Abortion Actually (Abortion Support South Africa, Women on Web, Shout Your Abortion and Abortion, with love; funded by inroads) is a multinational collaboration working to demystify the abortion process by making and sharing images and audio of abortion as it is, actually.

We are looking for folks who want to share their abortion process experience with the world. Participants will create short audio or video content documenting their abortion using their mobile phone or other equipment they have. Submissions will be shared on the Abortion Actually website and some Abortion Actually social media platforms.

We believe that the new frontier in abortion stigma is the abortion process itself. For many of us, the first time we learn what an Abortion Actually entails is when we are confronted with the decision of whether or not to end a pregnancy. Conversations around abortion rarely focus on the practical or physical aspects of doing an abortion.

We want to demystify abortion by bringing process stories to the forefront. Self-reported pain, pads, friends by the couch, blood, emotions (good and bad), comfort foods, hot water bottles and work the next day help us understand what an abortion is. We can normalize abortion by creating narratives that reflect the realities of everyday people doing an abortion at home.

We would appreciate your help spreading the word that we are recruiting for content submissions. You can do this either by posting on your social media accounts or letting your networks know.

🌼 Recruitment Materials: Visit our Instagram page to repost graphics and other info.

🌼 Support: Our team do not record video or audio. We provide support for participants to record their abortion process themselves using their mobile phone or other equipment they have. We provide each participant with a toolkit filled with prompts, tips, and technical and security guidance for audio recording and/or filming their abortion experience. We can answer any technical questions a participant has and can help edit any raw footage or audio. 

🌼 This project is looking at what happens on the day of the abortion. We want to show what the abortion process is like for those doing an abortion at home: pain, pads, friends by the couch, blood, emotions (good and bad), comfort foods, hot water bottles and work the next day.  Many people experience difficulties accessing abortion and stigma around their sexual and reproductive health; however this project hopes to show the abortion process itself. All stories are unique but you can see one of our videos here for ideas.

🌼 Language: We can answer questions in Spanish and English only unfortunately. Editing help can only be provided for content recorded in Spanish and English but we can accept already edited and complete files in any language. 

🌼 Security: Sharing abortion stories is incredibly powerful. However, please consider the legal, digital, and other risks when sharing your story online. Once something is uploaded to the internet, people worldwide can see it, share it, download it, and use it. It is almost impossible to be completely anonymous online. Visit digitaldefensefund.org/learn/threat-modeling from the Digital Defense Fund for tips on identifying threats.

🌼 If you or someone you know is interested in participating and are having a pill abortion soon, we invite you to email story@abortionsupport.co.za for more information. Submissions are accepted until 1 November 2023

Warm regards,

Team Abortion Actually