Given the national tension over abortion, and the targeting of clinics and doctors by antiabortion protesters and terrorists, it’s understandable that we don’t hear much from women who have actually had abortions. Even for those who are pro-choice, there can be a stigma attached to making that choice. And then there are women who just don’t feel personal reproductive choices belong in polite conversation.
But it’s still too bad that we don’t often hear from the choosers themselves, because the debate winds up being defined by people who have no personal experience or particular expertise on the subject (like, for instance, male politicians). Plus, the silence can help perpetuate the stigma, with women who get abortions becoming faceless others rather than familiar community members.
