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Narratives
"The moment we start to share our stories is the moment society’s attitude starts to shift." -Amy

Individual Stories From Women

Across The World 
Nop Sreynet Amy
Cambodia  United
Kingdom 

Image of Nop Sreynet from MSI Image of Amy from MSI Reproductive
Reproductive Choices. Public Domain.  Choices. Public Domain. 

I am 27 years old and have three daughters. My
oldest is eight years old, the second is four and
the youngest is only one and a half. I had an
abortion with MSI Cambodia last year after an
unintended pregnancy.
I was in a position where I still had to take care of
my youngest daughter who was still very young
and still breastfeeding, so I couldn’t have another
baby. I discussed the decision with my husband
and my grandmother, and they were both very
supportive of my decision.
When I was younger, I knew nothing about
abortion, or what to do if I became pregnant. I
only learned more after coming to MSI. But
discussion about abortion is becoming more
acceptable in our society.
I found out I was pregnant when I was at college –
my contraception had failed. And I knew straight
away that I wanted to have an abortion. I had big
plans and children weren’t part of them.
Even though I was completely confident in my
choice to have an abortion, I only told a few
people at the time. Looking back, I did feel
silenced, simply because it wasn’t something
people spoke about.
As I grew older, I started to realize that I wasn’t
ashamed of my abortion. Lately I've started to tell
more people about it. It’s so important that
people are able to talk openly about abortion. I
know if I heard my friends, family or teachers talk
more openly about abortion I would have felt less
alone in my choice.

Women need to be able to speak openly about The moment we start to share our stories is the
abortion without being criticized. People moment society’s attitude starts to shift. That’s
shouldn’t criticize those who have an abortion why I feel as though I have a duty to share
or generalize everyone who has an abortion as mine.
evil or inconsiderate. We don’t know about the “My Abortion Story.” Marie Stopes International,
https://www.msichoices.org/news-and-insights/stories/my-abortion-
situation or what each individual goes through. story/.
In my case, my life has gotten better after
deciding to have the abortion, because I am less
stressed about our financial situation.
“My Abortion Story.” Marie Stopes International,
https://www.msichoices.org/news-and-insights/stories/my-abortion-
story/.

Anonymous
Democratic Republic of
Congo: "Break the Taboo" 
Image of animated women from Medecins
Sans Frontieres Doctors Without Borders.
Public Domain. 

I felt changes in my body and realized I was pregnant. Because of the circumstances and other problems in my
life, I had to have an abortion.

It's difficult for me to provide for the children I already have—I make money by selling food and cigarettes on the
street, and from time to time by cleaning people’s houses. And my partner was not able or willing to support this
pregnancy.

I talked to some people I am close to who agreed to help me have an abortion. They showed me which herbs to
use and I drank them.

At first, nothing happened. After a few days I started to have pain. I started to bleed and I felt very weak. I
suffered a lot, so I went to a doctor. I had developed an infection. They removed what was left in my uterus and I
felt better.

Here, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, it is not easy to talk to people about something like this. I only
told some people what happened—but I can’t tell anyone else, not even my mother. If I tell anyone, they'll think
I'm a monster. In our culture, if you have an abortion people think you're a witch. So many women do it in secret
and it can be dangerous, or even kill them. This is what almost happened to me.

I would like us to break the taboo on abortion and treat people who have abortions as normal people.
“My Abortion Story.” Doctors Without Borders - USA, https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-stories/story/my-abortion-story.

Anonymous
India: "I made the
decision not have a
child for myself"
A week after finding out that I was pregnant, I
bought some medicine. However, that didn't
work, so I came to this clinic to get an abortion.
The day after I saw the doctor, I had the abortion.
I didn't tell anyone in my family. Nobody was
aware of my abortion [except my husband].
What's the point of telling anybody when all of
them will advise against abortion? So I made the
decision to not have a child for myself.
[After the abortion,] I felt really sad. It was like
giving away a part of my body. However, I forgot
about all the sadness and the hurt after looking at
the struggles and the pain I have experienced in
my life.
Anonymous
Mexico
Image of animated women holding a
heart from MSI Reproductive Choices.
Public Domain. 
I'm 30 years old and I've never wanted children.
Three months into living with my partner, who
also doesn't want children, we found out I was
pregnant. It was very upsetting because we took
precautions. We talked about it and decided to
continue with our plans—that is, to terminate the
pregnancy.
I wish all women could have this option and
although it is not an easy decision, I am grateful
to have found MSI.

Having a baby is not just about giving birth, it’s
about their upbringing, their education, and
everything else. Raising a child is a long-term
investment. I already have two children—a boy
At MSI, I was never judged, and the staff was
extremely kind to me at all times.
“My Abortion Story.” Marie Stopes International,
https://www.msichoices.org/news-and-insights/stories/my-abortion-
story/.

and a girl—and I am grateful to have them in my

life. I decided not to bring a third child into this
world because we have a lot of financial
struggles. What's the point of raising a baby
when we can't provide the child with proper
nourishment?

Right now, my mother is funding my children's

education, but she is very old. I can't remain
dependent on my mother to help my kids. My
husband was supposed to provide this support.
That’s why I thought abortion was the best
solution.
“My Abortion Story.” Doctors Without Borders - USA,
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/news-
stories/story/my-abortion-story.