I'm Not Sorry.net was a

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

created by Patricia Beninato, that collected stories concerning women's positive

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

experiences. As of July 2010, the site contained over 900 stories.

History

I'm Not Sorry.net was created by Patricia Beninato, a customer service representative from

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

,LaFay, Laura. (n.d.).
The Long Fight
" '' Style Weekly.'' Retrieved October 15, 2007. Baumgardner, Jennifer. (February 2, 2004).
We're Not Sorry, Charlie
" ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

.'' Retrieved October 15, 2006.Pollitt, Katha. (April 21, 2003).
In The Waiting Room
" ''

.'' Retrieved October 16, 2007. who stated that she got the idea in a chat room discussion on the 30th anniversary of ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...

''. The hesitancy to openly talk about abortion in a positive context during the chat session suggested to Beninato that members of the pro-choice movement were tacitly agreeing with pro-lifers that abortion is a damaging experience.Bader, Eleanor J. (July 21, 2003).
Moving on Just Fine
." '' In These Times.'' Retrieved October 15, 2007. After searching the Internet for post-abortion accounts, and finding only pro-life services which offered regret counseling, Beninato decided to set up a website on which women satisfied with their decision to abort could share their stories. A week after the online discussion that served as motivation, the site launched on January 29, 2003. Beninato initially solicited stories on an

Internet forum An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...

, but after a few months, as awareness of the site spread via word-of-mouth, she began receiving regular submissions. Beninato

blogged A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...

that she was originally from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and lived in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

before moving to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in 2000. She is married and has no children, by choice. Per the site she was briefly an abortion clinic escort in the 1980s.About INS
" (n.d.). ''I'mNotSorry.Net.'' Retrieved February 9, 2008.

Site features

In addition to personal accounts, I'm Not Sorry.net features a FAQ section, which seeks to answer questions posed by pro-life visitors. In April 2005, Beninato created a companion

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

for the site in which she addressed various pro-choice issues and explained the site.I'mNotSorry.net blog
" (n.d.). ''I'mNotSorry.net.'' Retrieved October 16, 2007. Publicity comes primarily from word-of-mouth, blog mentions and clinic referrals, as Beninato does not accept advertising either on the site or the blog.
" (n.d.). ''I'mNotSorry.Net.'' Retrieved January 30, 2008. Rumors held that a collection of stories might be published as a book, as Beninato, who had originally said that she felt the accounts were more powerful online, stated that a book was "an idea that's been broached to me a few times". Later, she stated that mainstream publishers showed no interest and she felt that such a book would be a "vanity project." Beninato stated that the story of her own abortion was also included under a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, as she did not wish for people visiting the site to focus exclusively on her experience.

Reaction

I'm Not Sorry.net received attention in the media, as Beninato made a television appearance on the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

newsmagazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...

'' The National'' in February 2005 and gave interviews to publications including ''

'' and ''

Glamour Glamour may refer to: Arts Film * ''Glamour'' (1931 film), a British film * ''Glamour'' (1934 film), an American film * ''Glamour'' (2000 film), a Hungarian film Writing * ''Glamour'' (magazine), a magazine for women * ''The Glamour ...

''. Reactions to I'm Not Sorry.net are mixed. Laura Barcella, writing for

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

in 2004, noted I'm Not Sorry.net as one of several projects that allowed women to "frankly describe their abortions" and observed that the site "appears to be a reflection of the classic

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

credo 'abortion on demand, without apology'".

Lynn Vincent Lynn Vincent (born 1962) is an American writer, journalist, and author or co-author of 12 books. Vincent's work focuses on memoirs, history, and narrative nonfiction. In 2022 she was appointed as the executive editor of ''WORLD'' magazine. Her ...

, who interviewed Beninato for ''World'' magazine in 2005, questioned whether the site's policy of accepting anonymous submissions contradicted its stated goal of removing the secrecy often associated with abortion. Beninato replied that using only first names might help the pro-life side understand how personal the decision to abort is. Political writer

Judith Warner Judith Warner (born July 4, 1965) is an American writer. Warner is a senior fellow at American Progress, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Time.com as well as the author of a range of nonfiction books, amon ...

stated in an editorial published on her ''New York Times''-hosted blog, Domestic Disturbances, in 2006 that she did not think a site like I'm Not Sorry.net was "the best way to cement widespread support for a beleaguered movement", as she questioned whether it was reasonable to "

ake Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It's located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán. The name ...

a strident, casual, even callous tone on nissue" that is often very emotionally charged.Warner, Judith. (November 16, 2006).
Battles of Choice
" ''Domestic Disturbances.'' Retrieved October 16, 2007. Beninato blogged that the site does not get as much traffic from anti-abortion supporters as it did in its early days because it has become known that she does not debate abortion "and that makes me uninteresting to them".

References

External links

I'm Not Sorry.netI'm Not Sorry's blogWe Already Have An Abortion Pride Movement
{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm Not Sorry.Net Abortion in media Abortion-rights organizations in the United States American medical websites Internet properties established in 2003 Support groups

History

Site features

Reaction

See also

References

External links