Giving Tuesday: Why ACP?

The abortion world has been turned upside down and women and clinics in 26 states are desperate. According to the Guttmacher Institute 58% of those people who could get pregnant live in states hostile to abortion rights. Abortion navigators and abortion funds are struggling to keep up with the need. So, why give to a group that just wants to talk about abortion? 

What if we had been helping people talk about abortion since 1973?

Here at the Abortion Conversation Projects we have always been inspired by Desmond Tutu’s famous quote: “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in.” We think a lot about the simple strategy of starting conversations about abortion. What if we had been helping people talk about abortion since 1973 when abortion was decriminalized in the US? Would we be here now, losing bodily autonomy and rights, when other countries all over the world are opening up access to abortion? 

I think we have all been in situations where it was just too difficult to have a conversation about abortion—Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner when everyone is just trying to get along? Or, you’re just not sure how people will react, or whether they will think less of you for your views or your experiences. This “not talking” is so common that even when you need to talk to friends you worry that they won’t be supportive. And you don’t know because they haven’t been talking either!  

The anti-abortion folks have had 49 years of silencing and shaming people about abortion so it’s no wonder that we worry about what others might think. It’s called abortion stigma and it’s everywhere, inside and outside of us. We have made it our mission to challenge stigma on a grassroots level to make people comfortable with conversations about abortion. And it is getting better. And we are happy to say that many of the projects we have supported have been successful in breaking silence—Shout Your Abortion, AVOW in Texas, Repro Rights Freedom Walk, the WIN Fund Book Club, Focus on Abortion (book and exhibit) and many of the other 91 projects we have awarded seed grants to since 2012. 

ACP feels that pulling people out of the river is a good thing, a necessary thing, particularly now. But we also know that it's vitally important to walk upstream and see what's going on--that this foundational, yet simple work of getting people to talk openly about abortion is also essential.

If we don't talk about abortion, we've already lost. 

And we know-- with 91 projects and a decade of funding stigma busting under our belts-- that if we don't talk about abortion, we've already lost. 

So, we are working with groups globally, enthusiastic folks who have innovative strategies to engage people in abortion conversations. Starting on Giving Tuesday we begin our End of Year fundraiser to raise money for next year’s stigma busters. Your donations are our only source of funds for this work. From now until the end of the year we’ll be sending regular emails about some of our Grant Partners. 

You can donate anytime on our website or on Act Blue where you can even split your donation!

Thank you for your support, your conversations, and your commitment to abortion rights and access. 

________________________________

—Peg Johnston is a long time ACP Board Member and abortion provider since 1981.

Activists All Over the World Challenge Abortion Stigma

The Abortion Conversation Projects (ACP) has chosen nine new projects that are confronting stigma surrounding abortion even as access to abortion is threatened or outlawed. ” We received over 80 proposals, half of them from Africa, all using conversation as strategy to open minds and challenge people’s prejudice about abortion,” says Jeannie Ludlow, Chair of ACP.  The organization has now funded 91 Projects and offers support and expertise to both Grant Partners and applicants. 

“Ending Abortion Stigma” is a project in Haiti that will do a major outreach and education effort on abortion and reproductive health during International Safe Abortion Week in September and throughout the year. Abortion is illegal in Haiti and currently gang related violence has disrupted life there. 

ACP funded two projects from the Middle East/North Africa region (MENA) where abortion is largely illegal and there is very little public knowledge and information about abortion methods, policy and laws. Oppression of minority groups, ongoing violence, and political persecution complicate the problems for those brave enough to organize around abortion access and stigma.  “The Book of Abortion” is a project in Kurdistan that assembles vital information in one place for policy makers, academics, activists, and the public at large. “How to Terminate My Pregnancy” will make information about abortion access available in French, Arabic, and English to all MENA countries. 

Another Seed Grant was awarded to Clear Vision for Change in the DR Congo to do outreach and education in rural areas of the country. They are also working on a Safe App so that women can download information on abortion laws, access, and self care. 

In the U.S. two projects were chosen: AVOW-Texas for their outstanding “Let’s Talk About Abortion” efforts and “A is for …." a cultural organization that will produce a comic book about the need to travel to obtain an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The collection of comics will be edited by New Yorker Magazine artist Emily Flake.                     

Several existing Grant Partners received further funding. The North Dakota WIN Fund Book Club will expand their club and continue to read books about abortion and discussing abortion stigma and will help ACP in promoting abortion book clubs.  “Colours of My Dignity,” a Kenyan project uses trained “influencers” on What’s App to educate followers about the facts of abortion and to counteract the prevalent stigma about abortion.  Another Kenyan project, “Haven of Dreams” conducts highly effective Values Clarification training in the community, and they will also be re-funded. 

The Abortion Conversation Projects is committed to eliminating the stigma of abortion by supporting individuals and small groups engaged in innovative community-based projects that create new ways and opportunities to talk about abortion honestly and publicly. It has now awarded 91 Grant Partnerships since the program started in 2012. ACP fundraises each year to pay for seed grants and expenses. The all-volunteer ACP Board also offers consultations with people working on abortion stigma. ACP also expects to sponsor “Conversations” in the Autumn with stigma busters to support activists and exchange ways of discussing abortion stigma. To stay informed with ACP, email abortionconversation@gmail.com.

STIGMA BUSTING IS GLOBAL

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, what does that mean for Abortion Conversation Projects and our partners? While all of us at ACP deeply grieve the Court’s decision, we also understand it as one severe manifestation of abortion stigma in a larger landscape of extreme stigma—a landscape that is variable in its geopolitical contours and global in scale. 

The overturning of Roe undoubtedly makes our work harder. But it also stands as an invitation to all of us in the U.S. who find ourselves in worsening legal terrain.

It is an invitation for us to look to other places and countries for tactics and inspiration where activists and everyday people have been, for many decades, reducing stigma and providing care in contexts where abortion is illegal or severely restricted. It is an invitation to greater unity, resourcefulness, and risk-taking. There is much to learn.

In the spirit of global solidarity, we’re honored to share excerpts from our recent round of grant applications—82 applications in all, from all over the world, the majority of whom are working to reduce stigma in contexts where abortion stigma is pervasive, harsh, and dangerous. While we don’t have the resources to partner with all of these applicants, every single one has reminded us of the incredible courage and creativity that are possible in even the most difficult contexts. Their ideas have poured in from Poland and Texas, Kenya and Iraq, Haiti and Puerto Rico, New York City and Ethiopia, Kurdistan and Tennessee. They show us gaps and fissures in current work. They show us new ways of taking action. These are some of their voices:

“[Our project] will mobilize community singers and composers, social workers, health and community organizers. These groups will help in designing educational songs which will address unsafe abortion [...] through traditional dances. The singers will be local singers, who will then be equipped with the information about safe abortion and where to get it.”

We decided to take responsibility for this issue [...]

because no other group or organization dared to speak out before.

“Since abortion in [our region] is illegal, and forbidden by religion, no institution takes charge of spreading awareness and opening platforms for a discussion on this sensitive and important topic. We decided to take responsibility for this issue and provide a theoretical ground for a discussion amongst the youth, institutions, the education and health sectors in order to achieve change in our culture [...] because no other group or organization dared to speak out before.” 

"After my experience of abortion as a queer and non-binary person, I felt isolated and didn't see my experience reflected in broader conversations about abortion. I desperately wanted to connect with other LGBTQ+ people who had had abortions so that I could know that I was not the only one. However, despite a lot of digging, I couldn't find an LGBTQ-centered support group focused on abortion to connect with." 

Anti-abortion extremists […] have been able to stigmatize abortion

so deeply that even supporters often feel

awkward or ashamed when talking about it.

“Anti-abortion extremists use the word ‘abortion’ 4 times more than pro-choice advocates do, which means that they have been able to stigmatize abortion so deeply that even supporters often feel awkward or ashamed when talking about it. Messaging matters because it can help move people from judgment to empathy. At the core, the goal of [this project] is to bridge that gap and empower our supporters to feel comfortable talking about abortion and then bring these conversations to their own communities.” 

There is no place available [in our province] for young girls of reproductive age and women to discuss safe abortion practices and therefore large number of girls and women becomes victim of forced pregnancies. [...] This project will initiate storytelling sessions with young girls of reproductive age and women and will foster dialogue through storytelling on the topic of safe abortion practices, challenges faced in accessing safe abortion, and recommendations for strengthening services for safe abortion in [our province.]" 

“We use gender neutral language and acknowledge the ways colonialism, misogyny and racism have shaped how we view our body, cultural wisdoms, and herbal abortion. We want to smash the stigma, deepen the conversation, and bring accurate, safe and appropriate information to people seeking to integrate herbs into their abortion experience.” 

“[Our organization] is establishing the first formal national abortion storytelling program for people who had abortions in the United States during the pre-Roe years through 1980. [...] At a time when anti-abortion politicians are in positions of power to roll back rights and access, it is crucial that elders speak up loudly and move in alignment with current demands for abortion justice. [...] In doing so, we affirm the complexity and autonomy of younger generations and our younger selves.” 

“[Our] project is intended to make school and community environments safe for the girl-child to prosper intellectually and utilize her potential to the maximum without any hindrances and intimidation.”

Despite the negative outcomes of unsafe abortion on health and well-being of women and girls in [our region] devastated by decades of civil wars, where rape and violence against women are used as a weapon of war, the majority of women choose to end their pregnancies in secrecy which endangers their lives.

“Despite the negative outcomes of unsafe abortion on health and well-being of women and girls in [our region] devastated by decades of civil wars, where rape and violence against women are used as a weapon of war, the majority of women choose to end their pregnancies in secrecy which endangers their lives. Despite these situations, abortion remains a taboo [...] When it is discussed, it is often from a moral, rather than a human rights perspective." 

“[Our] society is very patriarchal and conservative when it comes to the rights of women and girls. We were inspired by the struggles of feminists in Argentina to propose this project and begin our advocacy for access to abortion [...] we are proposing a week of activities in conjunction with International Abortion Access Day.” 

Breaking the silence around abortion is

important and can save lives.

“Through outreach to women and girls, teachers, religious leaders, and community members, the project will deliver key messages: Breaking the silence around abortion is important and can save lives.” 

“Stigma prevents women from accessing abortion services [in our country] even when they are legally allowed to. [...] This same stigma associated to abortion also dissuades nurses and other clinical officers from performing abortion services. 

—Compiled and edited by Abby Minor, ACP Board Member

Thurston's Vision: De-Stigmatizing More Than One Abortion

‘

The following is a speech awarding our Vision award to Karen Thurston March 2, 2020 at the Abortion Care Network Conference in Louisville KY.

The 2020 ACP Vision Award this year goes to a person whose singular commitment to eradicating stigma led her to an insight about a single missing letter—not even a word, but a letter. I am, of course, referring to Karen Thurston whose latest campaign is so simple, yet so far reaching in its impact: to add an “s” to the word abortion, so that those who have had more than one abortion would know that they are completely normal. For instance, instead of saying “women who have had an abortion,” say, “women who have abortions." We all know the power of language in our work and once again, we are invited to examine how we can lift up people instead of inadvertently stigmatizing them. 

This is not Karen’s first contribution to abortion stigma busting. Since 2014, she has been sharing her own abortion and stigma stories in a range of public venues, including in an essay published in The Sea Change Program’s Untold Stories project. She also wrote and narrated the Sea Change video What Happened When I Talked About My Abortions, which won an ACN award in 2015. Karen has recorded her story on The Abortion Diary Podcast, and was featured in an MSNBC.com documentary about the podcast in 2015.

She took part in the on-line abortion speak out hosted by the Advocates for Youth 1 in 3 Campaign.  She is a former Board member of the Abortion Conversation Projects, a clinic escort, and volunteered with the ARC-South East abortion fund. A former newspaper, freelance writer and school teacher, Karen holds a Master of Arts in Journalism.

Karen’s most recent silence breaking campaign is on the website 2 plus abortions.com and also contains an international storytelling project directory.  She has engaged the abortion care community worldwide to eradicate stigma-inducing language by “adding an ‘s’ to the word abortion. The Abortion Conversation Project is proud to partner with her and have created “This is not my first abortion” posters and handouts, which are free to clinics.

As an individual woman telling her story, Karen has unleashed her power to create change. Adrienne Rich reminds us “Women have often felt insane when cleaving to the truth of our experience. Our future depends on the sanity of each of us, and we have a profound stake, beyond the personal, in the project of describing our reality as candidly and fully as we can to each other… When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her."

Karen accepted the award remotely, with these words: “Thank you from my deepest heart for this beautiful award. I wish I could give a piece of this beautiful award to each and every person who has helped me learn and grow on this journey, because so very many people with intense dedication have educated, inspired and influenced me. 

 All of you at ACP have been the innovators and world-changers. You all have remained steadfast in your belief in the power of one, the power of small groups, the power of everyday people to transform the way the whole world talks and feels about abortion. 

 The progress in reducing stigma that traces directly back to all of you is incalculable! That's been the real honor for me -- joining along with you and being part of the grassroots stigma-fighting movement that you all have fueled for so long with your own amazing dedication.

 Thank you to everyone who provides and advocates for abortion care. The biggest honor and privilege is to wake up each day to fight along side you for a future with no stigma and no barriers.”