Abortion Is a Real Experience, Not a Political Tool

March 3, 2015 / empathize this

Originally published on Emphathize This and cross-posted here with their permission.

The use of abortion as a political tool is a long-standing feminist issue that we must continue to take seriously.

This comic addresses how taking people’s stories away from them to use as political fodder is hurtful, irritating, and ignorant.

We reserve the right to discuss our own lived experiences of abortion in order to spread truth, rather than fear-mongering.

With Love,

The Editors at Everyday Feminism

Click for the Transcript

Panel 1 – Text: 1 in 3 women* will have an abortion in their lifetime. I am one of these women. *Stats including trans-men are not available. (The narrator stands in the middle of a large group of women.)

Panel 2 – Text: But in the public sphere… (Three older men are shown looking down on and pointing down at a a group of women). Man 1: “Monsters!” Man 2: “I know what God thinks, and He disapproves!” Man 3: “MURDERERS!”

Panel 3 – Text: It’s hurtful, irritating, and ignorant. (The narrator is standing alone and clutching her arms, darkness surrounding her.) Text: The anxiety of tests. The pressure from family and your partner. [Judgmental] eyes from the doctor who’s supposed to help. The understanding and care from an excellent counsellor. The cramps, the pain, the blood. The hormonal roller coaster, the vomiting. The friends who sit with you for hours in support. The fear. The gratitude. The sense of pride in choosing the best decision.

There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about my experience.

(The narrator is standing with her elbows bent and hands held out in opposite directions). She says, “Why is it taboo for [women] to talk about their own lived experience? Why do old white men dominate the conversation? Without understanding what it’s like, we cannot make good decisions.”

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Empathize This develops comics based on audience-submitted stories about how prejudice and hardship affect their lives. They believe that a visual element helps some people understand a story better, that having the comic can help drive the narrative’s point home. Please follow them on twitter at @empathizethis.