This week we're borrowing another myth from the brilliant Scarleteen article How to (un)pPack for a Real Discussion About Abortion. Thanks again to Scarleteen for giving us permission to reproduce this extract. Go to their site for more information about sex, contraception, relationships and more: www.scarleteen.com.
Just as the case is with the great range of experiences with how a woman feels about abortion, so it is with the motivation for, or decision-making process with abortion. Some women DO have abortions in a way you or I – or even they – might call or see as “casual.” For some women, having an abortion is not a big deal, is not upsetting, is not something she feels carries a lot of weight for her. It should also be noted -- though this is not to say if a woman is "casual" about abortion it is only for this reason -- that certain developmental disabilities, addictions, traumatic life experiences or psychological conditions can cause a woman to give any number of things, like death, abuse or pregnancy, less gravity than others might give them or feel about them.
Having talked to a lot of women about their abortions, would I say there are many women who feel casually about abortion or take it lightly? No, I would not: in my experience, that’s the exception rather than the rule. In fact, I think we can go one step further and say few women feel casual about a pregnancy, period. But again, we have to be very careful not to deny any woman’s real experience, even if the reason we might be tempted to do so is in an effort to try and retain her/our rights.
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