abortion is a breakdown in community.
“When things are going good, everyone’s gonna be around. But when things aren’t so good, what happens?” — Heard in Portland
The Voices Docuseries
Learn the true story of unplanned pregnancy in America, told by the people who know it best.
“Being 18 and pregnant is just really the worst thing that could happen to someone growing up where I did.” – Heard in LA
Friends
1 in 2 pregnancies are unplanned, but no one really talks about unplanned pregnancy or abortion. Behind the name-calling, the debate, and the bad advice are real people walking through one of the most challenging experiences of their lives.
As friends, we have the power to listen compassionately first, honestly share what we believe is in their best interest, and then have their back no matter what they decide.
Empowering support is never easy, but it changes everything.
“He said it wasn’t his. He was like, ‘I guess you probably should go find your child’s father.'” – Heard in Phoenix
Partners
31% of women who get abortions do so for partner-related reasons. Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, the rate of fatherlessness has doubled in the US.
Today, there are 24.7M US children living absent from their biological fathers, putting them significantly more at risk for incarceration, poverty, and unplanned pregnancy.
It’s time to break the cycle of fatherlessness and empower men everywhere to #standbyher.
Parents
25% of women who get abortions in this country do so because they didn’t want the people in their lives to know they had sex or got pregnant. It is often in this moment of great uncertainty and shame that many women feel the most disconnected from their parents.
As parents, it is crucial we make it known to our daughters (and our sons) that unplanned pregnancy is something we’re willing to face together.
Nobody can be strong alone.
“At my age, there can be lots of problems. Not only could I have a child, but it could be handicapped or something…that’s a lot of responsibility.” – Heard in San Francisco
medical professionals
67% of pregnancies prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome in the US end in abortion. When medical professionals deliver the diagnosis to parents, they often do so in a way that is full of negativity and inaccurate information.
This leaves parents feeling overwhelmed and fearful. It’s time to equip medical professionals to deliver the diagnosis in a way that empowers parents to embrace this new journey.
Every person’s life has dignity and worth! #ExtraordinaryHuman
Employers
Only 12% of working women in America have access to paid maternity leave, and the number is far lower for women working low income jobs, who need their jobs to pay the bills every month.
Every year, 21% of women who get abortions do so because they “can’t leave their job to take care of a baby.”
We need employers who implement pro-mom workplace policies, so nobody has to make a choice between their job and their child.
“A lot of people would tease [my sister] and taunt her. In school one time, a boy came up and threw a basketball at her when she was about eight months pregnant and told her that he wished that her baby would die. It was really hard to watch.” – Heard in LA
Schools
38% of women who get abortions do so because “having a baby would interfere with their education.” From morning sickness to gossip to bullying, pregnant teenagers face overwhelming challenges in school.
We need school administrators who make an effort to help pregnant high schoolers graduate. We need classmates who shut down school gossip. And we need teachers who empower their students to go get the bright future that awaits them.
It’s time for a #standbyher revolution on our campuses.
Love > Fear
Community puts love back in control.
Facing unplanned pregnancy can be a traumatic experience. According to prominent psychiatrists like Bessel Van Der Kolk, experiences that don’t seem inherently traumatic often are when we don’t have the right support—disconnected from our parents who can’t find out, from our friends who will judge us, from our partners who might not stick around, and from the human growing inside us.
When we experience this degree of disconnection, our fight, flight or freeze instincts are activated. This causes the rational decision-maker part of our brains to be unengaged. And the survival decision-maker takes over. In other words, we make decisions out of fear. Fear is the state of mind where we feel alone and where the challenges that await us are so great that we are dominated by them. In this mental state, we can’t make decisions out of love.
Love is the power to rationally seek after what’s best for ourselves and for others. But here’s the thing—humans are incapable of making decisions out of love, unless someone has shown love to them. As her community, we have the power to put love back in control.
This is where you come in.
Join the #standbyher movement & invest in lasting change.
Anything’s Possible with the right people beside you.
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