How attitudes to abortion have changed through the ages: a personal and historical reckoning
By
Erin Maglaque
Summary
A deeply personal and historical exploration of abortion, weaving the author's own experience of having an abortion with a broader cultural and historical analysis of how societies have understood pregnancy termination. The piece argues that the modern abortion debate — framed in abstract language of 'life,' 'choice,' and 'rights' — severs women from the embodied, painful, and complex reality of abortion. Drawing on historical accounts, literature, and art, the author contends that remembering the physical and emotional weight of abortion, rather than forgetting or abstracting it, is essential to understanding women's experiences across time.
Source
bskyHow attitudes to abortion have changed through the ages: a personal and historical reckoningtheguardian.comKey quotes
· 4 pulledI thought having an abortion would feel like the exercise of the hard-won autonomy of generations of women before me. Instead, it felt like being broken open.
It is comforting to be haunted. It means that the dead are not forgotten.
The language of life, choice and rights severs women, and their pain, from history.
I don't want to forget my abortion and I don't want to forget theirs.
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