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This Is My Abortion [dot com] isn’t What You Think and Here’s an Interview with Jane

Yesterday I stumbled across ThisIsMyAbortion.com. I was waiting to see one of the graphic fetal images that protesters like to wave around on signs but instead I saw these images.

It’s not particularly dramatic and won’t tug on anyone’s heart strings. I was (still am) fascinated by the site and immediately asked Jane for an interview. Some of it can be seen at iVillage iVoteĀ and the rest of the interview you can read here. I wish I knew who Jane was. I’d want to be her friend.

JG: This morning I was on Reddit and saw ThisIsMyAbortion.com. I expected to see something very graphic, perhaps a site run by the anti abortion people, but instead I saw a beaker with some blood and fluid in it. This was your abortion, right? When was this?

Jane: This was my abortion. I had my abortion in 2011.

JG: Was it difficult for you to obtain the abortion?

Jane: It was fortunately not difficult for me to obtain the actual abortion itself. The clinic where I had my procedure has since been shut down. The only way a woman could have an abortion now would be to travel to the nearest city, over an hour away.

JG: What would you have done if you weren’t allowed an abortion?

Jane: This is a really tough question. Honestly, I would have done everything in my power to obtain a safe abortion. I would have contacted organizations such as Women on Waves or Women on Web and sought them out to have the procedure done in the safest manner possible to my body. If this pursuit turned up with no results, I would have given my child up for adoption.

JG: Some states have passed laws requiring women to see images of their fetus and they’re requiring counseling for women who are about to have an abortion. Would you be willing to volunteer your images for these women? It seems that your experience is quite real and certainly worth sharing.

Jane: Absolutely. If I had the money, I would print them up myself and donate them to organizations such as Planned Parenthood, medical clinics, and to be given to decision-makers who are facing legislation on women’s health. It is hard to find a fair, well balanced knowledge base on abortion. I’m just offering another perspective to the common dead fetus imagery and rhetoric. Everyone has their story and has a right to it. This one is mine. We learn from sharing with one another. It is my hope that ThisIsMyAbortion.com can contribute to educating women and men alike. I believe that an informed individual can make the most sound decision for their life and body.

JG: There was never a time in my life that I thought that abortions would be made illegal or unsafe, not until a few years ago. Now I’m downright panicked about it. I look my daughter and I look at her friends and I hope none of them ever need an abortion but realistically I know that one of them probably will. It terrifies me to think that it might not be safe or legal for them. Do you worry that that we’re about to roll back the clock and make it dangerous to be a woman again?

Jane: I, like you, am tremendously worried about the direction we’re moving in this country. It seems we are already rolling the clock back. It’s easy to forget that in most places in the world it already is dangerous to be a woman. Women’s bodies are still being used as weapons in war. It is absolute lunacy to me that we still have to dig in the trenches as women to fight for the right to choose and to not only be and feel safe, but to be protected by our larger community. We must continue to demand rights for ourselves and for the future generations of men and women alike.

JG: Thank you for making this statement.