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