Black Maternal Health Week Isn’t Complete Without Our Abortion Stories

This Black Maternal Health Week, our abortion stories are essential—without them, neither progress nor celebration is complete.

By Ambreia Meadows-Fernandez
April 15, 2026

Long before I understood the systemic consequences of abortion stigma on Black women and girls, I felt its harm. I had an abortion after an unintended pregnancy at 17. The would-be father’s hateful email, the crisis pregnancy center’s insistence that I give birth, and the protestors at the clinic suggested I’d proven that the most dangerous place for a Black child was in the womb. The resulting shame followed me. Even after I’d finished college, gotten married, and given birth to my first child, abortion stigma wasn’t done with me.

After delivery, an emergency room visit revealed retained placenta tissue as the cause of my low milk supply, weakness, and intense bleeding. Nearly six weeks after delivery, I received a positive pregnancy test and needed a Dilation and Curettage (D&C). The medical team said that the procedure helped save my life and avoid infection.

Continued: https://www.essence.com/health-and-wellness/abortion-black-maternal-health/

Becca Rea-Tucker on Why We Shouldn’t Feel Bad About Our Abortions

“Abortion is OK, we know. But how are our kids supposed to believe us if we whisper it under our breath?”

Becca Rea-Tucker
January 26, 2026

My second book, The Abortion Companion: An Affirming Handbook for Your Choice and Your Journey, is about to come out, and I’m feeling fussy. I’m scrolling through the long-finished page spreads, noting a .com where they should be a .org, an additional helpline I should have listed, a “definitely” where I could’ve written “absolutely.” The work is finished, but it’s never finished.

Later, on a break from that particular form of fussing, I’m sorting through an album in my phone titled “Repro Cakes.” I scroll past “Abortion. Any time. Any reason,” “Abortion Pills Forever,” and “No shame, no stigma” looking for one emblazoned with the phrase, “Abortion Isn’t A Bad Word” in Barney-purple script. I first posted an image of this cheerful little cake from the middle seat of a ride share sometime in 2018. I knew the not a bad word statement to be true then, but I certainly didn’t always.

Continued: https://lithub.com/becca-rea-tucker-on-why-we-shouldnt-feel-bad-about-our-abortions/

26.01.2026

The Abortion Companion: An Affirming Handbook for Your Choice and Your Journey

United States

Human Rights

Wading without Roe — where do you go?

California becomes a last-resort haven for patients seeking to end pregnancies

By Audrey Tomlin • Bay City News
Oct 11, 2025

In September 2023, Marcela Bermudez bought a one-way ticket, stepped on a plane in Houston, Texas, and flew more than 1,000 miles to Los Angeles, California. She was 25 years old. She was 14 weeks pregnant. She did not want to be. Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing the federal constitutional right to an abortion, had been overturned 15 months earlier. In Texas, abortion was banned.

Bermudez was one of nearly 7,000 patients who traveled to California from out of state for an abortion that year. She, alongside other patients who crossed state lines for abortion care, shared memories of long, costly travels, overwhelming stigma, and the need for much effort and a little bit of luck — the right friend or a supportive partner — to receive their abortions.

Continued: https://localnewsmatters.org/2025/10/11/wading-without-roe-california-a-last-resort-haven-for-patients-trying-to-end-pregnancies/

Philippines: Making a safe space for abortion

Sep 30, 2025
Ana P. Santos

From shielded spaces of hotel conference rooms to the sprawling urban communities that dot our riverbanks and back alleys, women and people with vulvas have an abortion story to tell

If you give a woman a safe enough space, she will tell you her abortion story. I know because many women have entrusted me with theirs.

One woman told me about getting an abortion after an incident of marital rape left her with an unwanted pregnancy just as she was about to leave her abusive husband.

Continued: https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/health-and-wellness/dash-of-sas-making-safe-space-abortion/

30.09.2025

Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network

Bringing women’s abortion stories to the screen

The ‘Dear Decision Makers’ documentary, currently crowdfunding on Zaar, hopes to amplify the voices of those affected by Malta’s strict reproductive rights laws

Sunday, 23 February 2025

A new crowdfunding campaign on Zaar was launched to help fund a documentary that will shed light on the realities of life under one of the strictest abortion laws in the world, through the untold stories of women in Malta.

The project builds upon the Dear Decision Makers storytelling initiative introduced in 2020, which provided a safe platform for women and other members of the public to share their experiences of abortion and the ways in which they were negatively impacted by Malta's blanket ban. The resulting publication featured 48 powerful, first-hand accounts, told in each individual's own words.

Continued: https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2025-02-23/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Bringing-women-s-abortion-stories-to-the-screen-6736268050

23.02.2025

Film, Art, Books

abortion documentary

abortion stories

abortion storytelling

Dear Decision Makers film

Laura Paris

Olli Dickerson

Rosie Litterick

Sandie von Brockdorff

Europe

Malta

Human Rights

Malta – ‘Hate Comments Reinforce Importance Of Having These Conversations’: Maltese Writes Of Abortion Play Open Up

By Ana Tortell
February 17, 2025

The writers of the international award-winning play Blanket Ban have opened up about the flurry of hate comments they’ve received over the years.

“The comments, however hurtful, only reinforce the importance of having this conversation,” writers Marta Vella and Davinia Hamilton told Lovin Malta.

Written and performed by Vella and Davinia Hamilton, Blanket Ban is centred around the restrictive abortion laws in Malta and documents real-life stories, shedding light on the reality that thousands of women face.

Continued: https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/health/reproductive-health/hate-comments-reinforce-importance-of-having-these-conversations-maltese-writer-of-abortion-play-opens-up/

Abortion in Europe: a right for some, a fight for millions of others

January 21, 2025
A European Perspective, European Broadcasting Union

Reproductive rights have been at the centre of political debates worldwide in recent months. As US President Donald Trump takes office following a campaign where access to abortion was a central theme, Europe too finds itself at a crossroads between liberal policies and restrictive laws.

As pro-life movements gain traction across the globe, campaigners are seeking an EU-wide guarantee to safe abortion access. From Hungary to Italy, France, Switzerland and beyond, we look at abortion rights from A European Perspective.

Continued: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/life-aging/abortion-in-europe-a-right-for-some-a-fight-for-millions-of-others/88749102

Amy-Clare had an abortion. Queensland’s current debate around the issue makes her feel like a criminal

The Brisbane woman was told her baby was unlikely to make it to birth. She says an abortion is painful enough without ill-informed political discussion

Donna Lu
Fri 25 Oct 2024

When Brisbane mother Amy-Clare learned she was pregnant a second time, she almost opted not to undertake prenatal genetic testing. “We were really happy – we really wanted that baby,” she recalls.

Because she already had a healthy first child, Amy-Clare was inclined to believe things would go smoothly the second time. But for peace of mind, her partner talked her into getting the expensive test, which screens for chromosomal disorders early in pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/26/queensland-election-abortion-policy-lnp-crisafulli

25.10.2024

We Need to Talk More About Abortion Care in India

Gurpriya Singh, Nivarana
Oct 07, 2024

Five billion people around the world are unable to get surgery when they need it. Surgery covers a wide range of diseases and populations. Access to obstetric surgeries has helped in reducing maternal mortality and improve the health of women globally. Yet, people in many low- and middle-income countries, including India, cannot access many components of emergency and essential obstetric and gynaecological care. Access to safe abortion is one such aspect that is also a major public health concern in India. In 2015, India witnessed 2.2 million (14%) surgical abortions. However, nearly 800,000 abortions were carried out using unsafe methods. This clearly highlights that despite progressive laws, unsafe abortions are still performed in India.

Continued: https://m.thewire.in/article/health/abortion-health-women-social-issue-contraceptives/amp

Nigeria – Economic hardship plunges married women into unsafe abortion, ignoring life-threatening risks

Low uptake of family planning services, aided by economic hardship, is taking its toll on some married couples who, burdened by unplanned pregnancies, now resort to unsafe abortions despite the associated risks.

30th June 2024
By Angela Onwuzoo

Mrs Bisi Lateef (not her real name) borrowed the sum of N15,000 from a friend to procure an abortion in February, and it took her one month to finally pay it back.

The woman, now in her early 40s, recalled what she experienced while ending her fifth pregnancy. According to her, she would have loved to keep it, but the resources to care for another baby were not available.

Continued: https://punchng.com/economic-hardship-plunges-married-women-into-unsafe-abortion-ignoring-life-threatening-risks/