The language we use to talk about pregnancy and abortion is changing. But not everyone welcomes the shift

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN
Sun September 4, 2022

Across the US, mainstream institutions such as the American Civil Liberties Union, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CNN are increasingly opting for gender-neutral terms such as "pregnant people," "people who get abortions" and "birthing parent" in favor of "women" when referencing pregnancy, fertility and abortion.

These shifts in terminology signal an effort to be inclusive of transgender and nonbinary people who can also get pregnant. But the changes have also prompted pushback -- not just from Republican politicians who are openly hostile to LGBTQ people but also from some cisgender women (women whose gender identity conforms with the sex they were assigned at birth) who consider themselves LGBTQ allies and who support abortion rights.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/04/us/abortion-pregnant-people-women-language-wellness-cec/index.html

USA – ‘We’re a part of this movement, too.’ Transgender and nonbinary people say they feel excluded from the abortion fight

By Jacquelyne Germain, CNN
Sat August 27, 2022

Mikiko Galpin still feels the impact of being sexually assaulted by someone he thought he could trust -- and the tough decisions he was forced to make after multiple pregnancy scares.

When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, it was a sad and heavy moment for the 29-year-old transgender man. He was taken back to the first time he took a pregnancy test prior to transitioning. He recalls crying in the passenger seat of a friend's car at 2 a.m. trying to search for a pharmacy that was still open so he could buy a pregnancy test.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/27/us/transgender-nonbinary-abortion-reproductive-care-reaj/index.html

“Left out of the conversation”: Transgender Texans feel the impact of state’s restrictive abortion law

While Texas’ controversial abortion law strictly refers to women in its phrasing, it also limits access to the procedure for transgender and nonbinary people who are able to become pregnant.

BY NEELAM BOHRA
DEC. 21, 2021

Samson Winsor moved across the country from Utah to Austin in 2019, hoping he would feel less out of place. The Texas capital city had creative opportunities and cheaper living costs than places like Los Angeles and New York City while still having a substantial population of transgender people to support his identity as a transgender man.

But Winsor said he’s still afraid. Weeks after having sex with someone, he noticed his menstrual period was late. While his hormone therapy affected the consistency of his periods, he worried about the possibility of being pregnant. Winsor anxiously awaited test results, recognizing how limited his options would be if he were pregnant.

Continued: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/12/21/texas-abortion-law-transgender-pregnancy/

Why I Didn’t Tell My Doctor I’m Trans Before My Abortion

Three trans men and nonbinary people talk to writer Kam Burns about their abortion experiences and the importance of inclusive health care.

BY KAM BURNS
November 23, 2020

El Sanchez was crying as the nurse held their hand. "I'm sorry," the nurse said. "This is always really hard for women." But at that moment, Sanchez wasn't crying from the emotional consequences of getting an abortion; they were crying because of the physical pain. Soon, Sanchez began bawling. Both the nurse and the doctor performing the procedure continued to misgender them, ignoring their insistence that, really, they were fine, and no, they didn't need their "boyfriend."

This was Sanchez's second abortion, but their first since coming out as nonbinary. "The first time, you know, I didn't get emotional at all," Sanchez tells Allure. "[During my second abortion] the combination of the doctor misgendering me, and then forcing these heterosexual gender roles on me, made me feel even more erased in the situation, and so it became much more emotional for me."

Continued: https://www.allure.com/story/abortion-trans-man-nonbinary-experience

USA – 3 Abortion Providers On Tailoring Their Services To Trans Patients

3 Abortion Providers On Tailoring Their Services To Trans Patients

By Jo Yurcaba
March 13, 2020

Abortion care is known as a "women's issue." The pro-choice movement uses slogans like "her body, her choice," and abortion clinics often have "women" in their names. Gendered language, however — paired with the widespread discrimination transgender people face in health care — means many trans and non-binary people avoid seeking care altogether.

No statistics are available on how many trans people receive abortions annually, but the number is thought to be relatively small. A 2018 study of 450 trans men and gender non-conforming individuals found that 6% experienced unplanned pregnancies. Of that group, 32% opted to terminate them.

Continued: https://www.bustle.com/p/3-abortion-providers-on-tailoring-their-services-to-trans-patients-22603193

Canada – Women-only clinics create barriers for trans folks seeking sexual health care

Women-only clinics create barriers for trans folks seeking sexual health care
Part two of a series looking at trans-inclusive sexual health care in B.C.

Devon Bidal
Aug. 6, 2019

Women’s clinics serve the sexual health care needs of people with internal reproductive organs. But what happens when a trans man needs to access that reproductive health care?

Many women’s clinics use gendered language on their websites, but when asked, indicate that all are welcome to come in for care.

Continued: https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/news/women-only-clinics-create-barriers-for-trans-folks-seeking-sexual-health-care/

Women Aren’t The Only People Who Get Abortions

Women Aren't The Only People Who Get Abortions
Transgender men and other gender-nonconforming folks get abortions, too. But no one's discussing how the recent abortion bans will affect them.

By Alanna Vagianos, HuffPost US
06/06/19

Jack Qu’emi Gutiérrez was a 20-year-old college student in a self-described “shitty relationship” when they found out they were pregnant.

It was 2011 and Gutiérrez, a nonbinary person who uses the pronouns they/them, had to pool all their money at the time to pay the $500 to get the abortion pill. Even though Gutiérrez chose to have a medication abortion (“I didn’t want a bunch of people in my crotch”), they were still forced to undergo two trans-vaginal ultrasounds before obtaining the abortion pill.

“I felt very, very much alone,” Gutiérrez told HuffPost. “I didn’t have any frame of reference for what an abortion would be like, period. Not to mention what an abortion would be like as a nonbinary person.”

Continued: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/women-arent-the-only-people-who-get-abortions_n_5cf55540e4b0e346ce8286d3

Ireland – Abortion law will leave out any reference to trans men

Abortion law will leave out any reference to trans men

Ellen Coyne, Senior Ireland Reporter
October 25 2018

The bill to legalise abortion will not include a reference to pregnant transgender men.

It is understood that Simon Harris, the health minister, supports trans men having the same reproductive rights as women but has received legal advice that mentioning them in the law would have unintended consequences. It is believed that it could open the risk of transgender people losing other rights that they may be entitled to under other laws.

Continued: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/abortion-law-will-leave-out-any-reference-to-trans-men-z3txmxwfq

Ireland – Abortion legislation: ‘woman’ reference, 28 days, consent and other changes

Abortion legislation: ‘woman’ reference, 28 days, consent and other changes
Some believe ‘woman’ reference in abortion Bill may exclude trans people

Wed, Jul 11, 2018
Sarah Bardon Political Reporter

The Government has published the proposed legislation to regulate abortion services to be introduced following the recent referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

The heads of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill was published on Tuesday evening, unveiling a number of minor amendments to the proposed general scheme that was published before the vote on May 25th.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/abortion-legislation-woman-reference-28-days-consent-and-other-changes-1.3561706

11.07.2018