#ShoutYourAbortion is a social media campaign where people share their

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 online without "sadness, shame or regret" for the purpose of "destigmatization, normalization, and putting an end to shame." Tens of thousands of people worldwide have shared their abortion experiences online using the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...

#ShoutYourAbortion. The Shout Your Abortion campaign was started on September 19, 2015, by American activists Lindy West, Amelia Bonow, and Kimberly Morrison, in response to efforts by the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

to defund

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

following the Planned Parenthood 2015 undercover videos controversy. The hashtag has received both positive and negative attention within social media and the mainstream media.

Background and origin

On September 18, 2015, the U.S House of Representatives passed legislation to suspend funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America for one year, pending investigation of allegations regarding Planned Parenthood's practices with respect to fetal organ and tissue donation. Shout Your Abortion co-founder Amelia Bonow reported she "cried all day" in response to the House of Representatives attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. On September 19, 2015, Bonow turned to social media, speaking out in defense of Planned Parenthood on her

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page. Bonow expressed gratitude for what she described as an "incredibly positive experience" of an abortion procedure she had at a Planned Parenthood facility and Bonow publicly discussed her abortion without "sadness, shame or regret". Two other activists, Lindy West and Kimberly Morrison, became involved. West took a screen shot of Bonow's Facebook post, added the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion, and then sent Bonow's Facebook post out to her over 60,000

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

followers with the introduction: "The campaign to defund PP relies on the assumption that abortion is something to be whispered about." An image of Kimberly Morrison's unshaved armpit with a tattoo that reads "fuck the

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

" was used as the logo for the Shout Your Abortion social media campaign. The hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion soon trended worldwide, including in the US, Australia, UK, and Ireland. On September 22, 2015, the #ShoutYourAbortion hashtag was used over 100,000 times in a 24-hour period. While 2015 is acknowledged as the start of #ShoutYourAbortion as a social media campaign, the efforts of

Sue Perlgut Sue Perlgut is a second-wave feminist who was a central figure in It's All Right To Be Woman Theatre, a women's theater collective founded in 1970 in New York City that operated without a director. Perlgut studied educational theatre and worked ...

and other second-wave feminists who suggested that women confess their abortions publicly provides historic precedent from the 1970s.

Support for abortion rights

Lindy West, Amelia Bonow, and Kimberly Morrison encouraged other women to share positive abortion experiences online using the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion in order to "denounce the stigma surrounding abortion." On September 19, 2015, West tweeted: "My abortion was in '10 & the career I've built since then fulfills me & makes me better able to care for kids I have now #ShoutYourAbortion." West said, "I set up #ShoutYourAbortion because I am not sorry and I will not whisper." Within days, tens of thousands of other women worldwide shared their personal abortion experiences. Tweets included: "I've never wanted to have children, so I had an abortion. I'm thriving, without guilt, without shame, without apologies. #ShoutYourAbortion"; "I've had 2 abortions. I don't have to justify or explain them to anybody. My life is more valuable than a potential life. #shoutyourabortion"; "In 1988 a late-term abortion got a teenage me back on track for college, career, & motherhood. #ShoutYourAbortion"; "My abortion was the most compassionate option for the baby and me. #ShoutYourAbortion", and "I had an abortion. My body, my life, my choice. End of story. #shoutyourabortion."

's executive vice present, Dawn Laguens, publicly supported the Shout Your Abortion social media campaign saying: "We're happy to see more and more people coming forward...these stories are a powerful reminder that women should never feel shamed or judged." In an interview with ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', Bonow expressed that perhaps she and her friends, whom Bonow described as "irreverent, foul-mouthed ladies" were better able than those currently inside the traditional abortion-rights organizations to talk frankly about their positive experiences with abortion. Within days of the launch of the social media campaign, Bonow was contacted by

NARAL Pro-Choice America NARAL Pro-Choice America, commonly known as simply NARAL ( ), is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization in the United States that engages in lobbying, political action, and advocacy efforts to oppose restrictions on abortion, to expand access to ...

and Planned Parenthood with advice for harnessing the current outpouring of attention in order to turn Shout Your Abortion into something bigger and more organized. In November 2015, an official Shout Your Abortion web site and

YouTube channel YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most v ...

were launched.

Criticism and backlash

In addition to positive abortion stories and support for the

abortion-rights movement Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as Pro-choice (term), pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have Abortion law, legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support wome ...

, the social media campaign received backlash and criticism as

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

activists also began using the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion to combat these beliefs.

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

reported: "it should surprise no one that this has turned into a bit of a fight." Anti-abortion activist

Gianna Jessen Gianna Jessen (born April 6, 1977) is an American anti-abortion activist. She was born during a failed instillation abortion attempt. The 2011 film ''October Baby'' was loosely based on Jessen's life. Early life Jessen was born April 6, 1977, in ...

tweeted: "My medical records: 'Born during saline abortion.' I didn't have an abortion. I Lived through one. #shoutyourabortion." Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin urged her Twitter followers to "Shout this LOUDER: #PPSellsBabyParts." Former Republican member of the House of Representatives, and 2012 presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said, "#ShoutYourAbortion gives a new meaning to

macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...

." Other critical tweets included: "When did making someone else pay dearly for your mistakes become empowerment for women? #shoutyourabortion"; "All of humanity past and present looks upon what has become of modern feminism and shakes its head in disgust & disbelief #shoutyourabortion"; and "All great genocides start by dehumanizing the victim. #ShoutYourAbortion." Other Tweets included: "I am pro choice. However, abortion is a difficult decision and not something to 'shout' about."; "Ladies there are so many wonderful ways to celebrate being a strong independent & intelligent woman, #ShoutYourAbortion is not one of them."; and "Regardless of your stance on abortion, why can't we all agree it's not something to brag about?" On Twitter, the hashtag #ShoutYourAdoption was created in response to #ShoutYourAbortion, to promote

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

instead of abortion. In response to online criticism, actress

Martha Plimpton Martha Plimpton (born November 16, 1970) is an American actress. Her feature-film debut was in '' Rollover'' (1981); she subsequently rose to prominence in the Richard Donner film ''The Goonies'' (1985). She has also appeared in '' The Mosquito ...

, co-founder of the abortion rights organization ''"A is for"'' created a "

Mean Tweets ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's lead ...

" style video along with comedian Margaret Cho and other prominent contributors to the Shout Your Abortion social media campaign. The video shows the women "laughing off the

trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

" on Twitter. Critical tweets included: threats, references to racism, and calling the women "baby killers".

Media attention

Media responses to the Shout Your Abortion social media campaign were mixed.

Mic.com Mic is an American internet and media company based in New York City that caters to millennials. Originally known as PolicyMic, it rose to prominence after its on-the-ground coverage of the Tunisian Revolution in 2011. In April 2014, the co ...

, a media company focused on

millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...

described Shout Your Abortion as Twitter users "bravely fighting stigma in the most inspiring way". Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Shout Your Abortion co-founder Lindy West said, "there are no 'good' abortions and 'bad' abortions, because an abortion is just a medical procedure" and "a foetus is not a person."

Ian O'Doherty Ian O'Doherty (born November 1971) is an opinion columnist. He works for the ''Irish Independent'', where the Press Ombudsman had upheld criticism of several of his articles. He previously worked for the ''Evening Herald'' and ''Hot Press''. E ...

writing for ''

The Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Republic of Ireland, Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditional ...

'' commented on the social media campaign saying abortion is "not really something to shout about" describing abortion as "the only medical procedure which deliberately ends a life", saying it can at best be described as "a necessary evil". O'Doherty said "abortion should be legal, safe and rare" concluding "it's not an act of patriarchial

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...

to say that." Writing for ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington (s ...

'', Nicole Brodeur commented that "If abortion is a political football, #ShoutYourAbortion is a

Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...

– women publicizing an extremely personal decision in order to save what they believe is every woman's right." Writing for Jezebel, Shout Your Abortion co-founder Amelia Bonow summarized the social media campaign by saying: "they can't figure out how to shut us up" furthering, "there are too goddamned many of us and you cannot reverse a viral shift in cultural consciousness. " Co-founder Lindy West said that getting the discussion out in public is the whole point of the social media campaign, saying: "you never have to feel ashamed of your personal medical decisions," "You can speak about them at full volume." Shout Your Abortion was described as marking a significant tonal shift in the cultural conversation about abortion in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', by Caitlin Gibson. She described Shout Your Abortion as a shift away from describing abortion as a less-than-desirable outcome and a distancing from

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

's frequently-quoted 2008 remark that abortion should be "safe, legal and rare", saying the campaign moves the discussion away from extreme cases involving

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...

, medical emergencies or severe birth defects.

Book

''Shout Your Abortion'' (2018,

PM Press PM Press is an independent publisher, founded in 2007, that specializes in radical, Marxist and anarchist literature, as well as crime fiction, graphic novels, music CDs, and political documentaries. It has offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

): Amelia Bonow (Editor),

Emily Nokes Emily Nokes is a writer, artist, music critic and musician. She has been the singer of the feminist pop-punk band Tacocat since 2007. She is also the music editor for Bust Magazine, and the former music editor at The Stranger from 2012 to 2015. ...

(Editor), Lindy West (Foreword). The book is a compilation of photos, stories, interviews with abortion providers, and examples of the artwork created through the movement. The stories come from all over the country to provide a comprehensive lens into what it's like to get an abortion in the US.

2019: #YouKnowMe

The

You Know Me Movement The You Know Me movement is a 2019 movement by abortion rights advocates in the United States to fight abortion stigma. A similar campaign and movement from 2015 is called #ShoutYourAbortion. The You Know Me movement is an American response th ...

is a similar 2019 internet movement against

stigma and a response to the

Fetal heartbeat bill A six-week abortion ban or early abortion ban, called a "heartbeat bill" or "fetal heartbeat bill" by proponents, is a form of abortion restriction legislation in the United States. These bans make abortion illegal as early as six weeks gestatio ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, specifically the passing of anti-abortion laws in 2019 in

Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina; to the northeast by South Carolina; to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; to the south by ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

References

External links

Official website - Shout Your Abortion

Postings to #ShoutYourAbortion
on

My abortion made me happy: The story that started the #shoutyourabortion movement
- Shout Your Abortion co-founder Amelia Bonow's story published by

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

Abortion Tweet Theater
by ''A is for''
#ShoutYourAbortion Co-Founder Discusses Hairy Armpits and Fighting Stigma
- published by KQED Arts {{Portal bar, Feminism, Human sexuality, Internet, Society Abortion-rights movement Hashtags 2015 in women's history 21st-century social movements Internet-based activism Social media campaigns