doing the procedure with medicins, wood,scissors, and all kind of bad and terribles ways. The church still very strong, and the politicians have their eye closed. The public health still doing nothig for the poor people, specialy to these poor woman, that dont have the support of the people that has to be helping than to have a good and health ife with thir familys, and choose and have the decision of their lives. Gongratulations!!!

Comment by Carolina Brazil on 14 July 2012

Thank you for this truth.

I have all the respect in the world for people who are personally against abortion – but cannot understand how anyone could be against the legal right of a woman to make sovereign reproductive decisions like abortion, any more than thinking masturbation or menstruating should be illegal (wasted egg and sperm).

Early term abortions do not abort “human beings” – there is no “being” in that tiny amount of blood. There is no “human” any more than an ovum or hair or cheek cell scraping is a “human.” To put that tiny jar of blood above the worth of all women, is utter insanity.

Comment by Anonymous on 14 July 2012

Thank you Jane,
I had my first abortion in 1967-that’s right-it was illegal. I will not go into how traumatic it was for me at 18 and a virgin up until about 4 months before. I have had more abortions as a married mother. Emotional, societal, and finanacial reasons abounded. I am, as most women, pro-choice, not pro-abortion. And I resent the fact that those opposed to abortion call themselves pro-life when some are actually guilty of murder. We are all for(pro) life. And we are pro-choice.

Comment by jane on 14 July 2012

This site has literally brought me down to tears. I was always adamant against abortion growing up. Up until I went through a deep depression and became suicidal. At that very same time I thought I had become pregnant and yes, for the first time I considered abortion. I was terrified that I would have a post-partum depression (if that’s possible, considering I was already at a full blown depression) and kill my baby. I thought I would go insane and die and leave the baby without anyone to care for him. Abortion was a very real possibility at that point. I went to a clinic and asked the doctor to explain to me what the options were and all the time, he tried convincing me against it, that a baby was a blessing and things would work out, and I felt like screaming. I didn’t want an abortion, but I feel there was no choice, for the good of that baby, I could not have it. It turned out I was not pregnant, but after that I became a supporter of freedom of choice. I don’t believe any woman goes through this without hardship. Making her feel guilty, shaming or traumatizing her is beyond cruel. Thank you for showing your pictures. I agree, people need to have access to information. A cousin of mine had an abortion and had complications, she can’t have children because of that. AM is right, it’s more common than we think. Women need to know the consequences, like any medical intervention, but if she believes this is the best choice, no should have the right to intimidate or shame her.

Comment by Ann on 14 July 2012

Isn’t it simpler to just use a condom?

Comment by Ana P. on 14 July 2012

Congratulations and thank you!

Comment by heloisa on 14 July 2012

Jane, you are my hero.

Thank you for helping to demystify the abortion procedure. As as you witnessed and experienced, it is not the barbaric procedure pro-lifers make it out to be. Education is power. Choice is sacred. We must protect it and never stop fighting to maintain our right to choose.

Thank you. I will be sharing this with everyone I know.

Becky
Seattle

Comment by Becky on 14 July 2012

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

You made my country talk about a very important question today.
A lot of woman die everyday here, because abortion is a criminal practice.
Im sure that you have done the right thing, for u and for us!

Hugs from Brazil =*

Comment by vivian on 14 July 2012

I am thinking of all of you in Brazil tonight.

Abrazos,
Jane

Comment by Jane on 14 July 2012

Thank you for you attitude doing this. You’re brave.
It signifies more than ‘just a site’.
It means to a lot of people that they’re not alone. That they’re not wrong. That is not because of abortion that they are ‘insensible’ or anything bad.

You live in a country where abortion is legal, and even this way women there suffer with ignorance and repression…

I live in Brazil. Here, abortion is illegal. Millions die every day due to clandestine abortion. AND, IF YOU SURVIVE, YOU CAN GO TO JAIL.

People are not taught how to respect women who tries abortion – and i’m talking here about the ones who study to save lifes. There are sad stories of women that went to hospital after complications, and the nurses and doctors pretended they are not there – making they pay for “this atrocity” and allowing them to bleed until death, without helping her.

I don’t want to have kids. I love them, but it’s not for me, not for the life I want, not now. And even taking care of myself, I’m afraid someday to get pregnant. I know being a mother is a serious thing. I think it’s righteous to have an abortion than raise someone blaiming them, without real desire to be a mother.
And yeah, I’m afraid. I don’t want, and if I get pregnant, there’s nowhere to go in this country. Or you are lucky, risking your health, or you are not.

Comment by Ester G. on 14 July 2012

A few years ago I was in the situation where I had to have an abortion. At the time it was the best thing to do, but I will never forgive myself for taking a life. But I done what was right for the fetus. I would of never been able to take care of a baby with my declining health.

Comment by . adkins on 14 July 2012

Dear Jane,
I am the president of the Secular Humanist League of Brazil (LiHS), and I’m here to gladly inform you that I am lauching right away a Portuguese version of this website. You will find it soon at http://meuaborto.com.br

Thank you very much, you are a brave person and you are objectively making this world a better place by helping to halt the fearmongering that stops many women from having planned families.

Warm regards,
Eli Vieira

Comment by Eli Vieira on 14 July 2012

Grateful that I had 2 abortions in the 1970s , yes back then we all knew what it looked liked and the truth that it was some blood and cells.
It’s been hugely distorted by anti abortion and religious beliefs of others about the reality and ease of an abortion as a medical procedure.

Comment by NYC doula on 14 July 2012

Dear Eli,

Thank you so much for building a mirror site for Brazil. This is a tremendous service you are doing for women and men and freedom for information.

If others are reading this from your own country and feel strongly about building a mirror site, please do!

In solidarity,
Jane

Comment by Jane on 15 July 2012

I felt compelled to come to your site Jane, having chosen to have an abortion in my twenties (I am now in my forties). It is by no means an easy decision. I was too frightened to go through a pregnancy and childbirth and had an eating disorder and a messed up mind. Mentally I simply couldn’t cope. My experience was very physically painful and the emotional scars it left me with meant I felt I could never have any further children because of the potential life I had ended and the fear of childbirth being as painful. So I never have. In the end it split up my long term relationship because I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t done anything to try to calm my panic and terror. Each persons case and experience is unique and I do believe that abortion should be a universal right for women. But it’s also important to acknowledge that it doesn’t always end happily and can cast a long shadow.

Comment by Katie on 15 July 2012

You are doing so important and brave work! And you have so many people supporting you. Cheers from Norway.

Comment by Trips & Tics on 15 July 2012

I got pregnant just after my 20th birthday. Luckily for me, my (frankly, new) boyfriend was supportive and there for me, same as my family. There are so many delicate emotional factors involved in carrying and having a baby at a young age. Today I have a beautiful two year old daughter, but not everyday over the last three years has been beautiful.
Even though I chose to have my baby, I feel I can never judge a woman that doesn’t. I only know me, and I knew what was right for me. I don’t know you, Jane, or any other woman in a similar position.
I stand with you in solidarity and in your quest to share the truth about this most personal issue.

Comment by M on 15 July 2012

For Ana P: Seriously? Do you really think people just forgo condoms because abortion is available to them? No one skips to the abortion clinic, no one has sex expecting to get pregnant with a fetus they plan to abort. Abortion is not something one strives to have.

Yes, it is easy to use a condom, but often partners are unwilling to use them, or if they are willing to use them, use them incorrectly, or claim to use them and then don’t. Or any number of things why just simply using a condom doesn’t always work.

Your comment made me oh so mad.

Comment by Annie on 15 July 2012

It’s funny how many of the anti-abortion supporters are men, who will never know what a pregnancy feels like, and the consequences it has for the mother.

Being a man myself, I totally support your decision.

Greetings from Brazil.

Comment by Lucas on 15 July 2012

As a nurse for over 20 years, a mother, wife and health advocate of choice, thank you! As a nursing student I was sent to a “special experience” which was spending the day in a private ob office; during which time he performed several first trimester abortions. This was way before the advent of cell phones. Until that time I too believed the rhetoric/vivid “pro life” photos. I saw what your photos above documented-tissue, bloody drainage no hands, feet, limbs or body parts what so ever. I wish you the best; health happiness and comfort in the decision you made. you have done a great service at a time when your thoughts( I’m sure) were also on other matters.Again thank you, thank you, thank you.

Comment by TAlynva on 15 July 2012

thank you!

Comment by lila on 15 July 2012

For all of those that have comments along the lines of “Use birth control” It doesn’t always work. I am a mother of 2, I had the shot when I got pregnant with my daughter, and the pill when I got pregnant with my son. No, we didn’t use condoms, because we were both allergic to them (Non spermicidal condoms have less likelihood of working then the pullout method, fyi). I have not had an abortion, but I am glad the option is out there for women who need it.

Jane, you are a brave and wonderful woman. To all the women who have had abortions, especially those who have little access to medical care, my prayers go with you.

To the crazy right wingers, find a cause that needs you, like children abused in the foster care/group homes.

Comment by Raven on 16 July 2012

I think what you have done is great.
No woman should ever feel guilt about having to terminate a pregnancy. As many in this thread have said it is not an easy decision.
I would also like to say thanks to all of the men who have left positive comments supporting women’s right to choose.

And to the radical anti-choice people – instead of protesting at clinics, why not invest your time and energy in supporting families that are struggling. Whether that be financially, emotionally or whatever. You could help out and support mothers (and fathers) who need it. Cook a meal, babysit, do laundry, vacuum the floor – heaps of things you could do to help out – brainstorm it… could be a good plan I reckon

Comment by jean on 16 July 2012

Dear @Vince comment #52,

Thank you so much for your kind comment.

My favored charity is Women On Waves (www.womenonwaves.org) and Women On Web (www.womenonweb.org). These organizations are based outside the US, but are working on the front lines for women’s rights internationally. Anyone wishing to pay it forward, I would urge you to consider these organizations. In terms of US based organizations, I think that Planned Parenthood is doing a tremendous service for women and families and we must support them in their mission.

My very best,
Jane

Comment by Jane on 16 July 2012

I have struggled for years with my choice to have an abortion. On the day I had mine done I laid on the table crying my eyes out with the pictures and faces of protesters running through my mind and coming to terms with the fact that I was a horrible person, a murderer who was going to hell. Your brave act has given me peace finally. Now my tears are for the loss of love for myself I’ve had all these years because I was convinced the act I committed was much different than it obviously was. Thank you.

Comment by Michele on 16 July 2012

It seems pretty natural! Your pictures had broken many images, so go ahead!

Comment by Flor de maguey on 16 July 2012

I am a teenage girl that is very pro life. I am sorry that people yelled at you. I go to abortion centers to pray outside but I pray a rosary or hold a simple sign that says something like woman regret abortions. I have never yelled at someone or tried to make them feel bad. I recently went to pro life boot camp and we were taught to show love to the mothers. We stood outside an abortion clinic and prayed a rosary. There were at least 80 adults and teenagers praying a rosary without disturbing anyone.

Comment by Alyssa on 16 July 2012

I have had an abortion. My commnet is based on a post from July 6, 2012. #”46. “It is good that these pictures are being shown. People need to think rationally about abortions and not have thier minds clouded with images of torn apart babies.” Let’s not be blind to what the substance is in the photo of the jar you posted. The truth is a child dies. We can’t change that fact. To do so dishonors the life of the little one and dishonors the women who goes through the grieving process with no one to talk to after the procedure.
No one has believed my story to this day. Not all clinics are like this one and sometimes the ones that look like the photos are clinics from hell. thanks for sharing your story.

Comment by Teresa in Alaska on 16 July 2012

I think you are very brave for your actions and hope that you are recovering well from this procedure. But I have mixed feelings about your decision… In Brazil (where I live) abortion is only accepted in three situations: in the case of a pregnancy resulted from a rape, in the case of anencephaly or in the case were the life of the mother is in danger… And I agree that this situations are completely agreeable that the mother should put an end to their pregnancy… but out of this situations I’m completely against the idea of an abortion…

Perhaps this come from what I have seen of life since I can understand this kind of things… Like my mother always tells me about the time she got pregnant of me… She was with rubella and thrombosis at the time and more than FIVE doctor told her that she HAD to abort me because I wouldn’t have the means to survive…!! She choose to have me even knowing that perhaps I wouldn’t live… Imagine their surprise when I was born perfect… Or when my sister at 20 years old became pregnant and ALL of her boyfriend’s family wanted her to make an illegal abortion (“BECAUSE WE WILL NOT LET OUR SON RUIN HIS LIFE!!” they said), at the time I was 8 years old and remember my sister crying because she didn’t know what to do… My parents told her that they were against the abortion but would be by her side in whatever her choice would be… So even if the guy didn’t want the child she decided to have her baby, perhaps because she knew that our parents would be beside her, helping her, not only financially but with love and affection… today she is married with that same guy and he really doesn’t like the Idea of his “little girl”, now 15, growing up and looking at boys… Or when some of my friends and class mates in school got pregnant at 14 or 15 (this made me choose celibacy until I have a good job where I can pay for a unplanned child in the future and if my boyfriends don’t like that then they can go f**k another one because I want nothing with them!!) and while illegal here in Brazil some women here known how to do a “natural” tea that can cause a “natural” miscarriage BUT others that don’t have this kind of knowledge go to underground clinics and risk their life because they don’t want this child, and the public health system sometimes not accept the decision of a woman with no financial means not to have more children or because she doesn’t want to have more children to make a tubectomy… But the majority of my friends choose to have their babies…! To some this decision may have ruined their lives (and that of their children) but to others (or so they say to me…) their children are what drives them to be better and be more, perhaps it’s not an easy path and perhaps it’s not what they wanted but today they wouldn’t change their decisions for nothing… Now some of them have graduated from college and are on their way to success…

But what made me write this long comment was what happened when I found your website and pictures… I was with a friend when we found it and while discussing our options on the matter she told me that even taking the pill religiously every day and she and her fiancé using protection she as thinking that perhaps she may be pregnant, and while she may not like the idea of an abortion if her suspicions were to be found true she was considering it because she and her fiancé are simply not ready for a child, and when discussing that with her and her mother I told her: “I think that you need to think carefully about this because there is no may back after that…”
But I can say that even if she chooses an abortion, even she going against something that I believe… and that she believes to… If she was to confirm this pregnancy and decided for an abortion I would be by her side in this decision because… in the end… it is her body, and it is her life, and her fiancé’s life, and their child’s life… And the only thing that I can do… what anyone involved in this situation can and should do is be supportive and hope that she has made the right choice… because an abortion isn’t the BEST decision like someone said on one of the comments… It is the HARDEST decision in the life of a woman… It’s not only YOUR life, it’s the life of this child that may come and theis future as a family…

Comment by Fernanda on 16 July 2012

I deeply admire you.

Comment by Marco on 16 July 2012

Unfortunately, the very people who need to read and see this will not. They will continue to push their agenda of misinformation to promote their purpose. We cannot debate with zealots.

Comment by Debbie on 16 July 2012

“If a life is not worth to be lived, end it it’s not a murder, it’s a liberation”
Adolf Hitler

Comment by Giuly on 17 July 2012

I’m very sorry if this comes off the wrong way, but my reaction on seeing the four photos above was this: “Is that all?” I looked for something that might be considered gory or shocking … and couldn’t find anything.

I do apologize to anyone who might be offended by my reaction. I haven’t been pregnant myself, so I can’t imagine the emotional effect that a miscarriage or abortion might have. But, really, I have to admit that your photos were a little anticlimactic in comparison to the anti-abortion images we’ve all seen on picket signs. I’m aware that not all abortions look the way yours did, but it’s important, I think, to let people know that not all abortions look the way the photos on the signs would have us believe.

Kudos to you, Jane, for not being afraid to share your experience, and to all the other women (and men) who’ve posted here in solidarity.

Comment by Seelix on 17 July 2012

Thank you for this post. I admire your drive to put the truth out there. This will help other women.

Comment by Louisa on 17 July 2012

Wow, not one negative comment. I feel so safe at this site You have truly shown how abortion empowers women. All women should have an abortion, at least one to truly understand what a real woman feels. i myself have had four abortions, and probably will have more. No religion will dictate to me and my body what i can and cannot do.

Comment by June Cleaver on 17 July 2012

It would seem that many of you discount the human life if you cannot see legs or arms.

At what point in human development does one obtain a soul?

Comment by Rebecca on 17 July 2012

You are so brave and strong for posting these. You know what is right for your life and your situation, and NO ONE should be allowed to tell you otherwise, or scare you into making the wrong choice. I feel like these pictures will help so many people make the decision that they know deep down they wanted and needed to make, but were scared to for whatever reason. You are wonderful.

Comment by Melissa on 17 July 2012

Thank you so much. Finally, some truth.

Comment by kim on 17 July 2012

Thank you I have been thinking about blogging about my experience for some time. I actually came out on Facebook and admitted to having an abortion about 2 months ago. The freedom I felt was amazing and the response for showing my bravery was astounding. But the whole story was not revealed.

I have a belief that no one knows what it’s like to make the choice, until they’ve been faced with the decision…

I had my abortion about 9 1/2 years ago, I was 20, my father passed away and in the wake ofdespair, I was drinking a lot of alcohol. I went home with someone who I would never have been with if I was sober. I was on multiple antidepressants, one of which made me feel homicidal. I needed a leave of absence from work because I was having difficulty dealing with the death of my father…then I found out I was pregnant. My mom was supportive enough to go to the clinic with me,

I really didn’t know what to expect. There were so many different women in the waiting room. They did a vaginal ultrasound that determined I was 8 weeks pregnant. I refused to look at it when they asked if I wanted to see the pic of my baby. I opted for the IV drug that would help me to not remember the procedure. But I have flashbacks, I actually tried to fight the doctor and nurse off…but it was as if I was in a drunken t stooper. The doctor was very nice and gentle, but I was an emotionally scarred young woman.

About 3 months after my abortion, I saw the person who impregnated me, who had just gotten out of jail, and he told me that he tries to get as many women pregnant as possible. He had 6 children all different women…he was what I now know to be called a reproductive abuser.

I know it was the best choice for me…and I don’t expect every woman to make that choice, butvI’m happy that I was free enough to make my own decision.

Comment by ramani on 17 July 2012

Thank you for showing every one the truth. I had a abortion 11 years ago but opted for the at home medical procedure (pill form). I just told my self it was going to be like having my period, over and over again I told myself. I had only know about my pregnancy for a short time when I got the abortion so I didn’t have the time to get attached which will help when making the decision. Now 11 years later I have a son who will be turning 5 soon.

Comment by Melissa on 17 July 2012

Adding to my comment above ,i guess everybody is different so you did what you thought was right for you ,i just dont think you should be giving women this information when every abortion may be diff.and when they are diciding t make such an important decision…just my oppinon!!

Comment by mary on 17 July 2012

and dont mean to seem so judemental or mean but just dont agree

Comment by mary on 17 July 2012

You rock! You are very brave to put this out there and I admire your courage. Why should you keep a child if you don’t want to and what will become of an unwanted child. You made the right decision. Life = science and evolution, not God.

Comment by Emi Vazques on 17 July 2012

There should be a law which gives the father a say whether his child should be aborted or not.

Comment by Ed K on 17 July 2012

Hello. splendid job. I did not expect this. This is a fantastic story. Thanks!

Comment by Kevin Segelhorst on 18 July 2012

When a man can carry a baby, then there will be a law that gives him a voice. Until that time, it’s a woman’s body and her sole decision.

Thank you Jane!

Comment by Vicki P on 18 July 2012

I had an abortion 8 years ago this month. I was 12 weeks along. I was scared, unemployed and did not feel like I had any other choice. It was one of the most painful experiences I have ever experienced. While I do not regret my decision, I do think about it every day.

Comment by Kiko on 18 July 2012

I was 13 at the beginning of the sexual revolution. My mother was a leader-she slept with pretty much anyone who wanted it. There were no morals taught in our home and sex was encouraged. When I became pregnant by a 22 year old man, I was told that there would be no abortion or adoption. I was to bring the baby that I did not want home or I could not come home. She was living with the most abusive asshole in the world and thought that if she could give him the child she was too old to have he would love her. I never loved my daughter all I felt was shame, guilt and regret. We hate each other. She hates my mother who raised her. My mother worships her. My mother hates me for not turning into Donna Reed and worshipping a kid I never wanted. I never finished school and even though I eventually married the man of my dreams, I cannot be happy because there is always the shame, guilt, and regret staring me in the face. A legal procedure could have saved two little girls a lifetime of misery. But mommy got the baby for the psycho. I envy you.

Comment by mary catherine on 18 July 2012

This is so needed to counter the horrendous lies and misconceptions that anti abortion groups are propogating! For me, the most horrible experience of my abortion was the protesters with their signs yelling at me as I entered the building, saying things like; “mothers, don’t kill your babies”……. That was so terrible to be yelled at like that!

Comment by susan on 18 July 2012

Dr. Ide I have to tell you of a miracle story as you have said no pregnancy less than 24 weeks can survive. I know a girl who had no clue she was pregnant. She started to experience severe cramping and went to the e.r. they told her that she was not only pregnant but IN LABOR. She was terrified but somehow the baby survived and she brought her home several months later. *Just wanted to point out that statistics are just that*

Jane
What you have done here is amazing. I had 2 children with a terribly abusive man who had been my best friend for years prior to us dating and prior to the abuse. The day that he nearly killed me I went to the e.r. to check for broken bones and learned I was pregnant for our third child. I was in shock, disbelief and utterly horrified. I thought I would keep the baby and just move on with life without him. He got out of jail and learned of my pregnancy and immediately denied his paternity (we had lived together for years and HE was the cheater not me) Because of the 2 children I already had with him I was forced to speak to him and we discussed my pregnancy (now nearing 16 weeks) he made it candidly clear that he DID NOT want to have anything to do with this baby. Three days later he went on a cocaine binge, he made it clear to me at that point that if I ever tried to make him responsible for this child he would kill me. I truly believed him and went to my midwife a complete mess. She gave me the # to few late term abortion doctors and ordered another ultrasound. Much to my dislike I learned I was 19 1/2 weeks pregnant not the 17 we thought. None of the doctors locally would perform the procedure after 20 weeks. As you can imagine my options were getting limited. I called a few clinics in New York City (I live in upstate) as there are a few that will abort to 23-24 weeks. When I learned that the procedure actually takes 2 days I was horrified. He was willing to by me train tickets to get there and back but that was all the help he offered. He wanted me to sit in a hotel room alone in NYC contracting for a day completely alone and scared. I couldn’t do it. I did still believe he would kill me if I tried to make him responsible for this child though. Back to my midwife in hysterics she gave me #’s to adoption agencies. Samantha has wonderful parents and I believe that I did the best for her. However the emotional scars that the adoption process has left make me wonder if abortion would have been a better option for me personally.

I have held my friends hand as she had an early term abortion like yours done and I could clearly see that her mental and physical recovery was easier than giving Samantha up for adoption.

To this day I can not cope with the emotions of the the adoption.

Comment by Stephanie on 18 July 2012

To the Amy who commented On July 8th-
This may sound odd, but on behalf of your never-born children I want to thank you. Knowing you are not able to be, and don’t want to be, the mother a child needs is incredibly wise and insightful. In my own experience there is nothing worse than being born to a mother who has you for selfish reasons and then resents you for existing.
I’ve always been bothered by the pro-birth argument (only Jains are truly pro-life) that every recipient will regret her abortion. I know my mother doesn’t. She’s suffered from severe mental illness ever since she was a teenager. She regrets having me more than any of the abortions she had. Not because she doesn’t love me, mind you, but because she feels endlessly guilty for bringing me into such a terrible situation. Her illness meant I was born into a home marred by alcoholism, drug use, fatherlessness and abuse. I love my mom and I forgave her long ago but I can honestly say that abortion would have been the better choice for BOTH of us. Never existing means never suffering, or having to live with the inescapable baggage of a miserable childhood. If you know you can’t provide a loving, stable home for a baby you should be merciful and not have that baby. You may regret the decision but at least your child won’t.

Comment by Lisa on 18 July 2012

Thank you. I had a termination at 12 weeks for medial reasons. I have always been pro-choice but it was a difficult situation and one which I still, one year on, struggle to deal with.

This has helped enormously. You have removed many of my nightmares.

Comment by Claire on 18 July 2012

I’ve never had an abortion and I don’t know if I ever will, but I’m so thankful that I have the choice to have one.

I hope one day all women have the freedom and choice to have abortions if they wish to have one. It’s not about killing fetuses, it’s about preventing a baby being born where it’s not wanted (for whatever reason).

Having the choice to have an abortion is promoting love, strength and intelligence in women.

Comment by Melanie on 18 July 2012

Thanks for sharing this. I’m having one tomorrow so interested to know whether I would want to look at it or not (I’ll be under general anasthetic)

One thing I found interesting was that any time anyone has urged me to think hard and have it the baby because killing is wrong, I’ve asked them completely seriously if they would raise the baby for me if I had it. None of them can answer directly. I think it’s ACTUALLY insane for anyone to discredit this choice if they’re not willing to make it differently themselves!!

Comment by Laura on 19 July 2012

i’m sorry, and i do mean this respectfully, but i think that the BRAVE and HEROIC thing to have done would’ve been to have the baby, that is courage and that is heroism… and why the exposition? is it to “inform”, unveil myths, or is it to seek aproval and validation for what, deep inside, u are still unsure (how could one be sure in such a decision, anyways? how could anyone be sure, ever?)?

Comment by Renata on 19 July 2012

Your bravery is commendable. Chin up.

Comment by Adrian Hayward on 19 July 2012

Thanks for this. I didn’t see what happened when it was my turn as it was done under general anaesthetic.
The biggest memory for me was this: I was grabbed by a near-hysterical woman outside the clinic. She was saying to me “no, no, don’t go in there” in alarm, as she was gripping on to my arm to stop me from going in. It was the most distressing part of the whole experience. It took me a long time to get over it. I’m very grateful that I pulled away from her and continued on into the clinic. As the survivor of an abusive parent, I have to say I strongly agree with Lisa who says above that its better to not have kids if you are unable to give them a stable and mentally-fit upbringing.

Comment by I Agree With Lisa on 19 July 2012

Again, thank you. Many years ago when I was young, poor and pregnant abortions were not legal. I was so terrified and desperate that I decided to abort myself and if that failed I would take my own life. I achieved the first objective and almost the second in the process. ( I had gone to a doctor for birth control and he told me that he knew my family and I should go to church and not ask again.) I am not ashamed nor proud of this. It is the reality that comes without safe and legal procedures, education and birth control.

I am pro-choice AND deeply respect and revere life. I refuse to use the term “pro-life” for those that impose their will on others, that is an “anti-choice” stance

Comment by carol on 20 July 2012

I am the mother of three grown children, one son in law school, two girls in medical school. They were born very close together and I had to work full time as a dentist to support the family. When I got pregnant for the fourth time, we had been using birth control. It didn’t work. Neither was my husband. So, I opted for an abortion at 6 weeks. My doctors who had delivered my three healthy children were supportive, and I recovered and returned to my life of caring for my family and caring for my patients.
Now my sister is working in Wichita Kansas at a anti-choice pregnancy crisis center. She says I am damned. I don’t believe her.
Thanks for your courage in posting these pictures. It is time for women to unite and support one another.

Comment by Mary Jo Frazier on 20 July 2012

I want everyone to remember that you can be pro-life and pro-choice, too. Having access to a medical procedure such as abortion doesn’t make everyone in the USA anti-life.

Jane’s documentation of and access to her procedure does not make her anti-life.

Jane is not anti-life.

None of us are anti-life.

Comment by Sara on 20 July 2012

Thank you for posting this. You are so brave, and I am so thankful that you were brave enough to post this.
I had an abortion on January 13th 2010. It was the hardest decision of my life. And to this day I still have mixed feelings about it. My boyfriend( now father of our beautiful baby girl who just turned 2) was not with me, but boy did he have his opinion on the matter. My parents also, I was told that if I should have this baby I would be doing this fully on my own. At 19, I wasn’t ready. So I made an appointment and went. I was so scared but my mother kept telling me it was for the best. My boyfriend didn’t even go with me. I was unable to do the vacuum because I just didn’t want to see the baby. So I did the pill. It was the worst thing ever. Because I swear I could feel it when I lost him. I still have his sonograms and I will be sure to share this with my daughter when she is old enough. I am Pro Choice and always will be. I did the right thing, but it hurts none the less. I will never ever forget this, but I am sure to share it with people. I am no ashamed of what I did, because I know I did it for the right reasons.
And anyone who thinks I am going to Hell for doing this, well, I’ll see them down there!
Thank you so much for posting this, and giving women the knowledge that we are still in control of our own bodies.

Comment by Nori on 20 July 2012

thank you so much for this. when i had my abortion i asked if i could see the remains, but the staff told me that it was against their policy to do that. i was battling with years of propaganda images and wanted to focus on the scientific reality, not the misinformation.

Comment by joyce on 20 July 2012

Thank you for the images.
Someone has to oppose the false propaganda.

Comment by André Milani-Martin on 20 July 2012

Thank you for posting this. I just want to counteract previous statements saying that abortion is never an easy decision. It think I have a harder time deciding on what shampoo to buy than I did choosing to have an abortion. I knew absolutely I was not ready and at the moment I plan on never having children. It was unfortunately that I slipped up and had to get one in the first place, but I knew absolutely that it was what I had to do and I felt no shame, no regret and no hesitation. Had I not gone through with it I would have been creating a very miserable and impoverished life for myself and an unwanted child.

Comment by Amanda on 21 July 2012

I have been coming to see this website a lot of times this week, i discovered it by a local newspaper.
I have tried to share it online, but most people get scared only from seeing the word abortion on the url, i blame the false and nasty propaganda we have all been exposed during years, used to make us feel bad about something that is almost as old as phylosophy, only because a powerfull “ethic” group of humans decided women couldnt decide by their own.
Thank you Jane for this, i just wish this could be in Spanish too.
In the country I live, abortion is absolutely illegal, when i say absolutelly, i mean that a woman cant even have therapeutic abortion. Even with this, there are statistics that show that this country where i live have the biggest porcentage of abortions in Latinamerica, of course this porcentage is only a virtual number, because as being illegal, there arent any serious studies about this subject.
All the abortions made here are ALL illegal. I’m talking about abortions made in terrible conditions and without any special care that a medical procedure needs; contaminated instruments, metritis, hemorrhages, etc.
What i’m trying to say, is that abortions have always existed and they always will, so education about this subject is needed, whats real and whats not real must be known.
And of course, it’s women´s choice, not political, religious or moral.
IT’S PUBLIC HEALTH

Comment by Maria on 21 July 2012

Like everyone else, I had heard horror stories; but when it happened to me, I was so lucky to be living in South Florida. The doctor and his staff were wonderful, caring people who respected me and my privacy. Even some of my “anti-choice” friends went to him when they had a problem. Don’t know if you can mention names; but in this time of “war against women”, I think someone so brave as Dr Benjamin should be commended. He could have quit a long time ago; but he truly cares about women’s rights and problems.

Comment by Vanessa on 22 July 2012

This is truly amazing. You are very brave.
Thank you for doing this.
I know it wasn’t easy.
I have had an abortion and have never regretted it.
It was the right thing to do at the time and I am so glad it was and still is legal.

Again, thank you.

Comment by Maura on 22 July 2012

Jane – good for you. Choice – that’s the key. I’m sure it was a tough decision, not entered cavalierly, but what you’ve shared is very important. To quote my bumper sticker, “I’m Pro Choice And I Vote”. I believe no one should make the choice for a woman other than the woman herself. I would be as much against a woman being forced to have an abortion as I am against prohibiting a woman from having one. I can only hope we don’t go back to the ‘back alley coat hanger’ days.
Keep the faith – in a secular sense, of course!
R. Galli
Edison, NJ

Comment by Bob Galli on 22 July 2012

I had a miscarriage at about this same stage of pregnancy. 6-7 weeks. The product of that miscarriage were identical to what you have documented here. I was at home, alone with my children, and it was something that I was able to care for myself through. Frankly, it WAS a blob of tissue. Main feature was a small, easily identifiable placenta. I knew this because I had had children, and was quite educated as to the stages of pregnancy. A little bleeding and a little cramping. There was no “baby”.

I’m constantly appalled by the imagery used by the pro-life people. Having lost an early pregnancy and carrying full term pregnancies to birth, I cannot emphasize enough the difference between six weeks products of conception and a full term baby. It’s the difference between an acorn and a fully grown oak tree.

Comment by Teresa on 22 July 2012

I am a guy and I support a woman’s right to choose. Still, the images you write about, the ones we’ve come to know thanks to pro-life zealots, have disturbed me. There’s no reason for me to believe your pictures are any more accurate than theirs, but I hope they represent the truth. It would help to develop my level of belief if more women documented their experience; I hope others follow your lead. Regardless of which images are correct, yours or the zealots, I believe individuals have an absolute right to make decisions about their own bodies. You did a positive thing for our collective education. Thank you.

Comment by John on 22 July 2012

Finally someone has shown the truth, some of these protesters have pictures that look like 3 month old babies. When I talk to them it is like they are brainwashed and really believe they are showing the result of an abortion. I hope everyone see’s your pictures so they at least know what it is they are talking about and may question the bull they have been told. Good work, lets hope more will do the same.
Thank you

Comment by Susan on 22 July 2012

First, let me say that I am COMPLETELY PRO CHOICE!…..! And I get your point for posting these pictures as women should not have to walk through somebody else minding your business. But I did want to say that for those who feel this is a religious issue…nothing changes. In Jeremiah 1:5 God says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” So the fact that the fetus has not formed more of a body won’t change the minds of those who feel abortion is wrong. They will continue that thought. But if your point was simply to show accurate pictures of what a 6 week fetus looks like, I appaud you.

God gave us free-will but we as a people (speaking of all humans) need to utilize safer sex more to prevent unwanted pregnancies also.

I have to say that those pictures are a bit scary; to think that a baby comes from that is a bit mystifying. I do believe in God.

Good Luck.

Comment by Black Berean on 22 July 2012

Thank you for this. I work in St. Paul just down the road from a brand-new Planned Parenthood clinic. Because of this, all of the billboards in the area have been bought by pro-life groups with pictures of beautiful babies, many of whom are at least 6-8 months old (if not more than one year). I view it as an emotional manipulation no different than any advertising company would use, much like how fast food looks in commercials versus how it looks in person. That might be a cruse comparison, but the ethics are the same.

Since 90% of people having an abortion do so during this first trimester, their fetus will look like this – not the happy, curly haired infants dressed in cute outfits that pro-life groups want to implant in your brain.

Comment by Dan on 22 July 2012

Thank you for this. In addition to the propaganda from the anti-abortion folks they give the impression that pro choice supporters somehow enjoy abortions and are willing to get one because we hate babies and love murder. As a women that has had 2 abortions in my teens, I can honestly say that every woman who decides to get an abortion does not do so lightly. The choice is very well thought out as any major decisions are. Nobody gats pregnant for the sole purpose of killing a baby for fun. The hypocrisy from the right is amazing. They applaud the death penalty, love war and would happily take food stamps and deny unemployment benefits to families with infants. I believe that the majority of protesters were influenced by the propaganda produced by the fanatics. There could be no other explanation.

Comment by Francine on 22 July 2012

Thank you for showing this. I had one at 6 weeks also back in the 1970′s. I wanted to see it but they wouldn’t show it to me. I asked if it was a boy or a girl and they said it was too soon to tell. I always wondered what it looked like. After all this time I still do not regret having it done because as one of the earlier comments said, I had to do what was best for me and the potential child. There was no hope of an acceptable outcome to my relationship with the father. Now I know, this child was NOT a person yet.

Comment by Linda on 22 July 2012

I had an abortion at 11 weeks. Thank you, Jane. You are my sister even though we don’t know each other.

Comment by K.S on 22 July 2012

I was terrified to visit this site.

I have had this site bookmarked since I heard about it but had some trepidation summoning the will to visit. I can’t honestly say that I’m glad that I did, but I think it is important for me that I did.

25 years ago my then girlfriend T (then wife, now ex) aborted at between 7-8 weeks. I accompanied her to the clinic and literally pushed to lead us hand-in-hand through the mob of yelling, hateful protesters who blocked both the front entrance and rear entrance to the building and jabbed bibles in our faces. (Where were the cops when we, for once, could have used them?)

I never asked T about the details; it was tough enough for her just to do it. But I have always wondered, and worried. These photos are helpful in de-haunting the process, for me at least.

I would think that all of this must have been tough for you to do on more than a few levels.

Whoever you are, thank you.

Comment by Paul on 22 July 2012

I had an abortion in 1968. I was a freshman in college and my boyfriend was just about to start dental school. Having a child at that time in our lives would have produced two college drop outs so I have never regretted our choice. I am only telling this story because the abortion I received was illegal, preformed in the basement of a hotel. We cannot go back to those dark ages. By the way, my boyfriend and I married in 1971, have raised two wonderful children and now have two grandsons.

Comment by Linda on 22 July 2012

Thank you for the opportunity to say something about my abortion. It feels so odd typing that, you know. It was in 1986 and I also was just about 8 weeks pregnant. I didn’t have to mull over my choices. I knew what I had to do, what I wanted to do, and yes, I knew then as I know now that it was selfish. Self. Ish. Being prone to depression, ADD and anxiety, being single without the support of the father, I had no confidence that things would just “work out all right”.

I had always been so careful not to become pregant. I used birth control the time I did get pregnant. That product was pulled from the market a few years later. This wasn’t a case of a promiscuous young woman having lots of unprotected sex. I was 35 years old, in a committed (I thought) relationship, and I used a contracep[tive. I was just really unlucky.

It was a painful procedure, but it was quick, the facility was very good, and I had no pain afterwards. I remember thinking it was the strangest use of my credit card ever: $250 at the time.

You know, all these years, if I feel guilty about anything, it’s guilt over not feeling guilty. Does that make sense? I will always believe this was the right thing for me to have done. I knew my very sanity was at stake if I decided to go through with the pregnancy, and I chose me. I chose ME.

Comment by Christina on 22 July 2012

Thank you for the opportunity to say something about my abortion. It feels so odd typing that, you know. It was in 1986 and I also was just about 8 weeks pregnant. I didn’t have to mull over my choices. I knew what I had to do, what I wanted to do, and yes, I knew then as I know now that it was selfish. Self. Ish. Being prone to depression, ADD and anxiety, being single without the support of the father, I had no confidence that things would just “work out all right”.

I had always been so careful not to become pregant. I used birth control the time I did get pregnant. That product was pulled from the market a few years later. This wasn’t a case of a promiscuous young woman having lots of unprotected sex. I was 35 years old, in a committed (I thought) relationship, and I used a contracep[tive. I was just really unlucky.

It was a painful procedure, but it was quick, the facility was very good, and I had no pain afterwards. I remember thinking it was the strangest use of my credit card ever: $250 at the time.

You know, all these years, if I feel guilty about anything, it’s guilt over not feeling guilty. Does that make sense? I will always believe this was the right thing for me to have done. I knew my very sanity was at stake if I decided to go through with the pregnancy, and I chose me. I chose ME.

Comment by Christina on 22 July 2012

Thank you for waiving your medical privacy rights to educate people with clinical data instead of opinion. Decisions about our own health and reproductive choice are fundamental human rights. People’s interest in a woman’s decision to carry a pregnancy to term should be no greater than people’s interest when I got my tonsils removed. There was no great debate for that procedure and I doubt there would be any interest in seeing the results of that surgery.

As a guy, I’ve always been amazed at how agitated many men get when arguing against a woman’s right to abortion and my universal response has always been to such men: “I agree with your right to not have an abortion.” I also like to ask if they support capital punishment. When they say “I believe in the death penalty” I then tell them “I hope you get it.” I know this is somewhat flip but if an individual thinks that the taking of any human life is wrong it’s helpful to point out the inconsistency of their logic.

Comment by Steve on 22 July 2012

I heard about this site on the Chris Hayes show. Your vacuum jar photos are chilling and spooky. Abortion is and should be an available choice, but still I hate it. Probably abortion will become more common as the world population reaches unsustainable levels. I wish more men would visit this site and comment.

Comment by Vernon Strength on 22 July 2012

Thank you.

Comment by Kerri Williams on 22 July 2012

As someone who was adopted, I personally think adoption is the nice / generous thing to do. No one goes to have an abortion, because they really want one, but because they need one. No woman should need to explain why, and what anyone else thinks is irrelevant. The benefit of having rights in this country… It flors me how religion, opinion, and some perverse sense of right inflict ones opinion on others.

What you did is a good thing… to shed light, as truth is such a good disinfectant.
It saddens me that you need to.

Comment by Marnie on 22 July 2012

Thanks for doing this. It truly is needed.

Comment by Patricia on 22 July 2012

I am a 57 year old women. I had an abortion when I was 20. I wish that I had looked at the results. I’ve always been huanted by the fact that I didn’t. Thank-you for having been brave enough to look.

Comment by Deborah Gamble on 22 July 2012

Thank you for this. It’s so important that people actually get to see what the overwhelming majority of abortions look like when women have access to abortion services and don’t have to wait weeks or months. It’s also important for people to know that most abortion prodecures performed before 8 weeks can be and are done manually, with no electrical equipment.

My abortion was fantastic. In a major city in Canada, costs covered by public provincial health insurance, no having to wade through protesters to get to the clinic, fantastic medical staff and good pain medication, a supportive boyfriend in the procedure room with me. I was 35 and it was the right choice for me, and now, three years later, in discussing the ultrasound results just prior to the abortion with my doctor, I found out that the pregnancy had in fact stopped developing and had I not had the abortion, I would have faced having to suffer a potentially painful and traumatic miscarriage.

Comment by Judy on 22 July 2012

Planned Parent saved my mother’s life. She had an Ectopic pregnancy, and if the “no exceptions” people had had their way, she could have died. As far as I can tell, the divide seems to be solely a religious one, with the anti-abortion forces firmly convinced that a soul appears the second an egg is fertilized.

Comment by Chris on 22 July 2012

Thank you for making this public! I always wondered what my abortion really looked like. This quiets an echoing voice from my past & I no longer need to wonder if I should give it credibility. I had a doctor who begrudgingly, patronizingly, performed my procedure & afterwards, his question, “Do you want to know the gender of your baby?” rang in my ears. I wondered, can he really tell by looking at a mass of tissue just vacuumed from my womb? Did any part look remotely human as he seemed to imply? Why would I want to know? Was he just trying to make me feel guilty, even though he & I had never met before that day in the clinic & he knew nothing about me or my situation? All I could say was, “I’ll find out when I have one.”

Comment by Pixie on 22 July 2012

Thank you for posting these pictures, and more importantly for being both brave and courteous in your manner. As a father of a 9 yr old, I am both a proud father and a pro-choice person. I want my daughter to have the same rights afforded to her as I do about my own body. I had never seen an actual abortion picture at this stage before, but I had my suspicions, and I am very grateful that you decided to share them. The propaganda, like all forms of propaganda, is to misdirect attention towards a stated view. This happens in so many ways within our culture and no truer than the abortion debate. Personally, I do not see this as a debate but as a stated fact with people who are unwilling to seek the facts for themselves to see what the truth is. I hope that you will find solace and comfort in your decision. Because it was YOUR choice to make, and let no one steer you otherwise.

Comment by Drew Taylor on 22 July 2012

I saw a woman on Up with Chris Hayes on MSNBC this morning mention this site. (I’m sorry I forget her name.) I don’t know why I really looked. Never had one. Would never be able to fathom the idea of debating it.

I believe abortion should be safe, legal and well regulated. It is your choice. But know what you’re chosing. It bothers me so much that people can be so willfully ignorant about what they are doing.

How is it when you want a baby, you are carrying a baby from the time you pee a plus sign…but if you’re weeks into it and have an abortion and it doesn’t “look” like a baby, it’s not.

If you can admit, yes, this is a child, I am killing this child because……well, whatever you tell yourself….then fine. Go for it. But don’t act like this isn’t a baby because it’s not in a onesie.

I don’t think religion or politics have any place in this dicsussion. That’s not fair to anyone. But these stories sadden me thinking that because what’s in the bottle doesn’t look like a child, it’s not one.

It is. And if you know this and can still do it, or need to do it, or have to do it, then so be it. It’s just the, ‘phew! doesn’t look like a kid’ attitude is making me cry.

Comment by dani on 22 July 2012

You are a very brave, common sense woman. THANK YOU. I support a woman’s right to choose, and you have made one hell of a statement on behalf of all women. I owe you a debt of gratitude. You are my hero. I hope to one day be as brave as you are on this subject. Simply, thank you.

Comment by A Married Woman on 22 July 2012

thank you for taking care of this early while it’s still called ‘products of conception’ and in no way shape or form a ‘baby’. those people outside need an education!

Comment by emmysmom on 22 July 2012

I have been pro-choice since the mid-70s (actually since the mid-60s, though I wasn’t having sex then) when I dated an abortion clinic counsellor, but I confess to some ignorance on the matter. Beyond having some conception that the embryonic cells are ‘aspirated’ from the uterus, I don’t know what that stage of human development LOOKS like. Your photos look like an undifferentiated mass of bloody, gooky liquid, which is clearly your point. There IS no cute little thumb for the so-called ‘baby’ to be sucking on! I guess my point is that you might also want to include an idealized drawing from a medical textbook, so folks could see that a six-week-old fetus – at least as I vaguely remember it from one biology text or another – looks more like a jumbo shrimp than a human being. That sounded pretty snarky, but I’m just giving you my honest opinion.

Comment by Tom Gordon on 22 July 2012

I simply hope that conservatives actually look at this with an open mind.

Comment by Jay D. Stephens on 23 July 2012

A while back I found myself in the waiting room in an abortion clinic with money in my purse and my boyfriend waiting outside because he could not handle it. I was making a rushed, uninformed choice. I chose to leave just as my name was called and that was ultimately the right choice for me. I do not judge the girls who stayed as I was sitting right along with them. I appreciate the bravery in what you are doing and I understand your intention. Abortion is a serious choice and should not be swayed by scary pictures or political and religious rhetoric. So is having a child. Even though I chose to leave, I appreciate wholeheartedly that it was MY choice. Choices are no good unless they are decided wisely and after much thought. I am glad that you have contributed facts to an area of women’s health that should be way more black & white than it currently is.

Comment by MC on 23 July 2012

Dear Jane, TY so much for your fortitude in establishing this site. My hope is other women will join with you to post more photos (and descriptive facts) of their abortions including any different procedures and timing. Abortion is a complicated, nuanced and personal matter. So the more real facts the better.

Comment by Richard C. Askins on 23 July 2012

It was very brave of you to decide to document your abortion. I would otherwise have no idea what an abortion actually looked like. But to be honest, these pictures make me feel sick, like I’m going to throw up. It may not look like what we call a “baby,” the form that comes out at birth, but I still believe it’s a life form. And seeing these images was really difficult.

Comment by Samantha on 23 July 2012

Thank you for this! I wish there was a button to Share it on Facebook.

Comment by Cornelia on 23 July 2012

You’re most welcome. I will research if it’s possible to do this. Thanks for the feedback.
Jane

Comment by Jane on 23 July 2012

I had 2 abortions during my college years. the first was a result of rape, the second a result of an indecent relationship with a married man. I do not regret either abortion. I have not had children since, because although I am married, I knew then as I know now that I am not mother material. I feel like the majority of women throughout our history look at motherhood as an obligation. I have never had that maternal bone in my body. Sure, someday when I’m old and there is no one to take care of me I may wish I had kids, but for now–no regrets whatsoever. Besides, is being taken care of a valid reason for procreating? Too many women have children out of some societal feeling of obligation. My deceased grandmother once told me, upon hearing my decision not to have children, that she felt sorry for me. She was the worst mother on the planet–my dad and my aunt truly hated her! I will never regret my decisions and I have never been haunted by them. My only disappointment on this site is that the contents of the abortion in question are not fully seen. These pictures are too vague to convince anyone that it’s not a baby. Those of us who are pro-choice see the contents of that big jar as a blob of tissue. But the anti-choicers still see it as a baby in a jar.

Comment by wusooz on 23 July 2012

I am now 73 years old. Earlier in my life I was a born again Christian and volunteered in a Crisis Pregnancy Center. I believed that abortion was murder, but was never rabid about it and never condemned anyone who chose it. In my heart I knew how hard both decisions are.

I am now a “flaming” liberal, but even so, I have never been able to convince myself that abortion isn’t murder. The difference now is that I see it entirely differently, you might say, from another perspective.

I believe that we come here, to earth, as a choice. I also believe that there is no shortage of bodies to inhabit. If one doesn’t work out, then another choice can be made. Abundance is. We live not in a small zero sum game, from my perspective, but in a universe rich with an infinity of possibilities.

There are no wrong or bad choices. There may be more optimum ones, but forgiveness will always enable us to move forward free of the past.

May those who hate come to know this forgiveness and may we all come to a place where we can move forward freely.

Thank you, Jane, for doing your part to enable that moving forward.

With love…

Comment by Cassandra on 23 July 2012

You did good girl, you should be proud of yourself for de-mystifying this medical procedure! Take care and always be kind to yourself.

Comment by Deborah on 24 July 2012

Not everyone is so lucky.

http://www.lifenews.com/2012/07/23/woman-dies-after-second-trimester-abortion-at-planned-parenthood/

Comment by Gloria on 24 July 2012

When I was 18, I found myself in a very difficult situation. I had a supportive mother, who was there for me no matter my decision. I ended up having an abortion. I think about it still. It was difficult for me to make that decision and I cried before and after. Was it the right thing to do? Did I make a mistake? The answer is I did what I thought would be best. I stick by this. I have a wonderful mother and a man in my life who knows what I went through. I am so thankful to have what I have in my life. And, I am so thankful that someone as brave as you could put this out there. Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, this will always be a tough decision. You will never know what it feels like, or what your choice will be until you are in a situation that requires you to pick.

Comment by Anon on 24 July 2012

Dear Jane. I’m sorry that you had to go through that, but it’s great that you can deal with it in a constructive way. Like most people who have commented here, I believe abortion is a necessary evil that should always be easily and safely available. There are so many reasons why women seek abortions, I wonder if the protesters even consider this!! My husband and I have two small children and when I was pregnant with the second, we had a huge scare at 12 weeks as the odds of her having a severe chromosomal abnormality were high. Thankfully a CVS showed that everything was fine, but if that was not the case, I would not have thought twice about having the pregnancy terminated. Many would condemn me for this, but I could not invite that sort of hardship and heartbreak into my family. Luckily things ended up OK.

BTW, I had a brief pregnancy, before conceiving my second daughter, that miscarried at 5 weeks, and it pretty much looked like that. It was just a late period really. Nothing to see.

Comment by Charlotte on 24 July 2012

Thank you for posting this. I am a pro-choicer myself, because I believe that it none of my business or anyone else’s for that matter. You are the only person that knows your situation and whether or not you feel financially, mentally, or physically prepared to take care of a baby.

Comment by Alexis on 24 July 2012

The life of a child, any child is sacred and should be seen as a thing to be nurtured and not to be destroyed. I have a medical text book on abortion with genuine photos of procedures that do not show it this way. 6 weeks pregnant is not when many people choose to have an abortion so this presents an unrealistic view.

Comment by Jo on 24 July 2012

Thank you.

Comment by Victoria on 24 July 2012

When my mother was 16 and pregnant with me, her parents were adamant that she have an abortion.

She chose not too, and here i am.

Despite this, i am a strong advocate of womens right to choose, and i applaud you for your posting of this.

Congratulations.

You should be proud, and your children, if you choose to have any, should be proud of you too.

You will help many, many girls with this.

Well Done.

Comment by Oscar O on 24 July 2012

Our thanks for your courage. Thank you

Comment by Karen on 24 July 2012

I had an abortion in 2004.
I share this intimate detail with people I consider friends for two reasons.
1. I am not ashamed! I was in highschool. I made a mistake when I changed birth control and I did not have a good relationship with my doctor so I did not ask questions.
2. I wanted other people to know that it can happen to a lot of people. And that there are options. And there are allies beyond the picket signs.

The images are graphic, but I appreciate them thousands more than unbelievably false images of full term babies shrunken to the size a pinky and someone telling you this is your fetus at 6 weeks.

Now, I am a mother of a planned pregnancy, which is something I celebrate all of the time. I have documented photos of my child during his “baking” as we call it. And he was NOT a BABY for a HUGE part of that.

I hope more people see this. I wish more government would read this.

Thank you!!

another anon

Comment by another anon on 25 July 2012

Thank you! FINALLY some space for honesty in the world!

Life is about choices, and the freedom and empowerment with which to make them so…

This is very appreciated. Everyones quotes are so correct.

I am only Pro-life in this way only:- When the person carrying is ready.

I salute you Jane, this is indeed brave, and very admirable

Thank you

Comment by Nic on 25 July 2012

Thank you. Very brave of you. I am 37, always used contraceptive and yet in my 30′s had two abortions, in 5th,6th week.. I did a lot of a research prior to the procedure and my choice was conscious – I knew how the fetus looked like, etc. I didn’t want to have a child with my ex husband – he is an abusive, awful man (he didn’t care either way) I know guilt, I have a conscious and yet I don’t feel guilty about having those abortions and I don’t regret having them. I fear people’s hate, however.. Seeing people who would hate me if they knew I had an abortion I thank God I won’t be going to heaven with them.
I must say however, that I am against late abortions, unless for a very, very serious reason… I also feel very sorry for women who would like to have a child and can’t and for women who lose their pregnancies…
To those with bibles outside clinics: Help the homeless man on the street. The sick one. Help the people who are actually PEOPLE..
Once again, thank you. Almost a revolutionary act..

Comment by Juli on 25 July 2012

Thank you for being brave!!!

Comment by Brittany on 25 July 2012

I could have also posted a 3d video of my son at 8 weeks. Also I was one of the rare women who had an intact early miscarriage. It was so early I didn’t know I was pregnant. Mine had arm and leg buds. It was so tiny but it was pink flesh. I was a college student without insurance and after showing 2 people, I put in in the fridge. It dried out and then it no longer looked like anything.

My point is I’ve seen fetuses of similar ages, some look like nothing but blood and clots or fragments , while others r intact. They fall apart very easily. My son at a very young age was dancing in the womb. If anyone’s very interested, I guess I could make the effort o post. I had a 3d done in Korea. I may have the cd here or it may b back in Korea. I wanted to post on fb but never made the effort. 3d video is awesome. Very diff than what they had in med schools not that long ago.

U might b able to find pics or videos of 3d on google… In the most early stages of pregnancy.

I don’t say this to hurt anyones feelings, just to tell the truth. Of course sucking it out or even natural miscarriages can look like nothing bc of the force of it being expelled.

Comment by Crystal on 25 July 2012

My heart goes out to everyone in the USA and elsewhere trying to access this small medical procedure that can mean so much.

I had an abortion three years ago. My abortion was at 11 weeks, and I was fortunate to have a simple time of it. Of course, it was an incredibly stupid moment of oversight that got me knocked up, but at the end of the day that is something I have to live with. I can live with it.

When I had the abortion, I had only a few (benign) protesters within my line of sight on the approach to the clinic. They are restrained from being within a certain distance of the door to the building that houses a Marie Stopes clinic along with a number of other facilities (with the effect that the protestors never really bother talking to anyone as everyone could just be a random member of the public). I can’t imagine having to deal with militant protestors at such a time, and I was one of those people who had absolutely no guilt attached to my decision and was 100% sure that I was doing the right thing (for me)!

I commend all those working in much more difficult circumstances to enable access to this simple, routine and in some cases life-saving medical procedure. I also want to thank those working to remove the fear and the hatred that inspires so much of the public discourse on abortion. Hopefully in the USA and elsewhere we can see a move toward the relatively humane and respectful system we have fought for and continue to defend in Australia.

And lastly, thanks for the photos! I was out cold for the procedure I underwent, so I found them quite interesting.

Comment by withlovefromthecolonies on 26 July 2012

I had an abortion. It didn’t hurt. (I was not put under. It wasn’t an option. But I did opt for pain killers which worked very well.) I never regretted it. I am still 100% confident I made the best decision.

Comment by Amanda on 26 July 2012

I had this procedure done 9 years ago. At the time, I was with a man I barely knew. When I informed him of my pregnancy, he became extremely unstable. He forced me into counseling when I told him I wanted an abortion. I was 19 years old. The counselor basically told him there are two options: It was my body and he couldn’t make decisions for me, or he could marry me and we could raise the child together. (Yeah, I come from a not-so-progressive-thinking midwestern small town) So he proposed. I declined. I had the procedure done anyway. He became abusive. He became suicidal. He began cutting himself. When I tried to break up with him, he guilted me back in with our “secret”.

We stayed together another few months, then broke up because we attended different colleges. He stalked me. He called my college and managed to get my dorm room phone number. He left messages. I had to get my cell phone number changed several times. He wrote notes and left them on my car. He sent me emails. He would show up randomly at my mom or dad’s house. It was very creepy, but because he was not threatening, I didn’t go to police. He just seemed desperate. I’m not kidding when I say every man I dated after him knew about my abortion and asked me about it… And, since I knew the only other person that I told was him, well… you know.

I’ve been happily married and childless for 4 years with my husband now. Earlier this year, I found out that my psycho ex had been arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder. He apparently picked up a girl, took her to a building on his farm, and choked her out in the basement of that building. When he thought she was dead, he left. She escaped with her life and went to police. He was arrested and is suspected in the disappearances of several local young women. What if I would’ve had a child with this monster?!

I don’t regret my decision at all and hope this site gives many other young women the courage to take care of themselves via a clean, sanitized hospital and not some back alley. Abortions are going to happen whether they’re legal or illegal. The difference is the health of the woman at stake.

Comment by Nikki on 27 July 2012

You should be proud, sometimes people can’t think “what if I get pregnant after someone’s rape me?” ir “I can’t have a baby cause I’m not prepared (physical, economical or emotionally)”, people always think: “she was a irresponsible whore, she gets what she deserves” as if babies was a kind of punishment. why can’t we choose when & who we want to have babies?
you’re so brave & you make us feel supported. Thank you

Comment by Mag on 27 July 2012

I had an abortion at 8 weeks (earliest allowed time by law in the province I grew up in).

I was married to a man raised as a Catholic, but we both agreed to terminate the pregnancy as we’d been married barely a year and were not ready for a child.

I do sometimes wonder what my life might have been like if I’d carried to term and given birth to a child – but I know that ultimately, I made the best decision. I have no regrets.

My husband and I eventually divorced, and while that was amiable enough, the annulment was not. As such, I’m even more convinced now that the decision we made was for the best.

Thank you for sharing your story – it’s nice to have a place where I won’t be raked across the coals for making what I believed (and still do) was the right choice.

I wish you nothing but happiness.

Comment by Renee on 28 July 2012

your baby fell apart because of the suction. Those graphic posters depicting body parts are truthful, and because they were further along in gestation, they didn’t fall apart. They required dismemberment. If you truly want to help women, don’t downplay the destruction. You have an audience here and a moral obligation to tell the truth, not pat yourself on the back because your baby came out “frothy”. Please post this. It is the truth, and how would you feel if you misled a woman with your version of abortion, gave her your blessing and she aborted,realized her baby was cut apart, later regretted it and BLAMED YOU? You owe your audience the truth, that the destruction is real. I wish you waves of healing and enlightenment…<3

Comment by Priscilla B. on 28 July 2012

I just want some of the followers of the ‘Personhood Movement’ to take a look at the images.
I think that at this point in political/religious debates, we all need to ask a WOMAN what the hell she wants to do with HER body. A zygote is a human now? REALLY? It’s a fertalized EGG. Nothing more. It hasn’t burrowed into your uteran lining because it’s seeking all the love and affection that you give a child, it simply does it because THAT IS WHAT YOUR BODY IS SUPPOSED TO DO.
And what about the rape victims? They had NO choice in the matter, and they will be forced to relive that memory for THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
The personhood movement is trying to not only say that a woman cannot have an abortion, they’re saying that there will be control/denial of ANY FORM OF BIRTH CONTROL, because you COULD be killing a POTENTIAL baby which is really only an EGG in a womans uteran lining.
So……Harry hasn’t even MET Sally yet, and they want to FORCE poor Sally to have his baby? Makes me wonder when it was decided that my uterus no longer belonged to ME…….
I’ve had TWO abortions, and I’ve NEVER REGRETTED a MOMENT of that decision. EVER.
THANK YOU FOR POSTING YOUR EXPERIENCE. MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE REALITY OF THE PROCEDURE AND THAT IT STILL IS UP TO THEM.
AND THEM ALONE.

Comment by Laura on 29 July 2012

Thank you so much you are soooo brave.

Comment by Mia on 30 July 2012

Thank you for posting these pictures of your abortion. I had an opportunity to look at them right before I found out that my own child I carried no long had a heart beat and would be miscarried. The Doctor offered either a D&C or an induction because he was no more than 14 weeks along – I had my choice. It would have been a much harder decision on me if I had not seen your pictures. I miscarried via induction on Friday.

I opted for the induction, because no matter how hard of a procedure it would be on me physically and emotionally I knew I wanted to say good-bye to a whole child, which I did have the opportunity to and he was the most beautiful baby – 10 fingers and 10 toes a mouth and a nose. His eyes were still shut, but I could see them. So tiny and precious. I’m sure had I done the D&C my memory of him would be more like your own pictures since there would have been nothing left of him.

Thank you for showing me what an aspiration abortion looks like, because of you I get to remember my child for what he was.

Comment by Tina on 30 July 2012

You are very brave. Thank you.

Comment by Sean on 30 July 2012

25 years ago, when I was 20 years old, I had an abortion when I was 7 weeks pregnant. I was in my first relationship, I was in school, I was just beginning my life and we used contraception, but it happened. It was my choice and he supported me. I went to the clinic with a girl friend and had the procedure. It was as you described, “Counselled, educated and physically readied, I let go of my anxieties in this safe space. The procedure itself, albeit uncomfortable, was straightforward and passed with ease.”

After the procedure, I asked to see collection jar, and it looked just like your pictures, lots of blood, nothing disturbing. It was closure. We continued with our lives without any regrets, got more contraception, and eventually after 2 more years, we drifted apart.

Now, I’m married, I’ve gotten a university education, I’ve traveled the world and I’m happy to be child-free. Life is good. I don’t feel guilty nor regret the decision to exercise my private right of choice.

I am saddened to see modern day women being put through the stress and guilt of making a private decision – not only with abortion, but also the use of contraception and having some control over family planning. I never thought politicians and an immoral minority would take that right away. Good on you for showing this truth. More women need to do this. We cannot be the silent majority.

Comment by Diana on 30 July 2012

I think your just amazing. Im glad someone wasnt scared enough to put out something that may seem outrageous to others and show the world the truth, whether they agree or disagree. I believe abortion should be the decisions of the mother. Of course i have other stipulations, as in it shouldnt be just because you dont want to be alone(as in the father left) or because you have a lot of children already(thats what birth control is for). I just think people who have abortions are very strong and brave and have settled in their mind what they needed to do for themselves and for that potential child because who knows their reason for doing it. Usually its because of finances and thats fine. But ladies, lets also think about how the males can prevent you from going through the experience, like using condoms, or him getting the snip snip as they say. It cant always all be on the women. Thats another big issue. thats all i wants to put out there. Again, thank you

Comment by Adria on 31 July 2012

As someone opposed to abortion (and to the use of graphic pictures, incidentally) this does not comfort or reassure me in the slightest.

Comment by Clare on 1 August 2012

Lets start with sth a bit personal. I always wanted children. Got pregnant first time and for my shock at the 20 weeks scan baby had severe fluid around his body. I let him fight for his life until week 26. Then I had a health son. After that I tried for the third time and again at 20 weeks scan a big abnormality was found. This baby also didnt survive. I have a problem with aborting babies, whatever how many weeks pregnant a woman is, due to fact that we are all so educated and evolved to actually know our ovulation period, the days of the month we are likely to get pregnant, how this actually happen, and still women have to undergo this primitive route, for a pregnancy which should/could have been avoided to start with. If we were in remote parts of the world without access to basic health services or basic knowledge of how a pregnancy happens then it would be valid to have this as a way out. But having all the knowledge, all the facts, still women are waiting the egg to be found by the sperm to terminate its live? I think educating young people in how to prevent pregnancy is the only way forward, Not encourage people to terminate and portray it as something that we will all get used to. This is not the natural thing to do, we are clever enough to prevent pregnancies and preparing the generation to prevent it from happening rather than the route of abortion. sorry, Had to post my opinion.

Comment by Cass on 1 August 2012

It’s our choice!
You are such a brave woman!

Comment by Sophia on 3 August 2012

Thank you for doing this! Simple, effective, and sheds light on a subject so often pushed into the shadows. I just wanted to add something to the conversation:

Some men get abortions.

If I, a transgender man, got pregnant, I would need to get an abortion. Besides the devastating gender dysphoria being pregnant would cause, I don’t have the financial resources to support another human being.

Thanks again for posting this!

-S

Comment by S on 3 August 2012

I applaud you and wish more people could see this the same way. Thank you for your post.

Comment by Fi on 3 August 2012

Thank you for doing what should have been done decades ago to stop the fradulent sensationalism that has caused nothing but unnecessary fear and the insanity by people who want to take away a women’s right to make her own personal and private choice.

To Tara, I also had my procedure done at 10 weeks and had to go back for a 2nd procedure as I was passing clots. However I’ve never regretted my decision as it was right for me. I also educated myself beforehand and knew that at 10 weeks there was no baby but a fetus not yet 2 inches in length. I’m so sorry you had such a bad experience, my heart is with you.

Comment by Kymm on 4 August 2012

I am Conservative, I am a Christian, and I do not believe abortion is murder. I cannot find that the Bible considers that murder. Reading through the Old Testament, and what the punishments were for causing a woman to lose the fruit of her womb, accident or willful, was not a death penalty, as of a person (outside of the womb), was. I believe that what is in the womb is an embryo or fetus, with growth life. Yes, human growth life. But alive, as in breath/ soul life? No, not until they take that first breath and become a living soul. This is supported by scripture.

Do I think it is morally okay? Well, now we get into another matter. The birth that matters most to God is the new birth spoken of in Romans, when a person gets born again. I think it’s a horrible situation when abortion is used as birth control. I find there an apathy toward what would be a new life to be upsetting. It would have been a child, after all. Of course it looks like someone simply sucked your period out of you, but the embryo IS in there. Late term abortions DO look like many of those posters you spoke of. My sister had an abortion when we were in our teens. I don’t hate her for it, or even ever think about it. After reading what happened to some women as results of abortions (unable to have children, infections, complications, etc), I thank God she never had that happen to her and was able to have children years later.

I would ask that you be more open minded about both religious and right wing folks. They are no more evil than any other political party or non religious person.

Comment by Izzy on 5 August 2012

Very important documentary work. Abortion is THE hardest decision a woman will ever have to make and we have the right to govern our bodies and lives accordingly. Kudos. I hope Mitt Romney sees this article.

Comment by Mary Ann on 8 August 2012

I had an abortion when I was a teenager. I had been on the pill, but still managed to wake up with awful, ungodly cramping one morning that led me to the ER, where I learned I had an ectopic pregnancy. The ER doctor told me that the only option is to remove the unviable embryo from my fallopian tube. I had no choice in the matter: It was the unviable fertilized egg, or me.

You’d think that being an emergency medical situation, my abortion would be called something other than an abortion by my ER doc. But no. He repeatedly told me he was aborting the developing embryo. Then, when the ultrasound was over, before the procedure, he tossed me a box of kleenex and told me, “You better clean yourself up down there and go tell your mother what you’ve done. I’ll call you in when I’m ready for you.”

I don’t understand the vitriol in this topic. It’s not one taken lightly by women who need to employ it–not even when it’s medically necessary. I can tell you that I wept and was terrified and felt pretty guilty (even though my sense of logic told me not to feel that way) for some time later. You can hate that it’s legal and safe all you want, but bullying women into making decisions you don’t agree with is unacceptable.

Thank you, Jane. I’m sure my abortion might have had a little baby face the size of a grain of rice hiding in all the blood they pulled out of me, too, but I don’t care. It wasn’t a baby. It was a medical mishap that was killing me, literally. Sometimes that’s the case. And that’s one of many reasons it should still be safe and available to women.

Comment by KL on 10 August 2012

This was the BEST THING anyone has ever made come to light. Thank you, you in every way have helped save some women out there from back alley abortions and coat hangers. This country was made to have the freedom to make a choice. THANK YOU!

Comment by Angela on 12 August 2012

I’m so impressed with this posting. Was not what I imagined it to be just because of how abortion is usually taught and conveyed. So happy you did this to show the truth of it all. Thank you

Comment by Shellby on 12 August 2012

My best friend was staunchly pro-life, stating she could never have an abortion. I kept mine a secret from her for two years. Then she got pregnant and her world changed. I helped her. I gave her all of the information she needed, I lent her $1500, and I took her into the clinic on the day. Now she is an outspoken supporter of abortion rights. When people state that they would never have an abortion, I have serious doubts. How do they know? They have never been in that situation. All I know it that It would have been nice two years earlier, when I found myself pregnant, to know I had an empathetic friend to take me to the clinic, but instead I went alone.

Comment by K on 12 August 2012

I am against abortion on a personal level and have made no small effort to instill in my children my belief that it is one of our nation’s biggest tragedies.

That said, I would never dream of doing anything to make it a crime for someone to get one. I certainly would work hard to try to get them to consider alternatives, but in the end, if they are determined to make this decision, I would want their procedure to be SAFE, LEGAL and free of the kind of terrorism and “quasi-terrorism” that surrounds the debate today. I think that the extremists on this issue are committing crimes equal to that of abortion.

And even as someone opposed to abortion, I also realize that there are times and cases where there is CLEARLY NO OTHER OPTION, where an abortion IS the only option. We must never lose sight of the fact that NATURE sometimes chooses abortion whether we want it or not.

An early term procedure to terminate a pregnancy is NOT the same as a viable fetus being killed in the womb. There IS a difference, it IS a question of relative values and pragmatic rationality. If the life inside a mother isn’t viable, it simply isn’t viable, and that’s that.

As someone opposed to abortion I nevertheless APPLAUD you for having the guts to illustrate in stark terms what the extremists are unwilling to consider.
I believe that you made the choice that fit your circumstances. I hope it wasn’t a simple case of “birth control” but even if it was, you made your decision early, and you are acting respectfully even in the light of what could be considered a worst case scenario.

I do not view you as someone who “killed a baby” and I imagine you probably learned as much from this situation as everyone else. It’s never “fun” to get an abortion, so I know that you did this for the right reason.

Good luck to you and I pray that you are at peace with your decision.
Even though I am not in favor of the process, I am at peace with what you did because I know you are trying to be one of the “cooler heads” which must prevail on this issue.

Comment by Jeff H in TX on 14 August 2012

Thank you for this. When I had my abortion in 1997, the jars were covered and I wasn’t able to see. At the time I was thankful (because I was already a mess) but over time I’ve started to wish I could have seen. I’m now in nursing school and assisted with a D&C (patient was NOT pregnant) a few weeks ago and that is exactly what the medical waste looked like. Just red fluid.

As I always suspected, there is absolutely nothing to see at this stage.

Comment by Mel on 15 August 2012

I have to commend you for posting these pictures and speaking “openly” about your abortion.

About 2 years ago I became pregnant (even though a condom was used and I was on birth control, he had very determined swimmers I guess) and had to make a very tough decision. I was finishing up a rather nasty divorce, my 1 year old son and I were living with family, amongst other things.

I made the decision to choose life for my son and I. Having another child would have made what little money I did make even tighter, I would have had to quit my job so I could take care of two children and be on welfare (not an option for me because of my pride). The father of the child and I have a 7 year age difference and he was going off to college. I did not want his life ruined by an unexpected/unplanned child. So I did what I felt was the best thing to do and had the pregnancy terminated.

I was told of the risks had my procedure done and I did end up having complications where I was bleeding heavily and went to the er twice. The second time they had to do an emergency D&C because there was left over tissue.

Even with those complications and having to tell my mother why I needed to have emergency surgery I feel I made the right decision. Occasionally the father and I talk about it and cry together. After the tears are shed we still agree it was the right decision as I am with a wonder man now and the father has moved away and onto college.

My complications could have been life threatening if I did not receive care and what scares me is certain presidental candidates who want to outlaw abortions. It makes me scared for women if the possibly of complications exsist in a controlled enviorment what is going to happen when women have to go back to having back alley abortions.

Anyway thank you again for sharing this and posting the pictures. Maybe this will give some finatics some fodder to chew on.

Comment by Che on 15 August 2012

I had two miscarriages in between my two oldest kids and I went through blood and matter and there was nothing that resembled a baby. Very similar to your pictures. These are very powerful to me – I feel strongly that even though abortion has not been a choice I personally made, it should still be a choice.

Comment by Deb on 15 August 2012

I’ve read many of the comment here and I just want to add that, I too have had an abortion and felt the shame and embarrassment that comes along with having to walk through the protestors. I even stop and talked to one lady on my way in, she gave me a pamphlet and a rosary. I accepted both but I had already made it my mind that an abortion was the best choice for me and my situation so regardless of the reluctance I may have temporarily felt at that moment. Now, I did opt for the pill abortion because mentally, I just couldnt handle coping with the thoughts of someone sucking a child out of me (based of the previous pics shown by pro-life advocates) so in my mind, this was equivalent to having a “heavy period”. A few years later when I was ready, I decided to get pregnant and now have a 3 yr old daughter. Not at any moment have I ever regretted having an abortion and furthermore I am so thankful it was an option available to me. Also, I did not experience any complications so it was not a challenge for me to conceive when I did decide to get pregnant.

I am proud you decided to post your blog because it shines light on another side of the side many people otherwise would not get the see. I do not think abortion should be used as a common alternative to birth control but no one should be condemed for whatever reason leading them to chose an abortion.

Just as an FYI to any one reading my comment and considering an abortion, personally, I would suggest if its an option for you to get chose a medical (pill) abortion instead of the surgical method because it leads to less complaications when choosing to have children later. Also, research on all options available to you before making a final decision and just be sure it is really what you want to do because there is no turning back.

Comment by K.Angel on 16 August 2012

Thanks

Comment by 313 on 16 August 2012

I simply do not understand how anyone could not regret having an abortion or even feel great about ending a life. Women should be better educated on maki by informed choices. I’m not like those vicious pro life protesters. I have empathy. But it is not fair for a life to be ended like that.

Comment by Anon on 17 August 2012

Even though I would never get an abortion, I do think it is a personal choice. I also believe it’s only fair for people to be able to be informed what they’re getting themselves into, and by doing this, you have helped people become informed. Thank you for helping that cause and posting this

Comment by Skye on 18 August 2012

I would just like to thank you for providing these images. There is so much misinformation and young people are poorly educated or not educated at all about reproduction, fertility, and sex and it’s refreshing to see something real. If teens and young adults were taught the truth about how to prevent pregnancies via contraceptives and tracking fertility there probably wouldn’t be so many unplanned pregnancies in the first place. People are so quick to shame a woman for having an abortion but they don’t address all the sickening stories of child abuse and neglect out there. Now, I’m definitely not saying every unplanned pregnancy results in poor parenting or saying that every child abuse case is because the child was unplanned.. but there has got to be a correlation. If parents are uneducated and unprepared how can they be capable of child rearing?? Adoption is truly wonderful when a good match is made but what of all the children bouncing from foster homes and schools with behavioral issues, mental or physical illness, or other ailments deeming them hard to place in a home?? Most adoptive parents understandably look to adopt outside the country out of fear of the birth parents trying to reclaim custody. The religious fanatics and pro-lifers seem to forget all this. Thank you again for shining truth on what a responsible abortion really is.

Comment by TR on 20 August 2012

There were a few things I didn’t agree with. (I know my comment is probably extremely late) BUT

The comment that says if you have an abortion, it should “deeply sadden” you. And that you’re “selfish” for making that decision. I definitely do not agree. I had an abortion when I was 15 years old -15-. 15 years old is NOT old enough to raise a child. At 15, I didn’t even have a job or a driver’s license. I didn’t have a house of my own. I wasn’t educated. I didn’t even know the first thing about children. Do you really think a 15 year old parent is the best decision? Absolutely not. I think THAT is the selfish decision. – Bringing a child into this world when you are NOT ready, don’t have the funds, space, time, or partner to raise the child IS selfish.

I believe that every woman should ALWAYS have a right to choose, and right to a safe abortion. Everyone makes mistakes, and there isn’t a reason you should be forced into keeping a child that you cannot take care of. I think THAT is more selfish than aborting.

Jane, thank you for providing these images. I have shared the webpage and also wish to inform people of the propaganda.

Comment by Jen on 23 August 2012

Cuando tenía 17 años me practiqué un aborto. Ni antes ni después dudé de esta decisión: yo no deseaba ser madre. En esos años el aborto era ilegal en mi país, lo hice en una clínica privada a la que llegué gracias a una amiga; ahí no había manifestantes, no había nadie… sólo la tristeza que trae consigo el tener que esconderme de todos para hacerlo . Todo fue muy rápido, mi anestecia fue completa así que poco supe del procedimiento. Como dije, nunca dudé de la decisión, pero las imágenes que los grupos pro vida utilizan si que han llegado a atormentarme en más de una ocasión. Gracias por compartir estas fotos, exorcizan aquellas imágenes con las que algunos pretenden llenar de miedo a miles de mujeres negándonos, además, la información necesaria para tomar una buena decisión. Gracias nuevamente y un abrazo sentido para ti

Comment by Sara on 24 August 2012

I do not support abortion. I think that when looking back through history there are alot of things that we judge very harshly. At the everyone convinced themselves it was ok. I believe that history will judge our society very harshly for abortion. People should have the right to choose what they want for there own bodys but abortion to me is so wrong. I look at my own children and I cant imagine making a decision that would make them not exhist. I understand that teenagers and young adults cant handle a baby. So dont have one. dont have sex, use birthcontrol use a condom. Married? For eight years after i had three children i wasnt ready to have another and i wasnt sure that I wanted to have more. So I used birthcontol sometimes I used two just to make sure. I can understand the argument that a woman who was raped doesnt want to have the baby. but someone who is just careless and not using proper precautions……. Anyways i have read all the comments and i just feel sad about it. In the end i think it speaks horribly about our society that the loss of potential life is being congratulated. Im very sorry for you that you will never be a mother to that child. Never experience the person it would be. Life is beautiful we arent always ready for a baby, it is a life changing experience, but it is always a blessing.

As far as teenagers that became pregenent. You did make a terrible mistake. abortion really isnt the only option. there is adoption. There are also countless birth control options.

Comment by R on 24 August 2012

En principio, creo que una mujer debe poder decidir su propio destino. De momento, en España, el aborto es legal en los tres primeros meses desde la concepción.

Estoy embarazada de 11 semanas, ya he visto a mi pequeño en una ecografía. Si, por lo que fuera, tuviera o decidiera abortar, para mí sería un dolor que no me apetece imaginar. Obviamente, el feto no se ve si no es al microoscopio, es imposible, pero para mí es una vida que se va, una vida que creamos entre mi marido y yo con todo el amor del mundo.

Así que el aborto tampoco es tan inocuo como lo presentas. Me parece bien la iniciativa que has tenido para que tenga lugar en las condiciones adecuadas, pero tampoco es un poco de sangre con restos que se echa y punto.

Un saludo
—————————-
I think a woman should be able to decide their own destiny. Now, in Spain, abortion is legal for the first three months from conception.

I’m 11 weeks pregnant, and I saw my babe on echography. If, someday, I have or decide to have an abortion, it would be a pain for me, I can’t imagine it. Obviously, you can not see the fetus without a microoscopio, but for me it is a life, a life that we create, my husband and me, with a lot of the love.

So the abortion is not as innocuous as you show it. This iniciative sounds good, it’s important for a lot of women that the abortion take place under the right conditions, but it is much more than a bit of blood.

greetings

PD: sorry for me english

Comment by Sarah on 25 August 2012

Gracias de parte de todas las mujeres que reciben presión por imágenes falsas. Eres valiente y razonable.

Comment by Adela on 25 August 2012

THANK YOU!!!! I sure hope more women will spontaneously post pictures of their abortion to 1) stand up against anti-choice bullying and take a stand and 2) show that really, a real abortion is a far cry from the fake pictures of fetuses anti-choicers have accustomed us with.

Comment by Skulander on 25 August 2012

I have never had an abortion, but I’ve always been an advocate of choice as someone who was raped at an early age. I cannot imagine what I would be like now if I had ended up pregnant and unable to get an abortion because of religion/politics preferring to love the fetus and hate the child.
I’m also thankful because this has clearly opened up a discussion. When I was asked in a group of friends what my life would be like if I were pregnant, I told them frankly that one of them would be holding my hand at the nearest Planned Parenthood. They acted like I’d actually sprouted another head. They had been brainwashed by the pictures that we often see on the protest signs that are completely untrue. If I’d had this to show them I would have proven my point even better.
So again, thank you.

Comment by Maggie on 25 August 2012

When I was pregnant with my daughter I developed a pregnancy psychosis. I was offered the option of an abortion at the time but chose to battle through – and a battle royal it was too.
While I did make that decision I have always been terribly grateful to have been given the option
Pregnancy of any sort isn’t easy – giving birth is hard, and raising a child is bloody hard and neither I nor anyone else should have the right to impose parenthood on anyone.

Comment by Diane on 25 August 2012

To the anti-choice folks commenting here: You do realise that until very late in the pregnancy (about 24-25 weeks) the embryo/fetus cannot survive outside the woman’s body? Further there many conditions associated with pregnacy that threaten the life of the mother. Ectopic prenancies, eclampsia, sepsis related to miscarriages that do not resolve fully on their own. I could go on, but this list will do.

By saying that abortions are wrong as a blanket statement, you devalue all women anywhere. You are telling me my life and the life of any woman any where is worth less than the life of the potential life we can carry in our wombs. In addition, this view will often cause two deaths, since the fetus cannot survive outside the womb. I categorically reject this view.

The fact that the mother MUST survive for the fetus to survive, argues for the primacy of the mother’s life.

Comment by Lizz-o on 25 August 2012

Thank you for sharing this. This is exactly what mine looked like at 6 weeks pregnant when I had it 19 years ago, at the age of 19. People need to be educated about the REAL reality of abortion, which looks like this, rather than the slasher movies spread around by the anti-abortionists.

Comment by Heather on 26 August 2012

Thank you for sharing such a brave and personal moment.

I had a home abortion when I was 20. I was living in a foreign country, at the time, where abortion was not legal. I was about 5 or 6 weeks in. I took something someone recommended. Not knowing if it was safe or not, I felt I had to. The father said he would never support me, I was mocked by his new girlfriend. My father was at his death bed, my mother would had killed me. I did not feel emotionally stable to even try to give birth. I felt alone and I had no choice at the time.

It’s been over 20 years now. I never had any children after that. I wanted to, but it never happened. I’ve carried guilt and sadness, not for ending that life, but for the fact that I could never get pregnant again. I tortured myself by thinking i deserved it. Still not sure why since I have been to doctors and done extensive testing, and all results are normal.

No one has the right to decide for you. No one understands what a woman / young girl has to go through sometimes. These decisions will sometimes change your life. I wish I would have had the proper support at the time. Now, I’m thinking it’s never too late to get emotional help.

Does anyone know of an organization or website that can help? therapy, advise, anything. I feel I still need to work through some stuff.
Thank you <3

Comment by Lux on 26 August 2012

Thank you for posting this, I saw the results of my abortion as well and wanted to take a photo. It isn’t nearly as salacious, shocking, or guilt inducing as the Prolifers want you to believe.

“Isn’t it better to use a condom?” You know 99% means one in 100 can or will get pregnant with perfect use. Also, you need to start lecturing your fellow ProLifers then, a majority of whom do not agree with birth control, as much as you lecture and shame us.

I had a very early pregnancy while on the IUD. My partner and I ended the pregnancy the same day. I had plenty of important health related reasons that I could mention to attempt to curry favor or “excuse” myself to Prolifers, but I won’t. Because my uterus is my own, it does not belong to anyone else and the activities therein are under my discretion.

Now to REALLY upset you, the clinic staff were wonderful, the procedure was simple, that same partner and I have been together now for seven years, and I never had a moment of regret or grief.

Comment by MissMaynem on 25 August 2012

Why are so many concerned about the unborn yet thousands die from starvation every year? How about we take care of the living.

Comment by Bob on 26 August 2012

I would like to type my story for you. Just so I can unload the pain I have felt in the past two months because of my abortion. Maybe find others who have felt the same way I do.

At first I didn’t even realize I was pregnant. It never had been an issue before. Then all I could feel was nausea and fatigue a little bit of pain. It felt like I was supposed to have a period for a month. Then I had to face it.

I cried the entire night. It became hard to sleep because I was so stressed. I had the appointment arranged and I went. The appointment was schedule two weeks later after I knew what was happening to me. I had tried the herbal way but it was too late in the pregnancy.

So in the mean time, during those two weeks, I had to pick up the pieces, still go to work, and deal with what was going on with me. I didn’t tell a lot of people. I didn’t want their judgement. One of my friends I still have not been able to get a long with.

Then the night before the guy txted me the day before the doctor’s appointment after not contacting me for a month. He was acting supportive. How can I rely on that. He did pay his half, but I had to carry all the physical consequences.

Then the physical pain during the abortion was the worst I have ever felt.

As a woman I am tired of judgement. I am tired of a system and individuals in it who were not always supportive of me when I had to deal with all the consequences. He could have just walked free. I felt people were deciding things for my baby without seeing the desperation of my situation.

I do not have the situation good for a child I am trying to get started on two minimum wage jobs to go move into a city. I do not even have the ability really to go live in my own home. I don’t trust the system to take care of me because of the statistics of poverty in this country are sky-rocketing. Most of the poor are actually children. I couldn’t live with putting my child into poverty. With the guy being gone for a month and me wondering. What is supposed to happen to me?

I felt like if I hadn’t done anything and allowed it to happen besides the way my body felt invaded. I would have had no back-up no reliable set of support. Resentment that I didn’t have a choice either way in the matter.

Right now is the tail end of the bleeding I am expecting it at this point to last till September fourth two month after this entire experience.

I wanted to write this for the woman who was is in my shoes from a month ago. Do not be ashamed of what decision you make. Women have the right to choose what they do with their bodies and with their children. We are the real gate-keepers to life. A mother’s love is deeper than those who want to give pressure to invade our own life choices.

Comment by rct4885 on 26 August 2012

I had an abortion when I was seventeen and because it was before Roe v Wade I had to go to NY to have it done legally. My boyfriend and I were simply not ready for a baby and knew it. We married and have been together now for almost forty years and have a grown child. We made the choice that was right for us at that time. Abortion should be available to any woman who does not wish to carry a pregnancy to term for any reason and women should have access to a complete range of reproductive health as well as counseling to handle the mental health side of reproductive health whether an unplanned pregnancy, rape, problem pregnancies, miscarriage, etc. Thank you for stating your truth on a topic that is sensitive and private.

Comment by anonymous on 26 August 2012

Thank you

Comment by Lola on 27 August 2012

Las imágenes no dejan de ser escalofriantes. No tanto por lo que sucedió en sí, si no que por lo aterrador que siempre me han parecido los hospitales o sus similares.
Fuiste muy valiente, te felicito.

Te envío un gran abrazo desde Chile!

Comment by Karen on 27 August 2012

First off, just because I don’t agree with your decision to have an abortion does not mean I come here in hate. My biggest issue with abortion is that a beautiful alternative to abortion is often misrepresented, barely brushed over as an option, or painted in a negative light… and that is ADOPTION… I am the mother of two beautiful children that I would not have if it were not for the most precious gift I’ve ever been given… adoption… my body sees an implanting embryo as a foreign invader and instantly attacks, causing very early miscarriage… I’ve tried many times… IUI, IVF, etc to get pregnant and STAY Pregnant… I’ve been through the gambit when it comes to Reproductive Endocrinology… So I just hope that in discussing/considering options when pregnant or when advising other persons considering abortion/parenting/etc please please remember me, and at least talk about the possibility of adoption…. think of it as the greatest act of kindness and love you ever did for someone else… it is purely selfless… donate your body and time to give some other woman that cannot conceive the most amazing gift she will ever be given… a pure act of love…. ADOPTION!

Comment by Jacki on 29 August 2012

I feel sorry for you, that you felt you had to go through this experience. I cannot “thank you” as so many before have, but nor do I condemn you. You believe you are doing something good so that you can feel good about what you have done. I do not judge you, that’s not my place. Even though I don’t know you, I love you as a fellow human, a fellow woman, and if you ever want to have a meaningful conversation on this topic, look me up.

Comment by Christina on 29 August 2012

Once a month on Saturday mornings, I go to the local abortion center with friends and pray. I am not there to protest and I am not there to judge; neither are my friends. I am there to pray for the women going inside who are having or considering abortion. I am there to pray for the fathers as well as friends and family of the pregnant woman. I am there to pray for the doctors, nurses and staff who work at the clinic.
When I pray for the women, I pray that their lives and situations get better. I pray that they do all their research before making a descion. I pray for their health and that if abortion is chosen, it goes well without complications. I also pray that if they go through with an abortion and regret it, they can easily forgive themseleves and heal. I am there out of love, not hate like one of the other posters commented. I am very sorry if anyone has had a bad experience with pro-life advocates. It is not right to yell and judge and I hope those advocates who do these things see their wrongs. I do not judge women getting abortion, abortionists or pro-choice advocates because I too have my own faults and flaws. I am not perfect so I don’t expect anyone else to be. I can vouch that my friends also feel the same way I do and have the smae intentions in prayer. I am not pro-life because religion tells me to be. I am pro-life because I feel that life is a blessing and it is special which means I do not support abortion, death row or euthanasia. Another point: I was raped and got pregnant. I couldn’t support a baby and I admit I did once think about abortion however I chose to keep my child but I miscarried a few weeks later. Every day I think about my baby and I know, if I had an abortion, I would never ever forgive myself for it. I personally believe the healing process of rape would be 10 x harder if I chose abortion. I have never heard a woman who had a child out of rape or an unplanned pregnany (and even a planned pregnany )say they regret giving birth to their baby whether that baby was just a few months old, 5 years old or 25 years old. On the other hand, I have heard many many many post-abortive women saying they do regret their descions. I just wanted to share my beleifs and story and I don’t mean to offend anyone or start a debate. I pray for you all and God bless!

Comment by Em on 30 August 2012

Although I am against abortion personally…I do not condemn those who do it, in many cases the mother is doing what is best for the child (why bring up a child in a world they can’t provide for or where the child would be unloved?).

I would also like to say I’m completely against LATE term pregnancies in any shape or form…If women are considering aborting their child I would hope they did it sooner rather then later. The sad thing is that many of those pictures that activist hold of helpless & dismembered babies are real but these are LATE term aborations there is a difference.

My advice to women looking to get an abortion is to do a little research on the clinic. Not all clinics have the most ethical or safe ways of performing this procedure, I work in a hospital and I’ve seen many women come in from complications after abortions because of where they decided to get it done.

Comment by Annoymous on 31 August 2012

I had an abortion when I was 18 almost 19. I was 6 weeks 5 days along but I also had an almost 3 year old son. So after a long and mature conversation with both my boyfriend at the time and my mother, we decided what was best for both me and the father. I was in college and working two jobs…another kid was not a good idea. And sometimes I still catch myself thinking the what-ifs but I know in my heart that I made the right decision-regardless of what anyone says. Thank you for helping bring light upon this touchy subject

Comment by Paisley on 31 August 2012

Thankyou. I had an abortion a few years ago, although I still believe it was the right decision I always had visions of my dead baby lying in a petri dish or something, those Horrid images you often see on anti abortion materials really got to me even though I know I did the right thing for myself and my child. Thankyou for sharing your images, I now realise that no, my abortion would not have looked like those horrible images, more like the photos of your own. Thankyou.

Comment by Kate on 3 September 2012

Thank you. I have had the incredible good fortune of never having been in a position where I needed to make the decision to terminate a pregnancy. I can only imagine how confronting – actually, make that terrifying – it would be to run a gauntlet of pro-lifers outside a clinic after having spent weeks agonising over whether or not to undergo this procedure. I admire your courage for doing the right thing (for you) and for sharing it

Comment by Drew on 9 September 2012

It is true that many abortion photos can be misleading because some are photos of fetuses aborted during the second trimester. Most abortions happen before this.

I agree that the photo of your abortion does not look disturbing and like it is a baby, but that is because the child is quite small at this point. Inside that vial of blood is the baby though. After they are done the procedure, they reassemble the embryo to ensure that no parts are left inside the womb.

So, to be frank, while I feel that many abortion photos can be misleading because they include older fetuses, I feel that this photo is not completely telling the whole story.The photo does emphasize that fact that the embryo is small, and that most of what comes out of an abortion is blood, and it is important to note this. However, a child at six weeks looks like a tiny tadpole with eyes and two little bumps for arms. To me, it does not matter how small a child is, they are not less than I am on the basis of size.

I understand why you felt it was important to take this, because I believe that it is important to take realistic photographs. However,I believe the main issue should not be what an abortion looks like, or whether or not because the left over tissue is gory or gross, but because it takes a tiny human away from the world.

Comment by Becky on 10 September 2012

My wife and I had a miscarriage at around the same time (7 weeks, approximately). Seeing this is a painful reminder of what the life we could have had might have looked like. We are eternally grateful for the two children we do have, but we will always miss the little one we never had the joy of knowing.

Though I think I understand the women-empowerment aspect of being in control of your own body (I am a human rights activist myself), I have never been able to understand the reasoning behind why abortion would be a good thing in and of itself. At best, it’s a sad event that makes normal life possible for others.

Needing to end a pregnancy is one thing. Choosing to end it for purposes of convenience is another. I wish we could start having a conversation about the differences between those two choices.

I hope you will not moderate this comment, as it does not contain “fundamentalist religious opinions, language of hate, or thoughts and language that triggers fear”. All it is, is the opinion of one human being, who is sad that we celebrate something that should not be celebrated, at best recognized as necessity.

Comment by Tony on 10 September 2012

Congratulations for the courage! Thank you!

Comment by Alice on 10 September 2012

I have to disagree with Jen. Yes, abortion is a selfish act to some extent but nobody should regret that decision if it’s what they feel is right for them. I have no desire to have children, but no contraception is 100%. I use an IUD so any pregnancy would turn eptopic anyway, but accidents do happen and there’s no way i’d go through with any pregnancy. My views on having children will never change no matter how many people say “they will someday”.
Anyway, before I venture way off topic I’d like to say this has certainly been educational. Doesn’t make the prospect of an abortion any less scary, but I think it will help a lot of people in the long run, pro-choice or otherwise.

Comment by Lisa on 11 September 2012

To all you forced birthers saying, “You should be ashamed for ending your baby’s life” Or “You should have had it and given it up for adoption” How many kids have you adopted?

Comment by Shaina on 11 September 2012

I see a lot of hate for pro-lifers who cram their ideas down others’ throats. i don’t necessarily blame them. However, the pendulum swings both ways. Pregnant with my third, i had an OB who tried repeatedly to talk me into having an abortion. Why? Because the genetic blood tests (but not the ultrasound) indicated a slightly increased risk of having a baby with Trisomy 13/18. Over and over she asked me if keeping the pregnancy was really the wisest decision and wouldn’t I reconsider the possibility of an abortion. I told her every time that I had no intention of getting an abortion and I would keep the baby whether s/he was 100% healthy or not. As it turned out, there was an anomaly in my blood that gave a false positive on the testing. My baby was born perfectly healthy. That OB glares at me to this day each time I pass her in the hall (which isn’t often anymore, thank goodness), presumably because I got sick of the badgering and essentially told her to go piss up a rope and leave me alone. So there is hate on both sides. Nobody wants to be talked into, or out of, what they don’t want or need. If someone chooses to keep their baby, don’t hate on them for their choice, either. Something made them want their baby. Respect their decision, too, please. Pro-choice people can act just as self-righteous as pro-life people. So if you want respect, you have to expect to give it, too.

Comment by QueenM on 14 September 2012

To all those who would pray for me if I had an abortion, I would much rather someone prayed WITH me. I feel that the difference between praying for someone and praying with someone is much the same as the difference between laughing at someone and laughing with them. I think both laughing at someone and praying for someone show a lack of empathy, even if praying for someone is done with good intentions.

Comment by Helga on 15 September 2012

Thank you so much, this proves if you do it early you arent killing a human being. everyone has their own reasons, mine is because I have a mental disease, and I also have serious anemia. I think not having my child was the best choice for me and the fetus, i dont think i wouldve been able to take care of him/her properly, which makes me sad, but i have to be honest with myself. screw those protesters, i hope they all look at this so they know the facts.

Comment by aron on 16 September 2012

Thank you for doing this.

But to be honest, even if it looked differently- had arms, legs, head, eyes, etc.- I would STILL be pro-choice. I understand that images are powerful and some people are swayed by the grotesque anti-choice demonstrators images of tiny hands and feet, but for me it is inconsequential to the overall issue.
My priority will always be protecting women from legislation that limits their life potential or puts them in desperate situations such as having to obtain an unsafe abortion from a backalley practitioner. As a woman I fight for myself and every other woman to have as much control over their lives and bodies as is possible. Any other option is inhumane.
Abortion ISN’T pretty (it’s a medical procedure after all) but it is important to the future of ALL people, men and women, that it is available when needed. Let’s be realistic, the alternative to legal abortion is not “no abortion ever and all babies are birthed and loved by capable and willing people”.
Cheers!

Comment by Maddy on 17 September 2012

I had an abortion when I was 21 after I was raped. There are only a handful of people who know about the rape and the abortion. I am so thankful I have a choice. I think about my life now (I relocated halfway across the world) and how much my life changed after that… Things would be so different if I had a baby. Good or bad…I can’t say but definitely different. I do know that I am happy.

Thank you for publishing these pictures.

Comment by S2013 on 18 September 2012

I leave in a country where abortion is illegal. This has not stopped abortion though. It has simply driven it underground. In South Africa abortion is legal up to the 1 trimester which has led to many abortion clinics like this one http://www.womens-choice.co.za – the problem is that legal clinics are expensive and government establishments which a free have a lot of red tape driving people underground as well. A balance must be struck!

Comment by Lit on 21 September 2012

Well done. Stand up to the lies and shaming from the other side.

Comment by Leslie Neidig on 21 September 2012

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and (hugs) because like millions of women in America, I exercise my RIGHT TO CHOOSE what was best for me. I am fortunate that the state I lived in at the time did not prevent me from making my own decisions.

Thank you too for pulling back the curtain to show the truth against the unnecessary hyperbole, harassment and intimidation driven by the anti-choice brigade.

Every woman has the to right to choose what is best for THEM and we are perfectly capable of making our own decisions.

You ARE also my Hero!

Comment by Lyn on 22 September 2012

I kept looking for a link to the photos until I finally accepted those 4 photos were it. The glass jar is actually a bit more baroque than I expected but not disturbing except in an “ick, blood” kind of way. I never bought into the anti-choice propaganda but it’s nice to have real information. You have undoubtedly helped others out there with this information.

I don’t think there is any legal reason why you had to hide the camera – you should be entitled to take pictures of your own procedure as long as you don’t include any other patient, or the doctor and staff if they don’t want to be photographed. You have every right to document and share your own medical experiences. They might not want you to bring a camera in though, to avoid the risk of violating other people’s privacy but really this seems very normal in this age of photographing and sharing everything. Maybe more people will do it now.

Comment by Alison on 22 September 2012

Hace poco pase por una experiencia igual a la tuya, el simple echo de tomar la decision es doloroso, pero yo cuestiono a quien tenga una opinion distinta, que es mejor,traer un hijo a sufrir, un niño a quien no le daras el cariño necesario para crecer?
Nadie mas que tu para decidir sobre tu cuerpo…

Comment by Carmen on 25 September 2012

I am proud of you. I hope more ppl will do this. I think the worse thing we can do is be silent or ashamed about abortion. It needs to be owned like this and you are totally my hero. Some things I have to say affirming our right to choose that usually don’t get said. My religious beliefs are actually that females have the gift of power over life and death in the natural cycle. Someone who is pregnant is the equivalent of a supreme court judge in my belief and deserves the same respect and trust of her ability-by birthright and virtue of being impregnate-able- to weigh the consequences for her self, family and community and arrive at a decision. This is how it was meant to be. Abortion has always been a fact of life among humans and animals, just like we accept hunting and predation has been. In numerous mammal omnivores and carnivores, the pregnant female decides to abort and stops eating so her body will absorb fetus. Our ancestors have been having a abortions for millions of years (our primate lineage is that old, and other primates can induce abortions) the post neolithic indigenous women grew and used herbs. There is a strong link between herbalism and female empowerment and I think this is one of the reasons. Before the 1950′s, and still in most places, 1 out of 5 women die of childbirth. So their “non-medical” abortions were actually less dangerous than giving birth was to them (of course now medical tech is safer). I think we as pro choice need to stop apologizing for abortions. I think it should not only be normalized, but honored as a sacred rite. I myself did a ritual that honored my process of coming to the decision, making peace with it, and releasing this potentiality of a child. For some of us this is unnecessary or inappropriate, for others grieving is a normal part of this process and it does not have mean you were wrong or must regret it, but rather you are grieving the choice not chosen- every time we make any choice we sacrifice something, and grieving the path not chosen in many situations in life is normal, as well as grief after many kinds of surgery. Women choosing to terminate our own pregnancies is a normal, natural and necessary part of our existence as humans, as biological animals, and as women.

Comment by Sacha on 27 September 2012

Thank you for being so brave and for posting this. I had an abortion last December, although I chose a different procedure. I was able to take pills which made my body abort the fetus naturally. I, too, encountered protesters, but they didn’t know my story, so how did they have the right to decide my future for me?

Thank you so much.

Comment by Vee on 5 October 2012

I do realize there are always two sides to a story, and actually there is also a third, a fetus,,baby whatever you want to call it also should have some consideration and a right to live as you did. I know women find themselves in unfortunate situations and choose to abort their pregnancy, I am just asking that this is considered really well as sometimes decisions have been made in haste and regretted later. Some women I know who have had abortions go through the rest of their life mourning for the child they never had. This is clearly recorded and documented, so no it is not always sweetness and light.

Comment by Loretta westbrook on 6 October 2012

I was not brave enough to look at what the the doctor called “the product of conception”, and I have regretted that. Thank you for showing me, it eases my mind, a bit. I regret my abortion, but am still glad that it was my decision to make and am even more pro choice now than I was before the abortion.

I am curious, did you go to Planned Parenthood or a private clinic?

Comment by Stephanie on 6 October 2012

This is a great thing you’ve done, and thankyou.

I never want to have children, and I would have an abortion if I had to. I don’t consider it a method of birth control. I am investigating methods of sterilisation so that I know with almost absolute certainty that I’ll never have to have a termination, and will never have to be pregnant (which, if I’m honest, is a more distressing thought). There do seem to be potential side effects, which is what’s putting me off for now.

Anyway. I can honestly say this world has enough unwanted children in it, I don’t need to produce another, and neither does anyone else. There are people out there who make great parents, and I applaud them for that. Nobody should take away a woman’s right to have children when she’s properly equipped, physically, mentally and financially, to care for them, if at all.

Thankyou for shedding some light on a (sadly, still) taboo subject.

Comment by Siobhan on 7 October 2012

Thank you. Our bodies, our lives, our choice.

Comment by Rayza on 10 October 2012

This is such a brave thing you have done… The strength you have had to post these pictures on the internet and to delete the comments that you don’t want shared is a strength I wish every woman had. At 16, the recent political views on this have been crushing me to the bone. Why is the battle against women reproductive rights still going on? Why must we still be fighting? I know that we women will never ever stop fighting, but I wish this one battle was over. I am not ready to do anything that might bring me to an abortion clinic, but if I were, I want to be able to walk in able to ignore the jibes of the the anti-choice protesters (I refuse to use the term pro-life.)

I am surprisingly well informed on the whole procedure, although I do have one question: if this is what it looks like at 6 weeks (and 12, from what a few comments say), where do the anti-choice people get their pictures? I know some abortions are still “back alley way” procedures (which honestly hurts my heart). Are those pictures the results of self and non-medical abortions?

@Maddy: “Let’s be realistic, the alternative to legal abortion is not ‘no abortion ever and all babies are birthed and loved by capable and willing people’”

The question is, why don’t other people see it that way? Is it just the pro-choice feminists? All the anti-choice protesters, they haven’t made that connection…

Thank you.

Comment by Kitty on 11 October 2012

It’s great there is a system that lets irrational minds prevent themselves from having progeny.

Comment by TheSexybuttocks on 12 October 2012

I’m sorry you felt this was your only choice.
Even though it doesn’t look like anything, it made me want to cry.
But, I can understand why you did it, it must have been really scary.

Comment by alyssa on 15 October 2012

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

You are incredible and brave for doing this.

Comment by - on 17 October 2012

I didn’t look when I had my abortion twelve years ago. The doctor asked if I wanted to, and I said no. I appreciated that he gave me a choice. I was just barely eighteen. I had a terrible boyfriend and we had been doing many very bad drugs together.

Having an abortion saved my life, I think. It was one hell of a wake up call for me, anyway. I escaped from that life, and I escaped without a child who would have tied me forever to people I don’t need to have in my life.

Years later, I held the hand of a friend, and I saw her abortion. I mourned a little bit then for the baby I didn’t have, but I am still so grateful that I was able to make the choice I did.

Comment by Amy on 25 October 2012

I also wondered, and I recoiled in horror, and shut the children’s (whom I was babysitting for at the time) eyes who were gawking wide eyed at the bloody baby pictures protestors were showing. And they glared at me for doing it, so I glared back.
That being said, thanks for showing us this. The truth will set you free, in fact it really looks like menstrual blood, with little pieces of uterus and bits of veins that you get when you have your period. Very un-shocking i must say. it’s also interesting to note that it still looks like this at 12 weeks too. That was a brave thing you did there, by taking undercover pictures. Time to stop spreading misinformation and lies, thanks for this.

Comment by curious girl on 25 October 2012

I really am grateful someone was able to do this. You are one powerful women. I too,had an abortion in June i was 12 weeks. I was so undecided i looked up videos of abortions at 12 weeks and photos of what it looked like and the body parts formed. My baby had stopped developing and was without feet or hands. I am not suppose to be able to have children due to a serious infection i had in my uterus and ovaries years ago. The abortion itself was terrible, i hated seeing the blood and knowing that was my child. It was the worst pain i had ever experienced in my whole life and i still cry to this day. But, i know my decision was the right one. I would have never been strong enough to take these pictures while getting my abortion. Thank you for possibly helping other undecided girls.

Comment by Breanna on 28 October 2012

I am Catholic and I am very religious. But I do not think you’re evil and I do not think it’s my place to judge. My mother got two abortions after I was born, we couldn’t afford another baby. I believe that everyone who get’s an abortion does it for a reason, and it affects them in different ways and ultimately, it’s up to you.

Comment by alana on 29 October 2012

When I started sleeping with my current (now, EX) boyfriend, he knew I was vehemently against the idea of getting pregnant. He intimated that he really wanted children. I made an appointment to get birth control, but hadn’t gone in yet. He swore he would use condoms. When we slept together, he would rip open the packet and pretend to put a condom on, but then he would just put himself inside of me really quickly and finish fast. We fought about this. I broke up with him and took Plan B. It didn’t work. I knew I was pregnant and went to the clinic when my period would have been late.

This man lied, manipulated me, and as it turns out was also secretly an addict. He would have been a worse parent than partner. I have a very stressful career and am not sure that at this time in my life I would have been too healthy to carry a baby. I think it’s completely unfair to subject a child to these circumstances. At 6 weeks, I was able to have a medication abortion.

I thought it wold be a horrible experience, but I was able to spend it at home with 2 very close friends. I never wanted to be in the position to have to do this and dreaded this because I miscarried a baby I really wanted 13 years ago. This has, however, become a positive experience for me.

As odd as it sounds, having an abortion made me realize I really want to have a baby. After my miscarriage I was resigned to never having children. And now I know I can still get pregnant. As much as being pregnant feels pretty awful and I swelled up so big so quickly–I actually loved it. I’m so relieved.

This has been very eye opening for me. I realize that I have time. I really only want to do this with a good man who will show me and whatever children we have the respect we deserve. This is where it all starts. I want to have a baby that’s born into love.

Comment by Stella on 30 October 2012

I am in the medical profession. I saw a baby this week that was 26 weeks old and had been born about 3 weeks prior. The baby had survived an attempted abortion. The mother was too poor to care for herself and a child. I won’t say what country I’m in, but abortions are illegal here. Most of them happen in back alleys by people who are not doctors.

The child has severe swelling and hemorrhaging of the brain and will most likely be disabled in some respect.

I was pro-choice before and after seeing this baby, I am still pro-choice. I am outraged, however. How can law makers not want to do everything in their power to make sure this sort of tragedy never happens. This child is more than likely, going to live a difficult life at best, and the mother is in jail for three years because of her abortion.

Why would you not want to make contraceptive accessible and free to everyone, to support physiologically accurate sexual education for kids and teens? Why not do everything that has been proven to decrease abortion rates and unwanted pregnancy rates? It simply baffles me. If you truly care about children and lives and welfare of human beings, then try and prevent abortions in the first place. OC, condoms, knowledge. Those are the answers here.

Comment by Jenny on 31 October 2012

Every woman should have the right to decide if she wants to carry out a pregnancy or not.

We wouldn’t have this discussion if men were the ones who carried children.

Life isn’t black and white and abortion is certainly not selfish. I’d rather have a woman abort a child than see this child grow up not loved or worse.

Comment by Franziska on 1 November 2012

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Abortion is something that happens daily, under safe and unsafe circumstance. I feel so privileged to live in a country that allows women complete control over their bodies- women have the legal choice of accessing safe abortion. How very very lucky we are.
I want to express my gratitude and kudos to you for doing what so many others can’t- share your abortion; pictures and all.
Having had an abortion does not make anyone bad person or an inadequate mother; it makes you a brave and strong woman who is free to exercise her right of choosing when she is or is not ready to bring a child into the world.
No matter what your stance on abortion, I beg of you to try and treat every person you encounter with compassion, empathy, and non judgement. Agree to disagree but don’t cast stones.
I extend the invitation for all women willing, to share their abortion experience. The more women speak openly, the less scary and tabu become the A word. in Canada, 1:3 women have had an abortion in their lifetime. We are a sisterhood with much more in common than may appear on the outside.
Peace and love,
Rachael

Comment by Rachael on 2 November 2012

My sister has dreams of the child she aborted. years afterward.

Comment by Maria on 3 November 2012

I am very proud of you for standing up for your rights as a woman and doing what is best for you at that time in your life. Yes, you documented it, no it wasn’t easy. But you have helped so many people see truth, not fear mongering…thank you. I have had a miscarriage at 6 weeks at home, and it looked just the same…so why WOULD it be any different!? It’s not. Hope you are doing well today and truly understand what you have done for others. Peace.

Comment by Michele on 4 November 2012

I think women should make their own choice whether to have an abortion or not. The problem I have is that some people use it as birth control. One abortion ok, two + come on. The choice should be available though especially when people get pregnant as a result of abuse or assault. Otherwise just try to prevent the issue in the first place. There is also the “morning after pill”.

Comment by Karen on 5 November 2012

Here is my story about abortion
http://hope2dream1.blogspot.com/2012/11/could-eternity-be-measurement-for-how.html

Its kinda funny how someones else actions can have such a profound effect on my life. It seems through all my personal fails ( time in jail, dropping out of school, stealing from loved ones…the list goes on) I never ask myself how things would be different if I did/didn’t do that. I always knew that was my fuck up. But what I do ask is ” what if she didn’t have that done.
This all steams from what happened about 7 years ago. I was going out with a girl I use to love( prob didn’t show it like I should of). We were young and in love…. and as far as me I would I got the shorted when god passed out brains… but anyways putting it all together I think she might have told me this to help win me over. But anyways she told me she was on birth control…. and you can guess what happened after that.
But anyways from what I remember we were on and off for a year at that time. After that I remember she took off to live with her mom for along time.
Another 2 years or so passed. After seeing her on Facebook we struck up a conversation. It was at this time she told me for the first time she left to her moms and had an abortion.
I think about this so much that its prob not healthy. I have tried to reach out and get some answers to questions I have. Like is it the person I was that you made this that choice by yourself, how much of an influence did your dad play in this. Is this something that you wanted because I can’t believe that,I could go on but it won’t do any good I’m always meet with the same ”do I know you” or ” I can’t talk to you about this with you”. I do ask myself if it is right for me to ask these questions. I know she has got to want to forget about it( lord knows I wish I could).
I would love to sit on my high horse and say I would have never went along with that( even tho I do believe I would not have), but it would not have been the first time I made the wrong choice. If someone would have laid this scenario out for me and asked how I would feel about it. I would say anger at the person who did that, sad, depressed. But I would love to feel one of thos emotions right now. I only get a numb feeling that drives me to the edge of insanity. A feeling that scares the shit out of me.
I may be over reacting with the amount of time think about this. It does feel like a lot when something like an Adele song, driving by a school we went to,seeing the fake beach that a friend now lives at, talking about old time with friends and family can set off this emotion. The worst is when I watch my sisters kids for her. I can’t help but feel like this is what I’m meant to do with my life. To raise a family. Even tho I know there’s someone else out there I will have a family with, my fear of time passing me by over clouds that truth.
I would love to forget about this whole thing but the countless dreams with a girls face I can’t remember holding a kids hand that does not have a face won’t let me.

Comment by sean on 6 November 2012

I am pro-life and I also believe in God. It astounds me how hurtful some so called “Christains” can be especially when it comes to the topic of abortion. I’ve known many girls who have had abortions, some regret it for the rest of their lives. Others have very little reaction to it. I believe that no matter your religous affiliation you should never deem someone who had an abortion as a murderer.

I would like to thank you for posting these photo’s. I have always wondered what the point of view was from someone who wasn’t afraid to voice their opinion on the subject.

I would also like to apologize on behalf of those of us that are true believers in God for what the protesters said and did. I’ve seen a few ghastly offensive bumper stickers/signs that horrify me to my core. All I can say to those of you who have been offended by these kinds of people is to endure and disregard their hurtful comments.

In my family their’s been problems with conception. I see the pain daily of a husband and wife that are in desperate want and need of a chld to love and care for that aren’t capable. I see the longing in their eyes when a family walks by and it breaks my heart knowing that theres a girl somewhere out there about to have an abortion for a child she doesn’t want when there’s a family out there that would be willing to give their lives to have the chance to care for that chld.

I have known many people who were supposed to be aborted but their parents had a change of heart. I know someone who survived an abortion. These people are amazing, and the thought that they may never had been born astounds me. The thought of never being able to know them, to understand them, and to befriend them makes me ache inside.

Comment by Annie on 6 November 2012

I loved you for doing this when I first saw it, and I love you for it more now that I am facing my own unintended pregnancy and trying to book for an abortion. Thank you.

Comment by jaz on 9 November 2012

The pictures were haunting and I felt a great sadness…too complicated to discuss.

Comment by Gen on 10 November 2012

What you have done here is extremely brave and laudable. You have shared a very personal and distressing experience to help educate others in the actuality of abortion rather than the sensationalist propaganda peddled by the “pro life” movement.

Here in the UK the pro life movement does not have the same momentum as I understand it has in the US but none the less there are still protests outside abortion facilities and frequent attempts by extremists to change the law along pro life lines.

My daughter attends a Catholic High School (despite the fact we are not Catholic – long story …) and has recently had weeks of anti abortion views rammed down her throat. I am proud to say that the constant bullying has made her even more determinedly pro choice.

I absolutely respect anyone’s choice NOT to have an abortion for whatever reason they choose and only ask that they afford the same courtesy to others to follow THEIR own conscience and have an abortion if that is the right course of action for them.

I had a baby born at 23 weeks gestation 22 years ago, who lived for 9 months and then sadly died and many people were surprised that this did not alter my pro choice viewpoint. In fact the whole experience just made me even more sure that sometimes life is not worth prolonging at all costs. My baby’s life was short and filled with both misery and pain. Babies are not meant to survive at that gestation and to attempt to keep them alive is in itself a kind of cruelty used to push the boundaries of what is technically medically possible. Had my baby survived she would have been blind and quite severely brain damaged. Although I loved my baby with all my heart had another pregnancy gone the same way I would have asked the hospital not to resuscitate the baby and I am convinced that would have been the most humane course. Pro lifers would no doubt think me a monster for saying this but if they had seen what I had seen they would not be using tiny premature babies as arguments for why abortion is wrong.

I’m sorry if that has veered off course a bit but I thought there was a kind of inter connectedness to mentioning this.

I later had a “medical” abortion (that is to say one performed using medication rather than surgery) at 5 weeks. I chose to do this as the pregnancy was a complete accident and at the time I was looking after a very small baby with major health issues and just knew that I could not cope with another pregnancy at that time. It was very sad and I wished it hadn’t had to happen but unlike suggestions made by anti abortionists, I have not been overwhelmed with guilt ever since. I knew it was the right choice for my family unit at that time and I am just so glad that I lived somewhere with the freedom to make that choice.

I hope you have not had to deal with too many negative comments on what you have done here. Best wishes to you for the future.

Comment by Marion on 13 November 2012

One question: if you did this to an animal, would PETA protest?

Comment by TeresaR on 13 November 2012

Thank you for your courage in posting this. Abortion isn’t an easy topic, but I am so glad you have spoken out to what an early abortion REALLY looks like.

Comment by Valerie on 14 November 2012

Thanks for doing this. You are so brave. Now I am going to get my first abortion! This almost makes it look fun! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Comment by Sandra on 15 November 2012

Thank you so much. I’ve always sort of wondered, scared of what will happen if I ever need one…this doesn’t look too scary Heck, it looks like someone bottled menstrual blood. Thank you for sharing the truth!

Comment by S on 18 November 2012

This is a huge win for truth! Ignorance is so easily spread, but the truth is not always easily obtained, nor is it always so easily accepted as is ignorance. Thank you!

Comment by Jo on 20 November 2012

I have a sincere question for several commenters who said they pray outside abortion clinics. Each of those people has stated that they are only there to pray, not to judge or hate the women entering the clinic. If that is true, why do you need to do it outside the clinic? Surely you believe your prayers would be equally effective if your group met privately at your own home, or in any other location where you would not be visible to the women you claim you are not judging.

Comment by Carla on 21 November 2012

@Jo I’m pro-choice and there is no ignorance. The person who created this site is a bit confused. She seems to think that her abortion would look like the images she saw pro-lifers holding up outside of the clinic but it didn’t so now she thinks and is making others think the pro-life images are false. The problem is pro-lifers don’t really use images showing what an abortion looks like. They don’t use images like the images on this website. Pro-lifers use images of fetuses. They show images of what a fetus looks like before an abortion happens to try to persuade people that the fetus is a human being. These images on here are the “during” and “after” images of an abortion but the most important image is the “before” image of the fetus like the pro-lifers use.

I’m pro-choice but personally I’m pro-life I would never have an abortion but I think all women should have a choice. I read these comments and it seems like some people are thinking “that’s it. just a little blood” and it seems like these images are encouraging some people to have an abortion like it’s no big deal cause it’s just a little blood. Even though I’m pro-choice I try to decrease the abortions that are happening.

Comment by Mary on 22 November 2012

TeresaR, I had my dog fixed while pregnant, you mad bro? And I had a late term abortion to save my life. I got my son’s footprints on my chest to remember him by. I recently gave birth at 40 weeks to a healthy baby girl. Guess what? am still pro-choice

Comment by Carrie Nightashade on 22 November 2012

I just recently had an abortion a little over a week ago. I’ve been crying everyday since I’ve had it because it wasn’t what I wanted to do. But today I came to a realization that it was really what I NEEDED to do not what I WANTED to do that matters. I’m only 20 years old, in nursing school, still living with my parents, only working on weekends. I think about it now and realize that if I had my baby I would be struggling so much in life and putting a burden on my parents and my partner. These images helped me cope a bit because I keep imaging my fetus looking like an actually baby and it kills me when I think of it like that :/ I was only 8 weeks along, I’m sure my fetus looked very similar to yours (although I will never know and would rather not know, I was put to sleep when I had to procedure) thanks for this wonderful post. I hope I can be strong and make it through this long process and hopefully someday I will feel 100% happy about the decision I made because I know it was for the best!

Comment by Jackie on 25 November 2012

Thank you so much. Please keep this site up.

It is extremely frustrating that, as a woman, so many people think women are not able to make their own decisions. When you hear about men refusing to wear condoms, military women told they are liars when reporting rape, and not being able to get a birth control prescription renewed without a doctor, the spot between a rock and a hard place is all the more evident. I am mad that I am afraid to share this on facebook, for fear of jeopardizing my career, social, and/or academic opportunities. Despite the fact that having a child is literally reproducing part of one’s self, it is considered “selfish” to NOT have children; I wish the “maternal obligations” were gone, and that it was perfectly acceptable to plan on living your life without children. I wish that abortion could be viewed simply and pragmatically as a “choice” rather than “the wrong choice”; that it would be considered entirely the individual woman’s choice rather than a joint decision between woman and partner, doctor, and/or state.

Your site makes me think that everything will be okay, no matter what. It is a sliver of hope in a world that is scary and difficult to navigate.

I am almost 25, and I lost my virginity several months ago. I use oral birth control and condoms, and have only had intercourse with one person (the person I formerly believed I would spend the rest of my life with). I have never had an abortion, and hope I never have to, but it is good to know that a site like this exists.

I am currently in a reproductive justice class at my university, and I strongly recommend taking such a course if available.

Again, thank you for showing a true picture of what most abortions look like.

Comment by Katie on 27 November 2012

Thank you so much for sharing this. I am 18 and have been sexually active with one person, whom I expect to be with longterm. I have never had an abortion, and hope to never need one, but this made me realize that I could do it if I needed to.

Comment by Nadia on 28 November 2012

Jane, I do not judge you and I am truly deeply saddened that you had to go through that experience, as I am deeply saddened for the life (allow me to state that I believe that the embryo is a life) that was lost in the process. I am with you on the need to look at reality for what it is and, while I am persuaded that a woman should have full knowledge of what she is about to do, I do not believe that camping out of abortion clinics showing graphic images, and insulting a woman who is about to undergo what I believe it to be a scarring procedure, is the right way to go. I also understand your desire to avoid anger-fueled discussions on the subject; nevertheless, to present your initiative and the majority of the comments as “unbiased” is misleading as much as saying that a 6 weeks fetus sucks his/her thumb. As one of the commentators stated, there is much more to the subject. For one, that fact that the aftermath of an abortion (at 6 weeks and maybe later, but in truth fetuses aborted at a more advanced stage-not to mention partial-birth abortions- do manifest the somatic tracts and behavior of a baby) might not look like a baby does not change, in my opinion, the nature of the procedure. I hope you will not find yourself in the same situation again, and I hope that you will post my comment.

Comment by valentina patrick on 30 November 2012

Thank you #585 @Valentina for your comment. I have never said that the comments in this section are “unbiased” as you allege. I state clearly at the opening of the comments section: “The comment section below has been set up as a safe space for people to share, connect, and support one another on the matter of abortion. This space was not set up as a venue for debate. I will not be approving comments that include fundamentalist religious opinions, language of hate, or thoughts and language that trigger fear. There are many sites set up on the internet for the purpose of debate and dialogue on abortion. I urge those that feel moved, to visit those sites and express those opinions there.” Thanks again for taking the time.

Comment by Jane on 30 November 2012

I would just like to say that while this is the product of a six week abortion, there is no denying that an abortion at twelve weeks would be a little different. An abortion at twenty weeks would be very, very different. An abortion at twenty four weeks would be exponentially different.

For those calling the prolife movement ‘probirthers’, you need to do some research on the thousands of organizations (prolife) that offer pregnancy tests, pregnancy care, birth coverage, adoption and parenting support (financial and emotional), and post abortion counseling. I am very aware of the militant lifers who dress up like a reaper and parade around with aborted fetus pictures, and they lack compassion and tact. As much so as feminists who march around with posters of beat up twelve year old rape victims screaming about vaginas.

The abortion industry does a fantastic job using semantics to not only justify abortion, but to convince the general prochoice public that prolifers are evil, woman hating bible thumpers.

http://www.secularprolife.org

Comment by Sam on 1 December 2012

I had one six months ago. Was the worst day of my life. The pictutes to me show nothing other than yoyr baby and mine was still very small. I dont mean to offend but that is how I see it. I already have four children here and knowing they were once so small makes it more difficult to rationalise. I aborted because I was clinically depressed and feared my baby would be disabled like my eldest. I did what society deemed best not what I thought best. I felt like I had no choice. Which is not very pro choice really.

Comment by amanda on 6 December 2012

I always been very confused about those pictures that people put up about abortion. But I always wondered if they were real, now that you put up this pictures made me realized that, what they do are close ups. Because maybe if we get rid of all that blood, we will be able the find the fetus. Idk everything seems to be very confusing.

Comment by Jocelyn on 7 December 2012

This is an abortion at six weeks. I doubt any of the images used by pro-lifers are of sex week abortions. The limit in the UK is 24-weeks and we have one of the highest rates of abortion in the UK. The limit in most other European countries is around 12-weeks and that’s what our limit should be.

Comment by Patricia Gray on 11 December 2012

Like alot of these other people have posted, thank you for having the courage to post this online. The beginning of Feb, 2012 I had my own abortion done, the pill version. It’s has been an extremely difficult year and I still think about it. But I realized that after seeing how my childhood was and how unprepared my boyfriend and I were and am, it was the right decision. I wish I could be more open about my experience.

Comment by KMF on 11 December 2012

I read a good few “so what would it look like at 20+ months” comments, there’s even one a few replies ahead of this one, as if those late-term abortions are at all common. They’re not, as in, 99% of abortions will look like Jane’s photo as the vast, VAST majority of abortions are performed before 12 weeks. Really the only late term abortions are wanted foetuses that are sick/dead/have become a risk to the woman’s life. And, so very, very rarely, if a woman can’t go on with an extremely late-term, viable pregnancy for other, “non-medical” reasons, they deliver the baby prematurely to go into care. It’s gross when people like Sam act as though late-term abortions are a widespread problem. Again, the above photos are the reality for the huge majority of abortions, why focus on the rare/irrelevant exceptions?

And you know, even if you granted a foetus full person-hood, which would be, I feel, ridiculous, the fact still remains that no person has the right to another person’s body without their consent. It’s called a right to bodily autonomy and I will never stop defending it. I’ve never needed an abortion but I’m lucky to live in the UK where contraception is free and accessible(I have used the implant and condoms with no problems in 5 years with my partner) and I have peace of mind knowing that I could get an abortion legally and safely if I ever needed one.

Thank you, Jane, and rock on.

Comment by Hayley on 20 December 2012

As an atheist im not sure where i stand on abortion, i view all life as sacred including the life of the mother to make her own decisions and not live a life she did not want (or has not got the ability to be responsible for).
However i cant help but feel sorry for the unborn child, at some point we were all like that, a mass of cells and dna etc with an entire life mapped out ahead of us, my brother has had an abortion (not him obviously his girlfriend) but personally i don’t think i could do so.

Either way what you have done is very brave id love to talk a bit more about it if you fancy emailing me, im 22 and recently atheist (post roman catholic ergh) and am attempting to sort out my views on the world.

Comment by Daniel on 21 December 2012

I find these images to be eye opening, eerie, and unsettling. They will stay with me for a long long time.

Comment by Jean on 22 December 2012

Thanks for this page.

I had an abortion this year (pill, at 6/7 weeks ish).
If I’m really honest, I didn’t fall apart worrying what was the right thing to do, and I certainly didn’t feel bad. I felt a bit stupid for getting myself into that situation, but there was no guilt about the abortion. I think that’s a good thing. I felt like I was expected to be sad or sorry. But that negativity just makes the decision harder for women.

To compare my experience to your pictures… As I said, I had the pill version. (Sorry if this is too graphic.. I don’t have pictures so description will have to do! Hopefully it’ll be of some interest to someone.) So I was at home and had to errm, squeeze it out myself. So I was a lot more aware of what was coming out of me. It was really just multi-coloured lumps. I remember it really well, and looking back on it and comparing it to the awful pictures you see on pro-life websites, I know that one of the lumps was the early stages of a head (only a few mm across). There were no hands or feet or anything else! Nothing at all recognisable.

Even if it was squeamish and and traumatic (which it’s not), that shouldn’t influence the responsible choice you make, whatever you decide that is.

Comment by Char on 23 December 2012

Hi, first i would like to say powerful article and pictures. It gave my Girlfriend and I a new look at Abortion. We are a young couple and struggling right now so we were looking into abortion and the idea of it kind of frighted us. We came across a link to your blog on http://youradlisting.com where pro-choice and pro-life groups were posting ads going back and forth attacking each other. After looking at your blog we were now torn as I didn’t want her to go through with it and she made the decision to have it. The reality of the pictures had me scared for her and I didn’t want her to be traumatized. She made the decision and though I didn’t want her to I stood behind her and her decision. I just wanted to say thanks for your site and giving us a insight into a major decision of our life

Comment by James on 30 December 2012

Thank you for your bravery and for the truth instead of propaganda!

Comment by oncebrokn on 31 December 2012

How to discuss this, will anyone read it, will it matter?
Probably not but here goes. What’s missing is the story behind it. When I was 14 my brother brought home this kid who was 16, he would flirt with me, even though I was geeky, poor and stuck at home babysitting my little sister and brother. He asked me out. Stupidly I said no. Him and my brother fell out and I never saw him again, till 18 years later on facebook. He was living in a shelter and recently stopped doing coke. Coke had destroyed all his teeth. He was still cute if you can believe that. I was living in Norway and we had a ldr untill the strain of that was too much, so I left my husband and everything there and went to live with my mom, in pursuit of a real and loving relationship. Enter reality, enter poverty, enter fear. He found ways of coming over from time to time. One of those times got me pregnant. He was still living in a shelter. To be honest he had a bit of a temper which was hard for me to deal with. He was unemployed and so was I of course. I was living with mom. Out of panic I went to live with dad when I found out because I didn’t want to be in the way, my moms place was small and my brother already lived there and I felt in the way, dad wouldn’t let john get through to me on the phone or come over, everything went to shit. He didn’t care that despite how much of a loser he was I NEEDED HIM if I was pregnant with his child. I simply needed him. But he couldn’t be there, couldn’t because of money couldn’t because of dad, couldn’t and I NEEDED him. I was in shock and panic. I was overwhelmed. I was dreading spending my life dealing with a weak person who checked into hospitals for every ailment under the sun in hopes of getting medication to make him feel good. The day after I told him, he was supposed to start work, but instead of doing that he checked into a hospital. He just wasn’t strong enough. There was a time he walked out on a job due to a panic attack. He wasn’t strong, couldn’t help me, but wanted me to keep it and was angry and mean to me for suggesting abortion. He said he hated me now. I was so distraught, so full of fear and so poor and alone. Pregnancy makes me feel sick too. There wasn’t enough food at dads, I should have never went there. I couldn’t even have enough food to eat to have a healthy baby at dads and there wasn’t room at moms. Everything was so hard everything was just so hard, so I aborted our love child. I didn’t enjoy the sex while it was conceived. I felt violated in a way I felt a weird feeling afterwards, I just couldn’t speak. I reacted the same after I got the ept result, that just can’t speak thing and that takes alot for me. I just was so overwhelmed. So I broke it off with him. I just wanted to go back to Norway where it was safe and there was no dealing with a moody unstable person. I just wanted stability and peace, so I had a damn abortion. I spent the following two weeks swearing I must be still pregnant with a now deformed fetus, but it wasn’t the case, it’s gone and now I just feel like a part of me has died, but the truth is, the truth is I couldn’t face that challenge, it’s too hard and I just can’t deal with how I have to take the full blame, why do women have to bear everything? I still love John, yes I really do love him. I want to call him despite all this hell. I want to see if he’s alright. I’m sure he went back to doing coke. I’m sure things are awful for him. I’m sure hell he won’t pick up the phone. I love him so much I just would have never believed as a child insanely in love that I would ever have been with him, and then abort his child. I would have never believed I’d do that, but life is very hard and you need support, you definitely need support and not just a little but alot of it. What hurts me is when I was debating it, he thought I had made up my mind and sent me very hurtful things via email, a picture of a middle finger, said “You’re supposed to make my dick hard not my life and you barely managed to do that” said he used to love me but now he hates me. I was sitting there debating hard things with his child growing inside me, and he sent me that. WHY! Why did he have to do that, to treat me so mean when I was debating that? Why Why Why did he do that. I wish he didn’t.

Comment by Jenny on 3 January 2013

I had an abortion at 14 weeks. It is NOTHING like your photos. It had limbs, arms, legs, and was not suctioned out into a jar. It was much worse. I don’t regret it, but it does get pulled out in pieces when it’s that size/gestation. Not something benign to look at like your jar of foamy blood. Just saying, yours looks peaceful enough, mine wasn’t. Best wishes

Comment by bj on 9 January 2013

You are a brave and kind hearted soul, your energy is changing this world for the better. Know that.

I came across this post when searching on photographic techniques for retouching and was kinda surprised that it came up as the 2nd result in my search! But I am sure glad it did! I am now a 39 year old woman who is trying to get pregnant for the first time ever. I have never had an abortion; however, I feel it is something that every woman should be left to determine HERSELF (or with partner if appropriate to relationship) whether that is a choice for her or not. There were many times in my life that I was terrified that I had become pregnant with a child that I did not want (result of rape, hello, no thanks, can’t imagine the poor kid having to be a reminder of something like that their entire life), result of bad timing, crappy partner who was an ahole, no job/no money, etc…etc..etc…i was fortunate that I did not have to make the choice for myself, and I am sorry that you had to, no matter what it cannot be an easy choice to make. I commend you for your bravery.

Love this quote someone else posted: “Miscarriage happens when your body isn’t ready to have a baby. Abortion happens when the rest of you isn’t ready to have a baby.”

This world needs more loved children and less unwanted children. Period.

Thank you for educating.

Comment by Amanda on 10 January 2013

Very well done. Fuck you Paul Ryan

Comment by John Doe on 10 January 2013

That’s horrible, Jenny. I can’t imagine what kind of pain a born child would go through with a father like that, and with so little food or familial support. You sound like you’ll be an excellent mother when the time is right, and when you’ve found someone worthy of being a father.

Comment by Emmie on 13 January 2013

I didn’t real all of these replies, but the ones I read leave me very hopeful for the future. I do have to disagree with some, first someone named Jen who said one having an abortion should regret the decision, not feel like it was the best decision made. That it is a purely selfish choice.

The decision whether or not to bring a child into the world is not a selfish process. Any woman thinking about this is considering the well being of the potential child as well as their own needs and desires for the future. To call women who choose abortion selfish is like saying any man who has sex without a condom is selfish. (Which is actually more true than the first statement, unless in a monogamous relationship and have been tested). This is an important part of the issue surrounding abortion.

Some people on the anti choice side act like abortions are used like birth control, on a monthly basis. I did know someone who had multiple abortions. Eventually she decided to carry a pregnancy to term and have an open adoption. After that, she was much more careful about the situation.

There are VERY few women so unthinking that they would use abortion like a birth control method. There is nothing to be ashamed of, and no one should regret the decision, if it is the right one at the time, ever.

Comment by LIsa on 16 January 2013

At a time in my life when HAVING a child would have been the selfish choice, i found myself pregnant with few options. Going to the Dr, I thought I’d be about 10 weeks along, but they said I was 14 weeks, almost too late. They make you go through a 2 day procedure after 12 weeks; day 1 they do something to make your cervix dialate a little, The next day, they do the procedure. Even at that late time, my abortion looked the same, also. A little more blood, and some clots, which i have every month. No small hands or even anything resembling a child.

About a year later, I found myself wanting a baby. My situation was much better, and I thought I found the man who wanted the same thing. We even talked about it several times. Once I found out I was pregnant, earlier than expected, he wanted to bail out on me.

Knowing it was going to be hard, i still wanted the child. But it was not to be. I’d been in a car accident before I knew I was pregnant. Multiple x-rays, and possibly the trauma my body went through guaranteed the pregnancy was doomed. I had a miscarriage at about 7 weeks.. I had a D & C (which is the same thing as an abortion, for the most part) and that experience was similar to the abortion. without the dialation. The after care, the after effects, all the same. The pictures they show on their signs are really sick, I don’t know where they would get such images, but I’m sure there are so few terminations that look like that, it shouldn’t be legal to have those signs anywhere!! Pro lifers should be ashamed.

Comment by LIsa on 16 January 2013

Are these photos supposed to show that abortions are not messy bloody and nasty affairs, because I see photos that are messy, bloody, and nasty?

How is this demystifying?

Comment by Sara on 17 January 2013

Thank you for this. I know my comment won’t be anything unique or different from anything these women who found this site before me–but isn’t that the point? This shared experience is so stigmatized, but so common; and the anti-choice movement will do whatever they can to silence us. Thank you for your brave voice and your support of a woman’s right to choose. If you are ever in Montana, please, I would love to meet you & hear your story. behind every choice….is a woman who made it. <3

Comment by Emily on 18 January 2013

That was my experience as well. I guess I was lucky. I terminated my pregnancy in 1974, after Roe v Wade and before it got so stigmatized. No protesters. Just a trip to a women’s clinic in the morning and back to class in the afternoon. I was a college student at the time. About a year later I met a wonderful man at that college. We married, just celebrated our 36th anniversary. We have three wonderful and wanted children. That abortion not only saved my life but that of my three children. I didn’t really realize that until the birth of my first son. It is very difficult to have and raise children. Even after being married for two years and with a supportive husband it was difficult. I have no regrets and my husband doesn’t either. Yes, he knew about it. No secrets. The idea of taking that choice away from women today is frightening.

Comment by Dale on 24 January 2013

Not all conservatives or people on the right are against abortion. I’m pro liberty and believe a woman has the right to choose what happens to her body. I applaud you for doing this. Getting the truth out. I wish you would add a forum to your site where women can get support and talk about their experiences. Of course you would have to deal with the nuts. I had the same experience you did with the protestors but I was strong in knowing it’s my body. Would any of them raise my unborn child if I had it? They see babies as potential bible thumpers, something they can indoctrinate to keep spreading their message. Women have been aborting babies since the beginning of time. At least now it’s safe.

Comment by Delores on 26 January 2013

i cannot thank you enough. god bless you.

Comment by sammi on 28 January 2013

@sara

I see bloody, I don’t see messy or nasty.

What I also don’t see is anything like the imagery circulated on anti-choice propaganda, which would be a salient point, yes?

Comment by Jane on 4 February 2013

Its good to finally find someone who is willing to dispel some of the myths put about by pro-life supporters .. I have been trying to do so for years.
This fallacy of saying its killing a baby when it is not a “baby”

I respect the pro-life position when given in a calm educated manner, why can they not respect mine.

You have my greatest respect for taking, probably, what will be one of the hardest decisions you will ever make.

Take care and good luck.

Comment by Colin on 9 March 2013

Love this. Shared some photos and a link on my blog, with credit of course.
http://thisjustmightoffendyou.blogspot.com/2012/02/virginia-law-banning-abortion-and-birth.html

Comment by Savanna Mullens on 4 April 2013

To those of you saying abortion isn’t selfish, it’s making the right choice for the future child and a woman should have a right to control her own body, I don’t want to be confrontational or judgmental, but I’d like to suggest another view …

What does it mean to respect our bodies? Modern society gives quite conflicting views on this – one the one hand it says respect your body by using it for sexual pleasure when you feel is the right time for you, and don’t repress yourself (even though you’re risking getting pregnant). On the other hand it says, respect your body by having an abortion when you’re not ready to have a baby (even though, as we’ve seen from these comments, there are risks involved – such as infertility – even in ‘safe’ abortion).

To anybody who has had an abortion, would you say that the sexual pleasure was worth the abortion? I’m asking this as a real question – not to be judgmental. Perhaps some women really do feel that freedom from constraints on sexual intimacy really are worth it, which is fine if that’s you’re point of view, but you need to come out and say it so that young women who are making these very difficult decisions about whether to sleep with their boyfriend know what they’re getting into.

Comment by Gloria on 4 May 2013

Another way of thinking about taking care of your body is to respect the natural way that your body works. *There’s no such thing as ‘forced pregnancy’.* Nobody can force you to be pregnant in the same way that they can force you into slavery. If I held a gun against your head now and said ‘get pregnant this instant, or else!’ you wouldn’t get pregnant. You can only get pregnant through the act of sexual intercourse with a man.

So if you *really* want to take care of your body another option out there (you don’t have to take it) is to think really long and hard about whether you want to have sex before you’re ready to have a baby. Don’t just ask yourself ‘am I emotionally ready to be sexually intimate with somebody?’ Ask yourself ‘am I emotionally ready to deal with a pregnancy if something goes wrong with the contraception?’

And if your boyfriend doesn’t respect you enough to accept that you might want to wait until you’re ready to get pregnant to have sex, if your friends all laugh at you when you tell them you want to wait, then are you really free to make your own decision?

Comment by Gloria on 4 May 2013

Hello Gloria,

With all due respect, I completely disagree with your argument. What is your position on rape, molestation, and incest? Women and girls everyday, all over the world, are victims of forced sexual acts, therefore resulting in a “forced pregnancy”. There are countless circumstances in which a woman is a victim of “forced pregnancy”, including having a gun held to their head and being raped.

Given the choice between slavery and liberty, liberty would reign. Movements across time have been ignited by a desire for agency. A woman’s right to choose her pregnancy and what is right for her body is another great movement for liberty and freedom.

Jane

Comment by Jane on 4 May 2013

I don’t think you’ve really understood what I was saying – perhaps I wasn’t clear. Like I said, I’m not trying to be judgmental here, just think through what’s going on with our bodies during pregnancy …

First of all, read my post again. I did NOT say that nobody was forced into slavery. My whole point is that people ARE forced into slavery, but that pregnancy is not something that can be forced, like kidnapping someone and forcing them to work for you.

Also, although it’s true that rape is scarily common (and on the rise) when people talk about ‘forced pregnancy’ they do not mean rape – they mean a woman not having the option of abortion once she’s pregnant, however the pregnancy happened.

My contention is the pregnancy itself is a neutral thing – it’s just what our bodies naturally do. Somebody can force you to have sex with them, but they can’t force you to be pregnant – you don’t get pregnant every time you have sex. Perhaps that seems like splitting hairs, but the fact is that the majority of women who have been raped go on to have the child because they find that instead of seeing the child as something bad that came out of the rape they begin to see the child as something separate and something special inside their bodies. (Not that a woman should feel guilty who doesn’t feel like this, of course – you can’t choose how you feel.) If a woman has an abortion in this situation simply to please her family or the doctors she will often feel like the abortion is a further violation.

Comment by Gloria on 4 May 2013

This is my position on incest, forced sex work and child prostitution. *The women in these situations very often have no more choice over the abortions than they have over the sex*. Unfortunately, making abortion illegal will not reach children in these horrific situations. But neither will making abortion legal give them any real choice. The abuser will do anything to make sure to get rid of the pregnancy so that he can carry on abusing the child for profit or pleasure.

The fact is, your own situation was nothing like an abused woman’s situation and nothing you did helped woman who is being sexually exploited. Doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice. Doesn’t make you a bad person. Doesn’t mean that it would be a good idea to make abortion illegal and force it into the backstreets. But talking about ‘forced abortion’ is sensationalist and unnecessary. You chose to risk pregnancy and you chose to have an abortion – you had the liberty to do that. Women in abusive situations do not have that liberty.

Comment by Gloria on 4 May 2013

It’s difficult to do tone across the internet and in short posts. I didn’t mean to minimize the stress of unplanned pregnancy – it’s about the stressful thing that can happen to you. Forget moving house, forget losing your job – unplanned pregnancy is *extremely* stressful and can make a woman feel *very* depressed. I’m not suggesting for one moment that every time a woman gets pregnant she should be jumping and skipping, or that throwing away all her life plans and having the baby will make a woman feel complete, or any of that stuff.

But pregnancy is something a woman’s body does. We don’t choose the body that we have and we don’t choose unplanned pregnancy. But when it happens curse God, curse nature, curse the blasted contraception that let you down. But don’t curse people who believe that life begins at conception – they’re just telling it how it seems to them.

Comment by Gloria on 4 May 2013

I realize I asked my question really crassly. I’m sorry. Sex is about rather a lot more than pleasure – getting to know someone else, getting to know yourself etc. But for women we bare the consequences in our own bodies – whether through childbirth or abortion – as you found out. Neither is entirely safe. Although sometimes the groups standing outside clinics exaggerate these things, we have had women on here who really have had experiences like finding that they can’t have children because of the abortion.

I was wondering what your thoughts were on this whole problem – desiring sexual freedom, but baring the consequences in our own bodies in a way that men do not.

Comment by Gloria on 6 May 2013

My slavery argument made clearer:

My problem with your claim that abortion is a movement for liberation like the anti-slavery movement is this: Anti-slavery set people free from their bodies being bought and owned by other people. You want to be set free from your own body.

Comment by Gloria on 6 May 2013

Yeah I’m praising her for taking the pictures and i was 13 weeks no shame felt here! I couldn’t see the jar the way I was positioned, but I was interested in how everything looked. I had one done yesterday actually it was not the horrible horrific experience some people spout to scare people. I felt no pain & was able to walk, take a bus, & bbq immediately afterwards!

I FELT NO GUILT going in or out just annoyance the protesters showed up at all like they have no life or anything better to do on a beautiful saturday morning. Then bombarded me with bullshit when I came out about how I needed to go to church today, be abstinent, & later on I would feel terrible about my choice because I lost a child. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s being told my own feelings you want to get punched in the face approach me telling me how I feel like you live in my body! They piss me off not because they’re pro-life so correct yourself above please, they piss me off with their methods trying to guilt-trip women as they walk in and out of the clinic & exploit their own children in their political/religious beliefs! One person inside said they beat on her car as she pulled in & they were blocking the driveway which is illegal. I’m sorry but I’ve never seen pro-choice people show up at a church or pro-choice clinic & beat on the cars & block the drive as the people left have you?

I do not feel terrible I feel complete relief because I did not choose the pregnancy nor the sex that brought it along. I was in a relationship, we were actually engaged, and he raped me multiple times so all you spouting crap about being irresponsible with a boyfriend just shut up it’s not always like that! The only reason I stopped birth control is because he badgered & begged me all last year about getting pregnant because he was older and had his retirement planned at a certain time. He even went so far as to ejaculate inside me everytime we had sex instead of pulling out like he had previously done.

He promised me things, promised me a happy life, comforts, money etc. he got me a car when mines broke down. He seemed perfect but pushy so after much internal fighting & a compromised mental state after being unrightfully fired from a job after being harrassed over a year, I decided to try to give him his baby. Throughout most of this time our relationship was on a edge, but i’m stubborn I was determined to make things work and be happy with him. I was to sacrifice everything my attempts at a career, my choice of where to live, my money, school, my freedom for him everything was about what he wanted because “a wife is supposed to depend on her husband.” I realized I was being made helpless so i couldn’t leave the relationship he destroyed my sense of self-worth & independence. He called me names, verbally & emotionally abused me, he played psychological games with me to subtly control my actions like yelling at me for ‘getting drunk’ in public (I stopped going out & refused drinks, even though I wasn’t drunk that night, simply to avoid fights effectively giving him what he wanted control over me). I started to realize he was lying to me, how often I’m still unsure but I’m leaning to almost all the time. His extravagant stories didn’t add up, family members did not confirm anything he was saying, he admitted to lying to me about being in the army when we first got together, stories about his ex-wife didn’t add up the list goes on.
But I stayed faithful, I tried my best to trust him & make it work I blamed flaws in my own personality when I saw the red flags I ignored, I told myself to not be selfish & give him everything even when I started to fear for my life. I didn’t call the police on him because we were still together & I didn’t want him to get in trouble at school, but he wasn’t hesitant to call the police on me still affecting my life today as I just learned I have a warrant out for my arrest for what I don’t even know but it’s stemming from that indicent with him. He even went so far as to ask a mutual friend to report the car he got me stolen when I went to get my hair done she said no she wanted nothing to do with it!

I was stupid, I’m young and this was a learning experience I hope no one else ever has to go through! But I don’t and will never regret my abortion I was no longer committed to giving him what he wanted and it was disrupting my school work & would’ve eventually disrupted my dreams for the future. The only mistake I made was not getting out of the relationship when I had a home of my own now I’m stuck back home with my equally abusive parents.

Comment by Dj on 19 May 2013

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This Is My Abortion

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