Most mainstream women’s magazines are nothing but retrograde junk food for the mind, but Glamour tends to be ahead of the curve when it comes to treating women like people with brains and addressing serious women’s issues (once in a while). One piece in the February issue called for more open and honest dialogue about women’s experiences with abortion. The article featured different women’s stories, along with a few points of advice on making informed reproductive decisions.
When you consider that abortion is one of the most commonly performed medical procedures on women, the culture of silence and shame is just that much more depressing. One in three women will have an abortion during her lifetime, but she will almost never encounter the word in a women’s magazine. Every once in a while, Glamour or Marie Clare will briefly mention a new abortion regulation, or list political candidates’ stances on choice. I imagine they’re not eager to go beyond that because there are so many anti-choice women out there who’d be offended by the implication that safe and legal abortion is vital to women’s health and lives.
Kudos to Glamour for acknowledging women who’ve had abortions and treating them like human beings with stories worth telling (and hearing).
I think that slowly, this may be the direction more women’s magazines go (sadly, I doubt Cosmo will be on this bandwagon) – where women’s opinions are valued a little more than their pocketbook…. or issues with the scale.
Vogue did an article a year ago? where a woman discussed having to have an abortion because of complications during pregnancy. It was incredibly touching, informative and strong. She made no apologies. She went on to talk about her next successful pregnancy and the effect the previous one had on it. It brought me to tears, it was so beautiful and honest. And it was in Vogue!
Please, oh, please let this be a trend!
(and maybe I should give Glamour a second chance?)
Self magazine had a very good piece last year about a woman who got a late-term abortion due to fetal deformity or something like that. It was really good and I was shocked to come across it. Naturally, the magazine got a ton of letters of criticism for it’s “pro-abortion” stance. :/
Someone has to start the discussion! Good for Self!
Good articles are like good art. There’s no point if someone doesn’t feel differently afterward.