On Christmas Day, of all the times, the analysis group FiveThirtyEight posed a question on Twitter. They wanted to know if anyone had any abortion stories to share with their data team.
The site tweeted, “Do you have an abortion story? We want to hear from you,” with a link to an article on the site.
The article explained: “Nearly 1 in 4 American women will have an abortion before the age of 45. But over the past decade, access to abortion in America has changed dramatically. There are fewer clinics and more restrictions. And now it seems likely that the Supreme Court will limit the right to abortion even further. As we document the impact of these shifts, we want to include the voices of people who have had abortions in the U.S.”
It went on to ask people to complete a form if they have “had an abortion and are willing to share [their] experiences.”
The article concluded, “We know that this can be a sensitive topic, so none of your personal information will be published without your consent.”
The form meant for users to fill out asked questions like, “About how far along were you in your pregnancy when you had the abortion?” and where the women lived at the time. Even asking “How did your decision to have an abortion affect your life?” and “Did you have to pay out of pocket for the abortion? If so, how affordable was it for you?”
But, it’s the responses the outlet got back on Twitter that I found intriguing. On Twitter, the responses poured in, but a vast number of them were stories about people who had either had an abortion and regretted it, or had chosen life.
One user explained how he (and his church?) prevented one abortion on Good Friday:
“On Good Friday years ago, about 30 of us carrying large crosses walked 7 times around an abortion clinic in Dallas. A young woman inside saw us, came out weeping, & chose to keep her baby. The abortion clinic went out of business 6 months later & we held a worship service there.”
A woman told about her own abortion experince: “I found myself unexpectedly pregnant at the age of 22 in my last semester of college with my daughter. Her father and I decided to marry, and she is still the most unexpected blessing in our lives. I cannot imagine a world without her joyful presence.”
Do you have an abortion story? We want to hear from you. https://t.co/y6rFyFfnHt
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) December 25, 2021