Podcast: Play in new window
“I didn’t want to be That Girl Who Had An Abortion, because I’m not… When you look at the statistics, there are many of those girls.”
We have so many conversations about abortion, but most of the time they’re abstract and political, they’re not about the lived experiences and choices of women who’ve terminated a pregnancy. A lot of the time it’s because those women are reluctant to put their head above the parapet.
This week on All The Best, we’re replaying an episode from 2014. We wanted to create a space for those conversations, a space for doubt, for relief, anger and even humour. A space for women’s stories.
And those stories are particularly relevant right now, as people renew the campaign to remove abortion from the crimes act in NSW. Because yeah, it’s still technically illegal. At the moment women in NSW can only access abortion because of a legal decision in 1971 which allows you to terminate a pregnancy if you can demonstrate harm to a woman’s physical or mental health. This month, you might notice a different kind of protester hanging around out the front of abortion clinics. They’re counter-picketing the people you’d usually find there, supporting the women who walk through as the 40 Days for Life campaign comes to an end on March 29.
Produced by Heidi Pett
Supervising Producer Kate Montague with assistance from Jess Bineth and Jess O’Callaghan
A special thanks to designer and illustrator Leah Goren for the use of her beautiful artwork. There’s heaps more on her site.
Music Credits: ‘Cauliflower Jack’ by Caitlin Park, ‘How’s Your Wife?’ by Caitlin Park
Presenters: Michaela Morgan and Pip Rasmussen
Executive Producers: Heidi Pett & Jess O’Callaghan