Discussing abortion as a family can be challenging and scaryβmany parents shut down the conversation or avoid it completely. While this is likely due to fear, it contributes to a culture of shame about reproductive choices, sex, and our bodies. Gentle reminder, reader: Stay curious, be brave, and let go of judgment! As a child, I vividly remember turning into the movie theatre and noticing a large crowd gathered on the corner.
My excitement for the movie clashed with utter confusion. Why would parents murder their babies? And what did that have to do with the movies? My parents quickly dismissed the people and their stance but never talked with me about abortion. But then, my parents had the comfort of Roe v. On June 24, , the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, severely limiting access to safe abortions in the United States. Keep reading to learn how to talk about abortion as a family.
Before we delve into how to talk about abortion as a family, I want to be direct with you. If you want to discuss abortion as a family, my first piece of advice is to take it slow. Give yourself time to process your emotions, values, and beliefs. Please resist the urge to make the conversation more complicated than it needs to be.
A brave space makes learning enjoyable and loving and brings forward new understandings. In our brave space, everyone can ask questions and share their truth. Abortions are highly stigmatized, causing an awful lot of myths and lies. And, statistically, one in four women will have an abortion in their lifetime.
That means that many women will undergo a life experience that is highly stigmatized. One way to do this is to stop whispering the word abortion. Stigma creates roadblocks for people trying to get or even learn about abortion.
