Why do women, as a collective group, value abortion so much? It used to be that those who supported abortion at least pretended they were approaching it from a “keep it safe, keep it legal, and keep it rare” mentality. Today abortion has become a pillar of political campaigns and government policy.

​​

Although framed as a symbol of empowerment, abortion is actually a symptom of experiences women are having - experiences that we need to care about and address as a part of a larger conversation on abortion.

​

Consider the following:

 

• According to the Social Sciences and Research Council, 20-25% of girls are sexually abused before the age of 18.

 

• 30% of Canadian women have reported being sexually assaulted at least once since the age of 15, and 1 in 17 women will be raped. These numbers are grossly underreported. Less than 10% of cases are reported to the police.

 

• 44% of women have experienced intimate partner violence in their life.

 

• According to Public Safety Canada, 94% of victims of police-reported human trafficking were women and girls.

 

When we see information like this, it helps us understand why having a symbol of empowerment is important to women. And in a society where there is a complete lack of education about the realities of abortion, abortion has become that symbol.

 

Recognizing this can help us be more effective as we have conversations about abortion. We can understand and care about why women support abortion, while sharing that abortion perpetuates the cycles of violence and mistreatment women are seeking to end.