As Americans gathered around the dinner table with loved ones this Thanksgiving, one liberal magazine shared stories from women who say they are thankful for having had abortions.
The Nation published the article Thursday morning titled “We’re Thankful for our Abortions.” In it, writer Nikiya Natale interviews women who say having had an abortion (in some cases more than one) has given them opportunities in life they wouldn’t have otherwise had.
McKayla Wolff, left, and Karen Wolff, right, joined hands as they rallied for abortion rights at the capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Sunday, July 17, 2022. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images) (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune)
The writer counters those who say they are pro-choice, but that abortions are not to be celebrating, insisting she is thankful “for both of my abortions.” She says her abortions have allowed her to plan for a pregnancy and have a child on her own terms.
Another woman from New Jersey tells her that having multiple abortions has allowed her to finish college and start a small business.
“I have deep gratitude that I was able to make a decision that was good for me,” she says.
Another woman, from Virginia, says she was so grateful for the safe abortion care she received that she returned to the clinic two weeks later and applied for a job. She told the staff that she wanted to be “somebody’s person” to help patients conflicted about the “stigma against multiple abortions.”
“From then on I realized I needed to celebrate my life, my abortions, and how thankful I was for each abortion I had,” she says, lamenting: “Why can’t there be an abortion narrative where people are happy, had choice, and created the life that they wanted?”
Another woman from Los Angeles says she received two abortions – one from a toxic relationship and the other after her first child, when she realized the “full-time responsibilities and economic implications of raising a child.”
A group of anti-abortion protesters crashes the Women’s March Action Rally for Reproductive Rights at Mariachi Plaza in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 8, 2022. (David McNew/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman from Texas says she had her first abortion at 21 and her second after she became pregnant eight years later. She says that although her first abortion had given her opportunities she wouldn’t have had otherwise, she still didn’t want to be a parent.
“I struggled through the morning sickness and the realization that some part of me still believed abortions had to be justified,” she says.
The women shared advice on how to break the news to their loved ones who may be pro-life. One said it’s best to not be worried about “being gentle with others and focus more on trusting ourselves.”
Abortion has loomed large over the national discourse since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in late June, overturning the landmark 1973 ruling, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion at the federal level.
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The Democratic Party lacks the power to codify abortion rights into federal law, having just lost the House of Representatives to Republicans. That puts the abortion debate squarely on the states to navigate and rework the patchwork of laws that have been in place since Roe.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
