Mothers have abortions
Consider this: 59% of abortions in the United States are obtained by women who already have children. Despite this, most depictions we see of abortion in the media portray women who don’t have kids. In our work around the world, we provide abortion care to many women with children — and this Mother’s Day, we want to share their stories. They have different reasons and different circumstances, but they all were able to make the best choice for their lives and futures.
Some women choose to have an abortion for their children’s well-being and futures. Siya*, an MSI client in India, ended an unwanted pregnancy to give her two young children more opportunities than she had. Her father died when she was young, and she was forced to end her education early and work in a garment factory. She and her husband knew they couldn’t afford a third child. After her abortion, Siya told us that she wants her children “to be educated and to stand on their own two feet.”
Mothers might also choose to have an abortion so that they can focus on their careers. An unintended pregnancy can force women out of the workplace, leading to negative consequences for them and their families. One of our clients in Mexico, Julia*, had an abortion for this reason. After having two kids, she was ready to focus on her career. “I work, I want to go back to school, and I feel that with two babies [this] would be more complicated,” she told us. “With only one son, I can still do both. Be a mom and keep studying.”
Other women come to MSI for an abortion to give them the space to focus on their families. Nop, a client in Cambodia, chose to have an abortion because she had a newborn daughter to care for.
“I had to take care of my youngest daughter, who is still very young and needed to be breastfed, so I couldn’t have another baby,” Nop told us. It wasn’t an easy decision, but having an abortion gave Nop more time to care for her daughter.
Whatever her reasons might be, a mother’s choice is just that — her choice. Abortion is a human right. Like all of us, mothers have the right to have an abortion, without judgment or restriction.
*name changed
