Sharing your abortion story is a transformative act.

Keep in mind that abortion is a different experience for everyone. Please speak from your own experience and avoid generalizing statements. For example: “abortion was a difficult choice for me,” as opposed to “abortion is a difficult choice.”

People all over the world use abortion pills to end their own pregnancies, often outside of a medical environment. This is sometimes referred to as “self-managed abortion,” or SMA. Abortion laws in the United States are rapidly shifting and some people have been criminalized for taking abortion pills. Speaking publicly about self-managed abortion could increase legal risk, and we will be extra cautious about sharing these kinds of stories. Learn more about legal risk and SMA via our friends at Repro Legal Helpline.

Please be aware of gender generalizations when telling your abortion story. People across the gender spectrum need and have abortions. SYA strives to use gender-neutral language when possible and we invite you to do the same. One example is simply saying “people who need abortions” rather than “women.” Join us in creating a movement that honors the experiences and identities of all people who have abortions! If we only talk about women, we’re just not being accurate.

Lastly, we recommend writing your story in a text editor like Word or TextEdit if you can, and then copy/pasting it into the upload form. This way your story won’t get lost if your computer or phone freezes in the middle of the process.

Thank you!