Did you know that a third of the world’s women live in countries where abortion availability is restricted? While this is not true in the UK, thankfully, the social stigma of abortion remains. And, while a significant number of women will undergo an abortion in their lifetimes, many feel too ashamed to talk about it, dubbing it as “taboo” and “potentially personally stigmatising.”
Which is why we’re VERY pleased to see the launch of a campaign in the US which aims to change the way we see abortion. Sexual health campaigners Advocates for Youth in the US have devised an initiative which aims to destigmatise abortion and encourage women to talk about their experiences.
The 1 in 3 campaign, named for the number of women in the US who have had an abortion, tells the stories of 40 women - and encourages others to share theirs - in a bid to start a new conversation about abortion.
"The 1 in 3 Campaign is a grassroots movement to start a new conversation about abortion—telling our stories, on our own terms. Together, we can end the stigma and shame women are made to feel about abortion. As we share our stories we begin to build a culture of compassion, empathy, and support for access to basic health care. It’s time for us to come out in support of each other and in support of access to legal and safe abortion care in our communities."
"The 1 in 3 campaign builds on the success of prior social change movements, harnessing the power of storytelling to engage and inspire action and strengthen support for abortion access. By encouraging women who have had abortions to end their silence, share their stories, and start a new and more personal conversation about abortion in our society, the 1 in 3 Campaign will help create a more enabling cultural environment for the policy and legal work of the abortion rights movement."
From women who were in abusive relationships to those who wanted to focus on their studies or career, the stories powerfully remind us that our right to abortion is a fundamental one, that every woman has a right over her own body and that nobody should feel ashamed for making their own choices in life.
Some women feel unable to make any other choice, and until it happens to you, it’s impossible to say how you’d react when faced with an unwanted pregnancy. But what’s most important is that we have a choice in the first place, and accept other women’s right to make that choice, whatever our own views.
The campaign asks us to take the 1 in 3 Pledge today, in a bid to help end the silence and stigma surrounding one of the most important issues that women will have to face:
"I pledge to speak out against the shaming of women who have had an abortion. I will help build a culture of empathy, justice, and support for access to abortion care and for the 1 in 3 women who will have an abortion in her lifetime. The silence and stigma end here."
The 1 in 3 campaign offers the chance to sign this pledge over on their website, offering women the chance to further women’s rights and increase understanding. Will you be signing the pledge?