No matter where you find yourself on the political spectrum, abortion is an incredibly polarizing topic. This issue isn’t as black and white as both sides make it seem. It’s complicated and nuanced. But often, we leave no space for women (and men) to openly discuss their complicated stories around abortion, or for others to listen with open minds and hearts. We’ve created such a stigma around this issue that it becomes easy to lose sight of the real people among us with real stories. These stories are often kept secret, but secrets make us sick.

I want to create a space for people who have experienced abortion to come together to tell their stories without shame or fear of judgement. Not a space to judge and argue right and wrong, but simply a space to be – to be seen – to see others – to see ourselves. As Brené Brown says, “People are hard to hate close up…move in.”

I’ll open the conversation by sharing my own story and then inviting others to share theirs. Topics for discussion include: the pro-life movement’s hyper-focus on the pregnancy and not the woman; the effects of evangelical purity culture; the need for authentic sex education; the shame created by the church around sexuality; the lack of female empowerment; the ways in which the church has weaponized shame and the abortion issue; how women are shamed for having sadness or grief about their experiences with abortion (which can be quite common regardless of ones beliefs); the damaging effects of disenfranchised grief; and how even women who are totally fine with their decision still find it hard to share their stories with others due to the stigma placed by our culture.