Sylvie Shene

Share your story

1979 Portugal

it was okay

Ang iligalidad ng iyong pagpapalaglag ay nakakaapekto sa iyong damdamin?

Yes

A Life-Saving Experience


Thank you for asking people to share their abortion stories. I believe that the only way we can remove the stigma surrounding abortion is to let people share their stories in public and have an open, honest dialogue.

Abortion was a life-saving experience for me. I had just turned 20 years old in 1979, when I found out that I was pregnant. I was already living in an emotional prison with my family in Portugal, and having a child at that time would have robbed me of any chance to free myself. My child wouldn’t have fared any better: He or she would have lived a life of poverty with an emotionally unavailable mother.

Abortion was illegal then, and my whole family was against it. If they had found out about my condition, there’s no doubt in my mind they would have forced me to carry my pregnancy to term by any means possible, including locking me up or giving me drugs.

Fortunately, I found a midwife who was willing to give me the abortion I needed, although I got a bad infection from the procedure and had to go to the Emergency Room. Shortly thereafter, I moved away from my family and liberated myself from the traumatic emotional bonds that tied me to them.

The moment I found out that I was pregnant, I knew in my heart that abortion was the best choice for me. I was very comfortable with my decision, and I’m still confident that I did absolutely the best thing by not bringing an innocent new being into my set of circumstances.

The way I look at it, abortion is a private choice between a woman and her conscience that has very little impact on society. On the other hand, violence and abuse against unwanted children create a huge burden on humanity. If more people thought about this, I think they’d see that people who are against abortion are actually supporting cruelty against children.

The only bad feelings I had about my abortion was that it was illegal. No woman should have to go underground to decide what’s right for her. I still feel angry that I had to hide from everyone. I strongly believe that abortion should be available to every woman who wants one, and that politicians and religious fanatics have no business controlling women or putting us down.

alessandra

I had an abortion

Luna

Fiz um aborto - E foi a melhor decisão que eu podia ter tomado para a minha…

Daniela

yo aborte y no me siento culpable.

GabiD

Voltei a ser livre!!

Maria

Sou dona de mim.

Mariafe Fer

Mi buena experiencia con el Misoprostol en un pais donde es ilegal abortar…

Ania Kijawska

Mam dziecko, dom, męża zdecydowałam się na aborcję.

Gabi

Miałam aborcję w 8 tygodniu ciąży. Była przeprowadzona nielegalnie w prywatnym…

Catalina

El Misotrol salvó mi vida

Aldana

Una decisión que se tiñe de lucha

T.C.P

Bom, o espaço de tempo entre descobrir que estava gravida e realizar o aborto…

Wer

Tomé la decisión correcta, tal vez no justa, pero correcta.

Julia

Uratowałam sobie życie

Beatriz

Yo aborté y fue una experiencia de empoderamiento.

Ana

Fiz um aborto e não me arrependo. O meu desejo é que todas as mulheres tenham…

Tha

Primeiro, Calma!

Vamos lá, tenho 31 anos um filho de 7.
Voltei a me relacionar…

Lauren Jackson

I got pregnant while in college in Tennessee in 1976 and had an illegal…

mica

Yo aborté y no me arrepiento ni un segundo de haberlo hecho.

Raqueli

misto de melancolia e alívio

Joanna

Moje życie to moje wybory. / My life is my choices.