Abortion: A Code of Silence

In the fourth episode of The Power of Choice, we explore the highly sensitive subject of terminating a pregnancy or having an abortion. I interviewed Millie, who has had three terminations and Zara, who is in her 80's and reflects back on the process leading up to her decision to have a termination. My interviews with Millie and Zara are incredibly emotional and revealed a code of silence surrounding this topic. Both my guests experienced a lack of support before and after their terminations which they both described as having left them with a sense of loneliness.  As the interviews progressed, my guests both shared that whilst many people acknowledged their right to choose and openly spoke about it, they were equally reluctant to delve deeper.The code of silence experienced by my two guests, and supported by my guest interviewer, Suzi, left me saddened at how we have failed to support women particularly given that  Amnesty International data states that one in four pregnancies globally end in a termination.Ultimately, this episode aimed to foster an open and transparent dialogue around this emotive and deeply personal area. By doing so we hope to encourage understanding, support and compassion for women facing this difficult choice.