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I'm still trying to process...

By on July 2, 2022

By Crystal Andrus Morissette

I’ve had to sit for a number of days to process. I still feel wary of sending out this message because I know, without fail, I will ruffle some feathers, maybe even infuriate you or make you feel like you must leave my world because of my opinions. But as a women’s advocate and activist, I can’t sit on the sidelines after the overturning of Roe vs Wade.

It’s honestly irrelevant to tell you this, but I have never had an abortion. Nor have either of my daughters. Likewise, I haven’t helped a woman obtain an abortion, although I’ve coached many women who have had one or more. 

I share this because I was raised in a very pro-life family. “Abortion was murder—the ultimate sin,” I was taught. 

As I got older and became more independent, I faced excessive backlash from my family. Many of the women thought that feminists were ____________ (you can fill in the blank >> “anti-men, anti-God, too ambitious, destroying family values, less moral, sexually irresponsible, selfish, etc., but mostly, pro-abortion.)

Note: Not pro-choice but rather pro-abortion. 

When I became a woman’s empowerment coach, I immersed myself in the psychology of women—learning about the many issues women face from poverty, sexual abuse and harassment, unwanted pregnancies, childcare issues, ageism, physical + emotional abuse, the sexualization of girls, weight + body image, unequal pay, racism, sexism, chauvinism, and so on. 

And the more empowered I became and shared my views, the more critical they became of me. 

They scared me, to be honest. 

But how do we, empowered women, speak our truth if we are too afraid to make others uncomfortable? Too scared to be silenced, shot down, judged, scolded, or ostracized? 

How will we ever have the capacity to talk about the real issues that matter to us if we’re terrified of the backlash? The haters. The keyboard bullies. Maybe even our own family. ?

Recently, when I interviewed Pat Mitchell, a worldwide leader in the women’s movement, I lost followers, and some students opted out of my courses. It shocked me. How could this incredible conversation with a 79-year-old woman shake women up this much?

And again, I wondered what the average woman just trying to make a living and raise a happy family would do with these feelings of rejection and criticism? 

The answer was obvious: She’d stay quiet. She wouldn’t rock the boat. She certainly wouldn’t post about her beliefs publicly. She might even numb out, turn off, or disengage from the conversation entirely. It’s just not worth it, she might tell herself.

And yet, my request today is simple: Educate yourself about the facts of abortion. So here are just a few myths I thought I’d share:

 MYTH: Women have abortions for selfish or frivolous reasons. ❌

The decision to have an abortion is rarely simple. Most women base their decision on several factors, the most common being lack of money and/or unreadiness to start or expand their families due to existing responsibilities. Many feel that the most responsible course of action is to wait until their situation is more suited to childrearing; 66% plan to have children when they are older, financially able to provide necessities for them, and/or in a supportive relationship with a partner so their children will have two parents. Others wanted to get pregnant but developed serious medical problems, learned that the fetus had severe abnormalities, or experienced some other personal crisis. About 13,000 women each year have abortions because they have become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. 

MYTH: Women are using abortion as a method of birth control. ❌

In fact, half of all women getting abortions report that contraception was used during the month they became pregnant. Some of these couples had used the method improperly; some had forgotten or neglected to use it on the particular occasion they conceived; and some had used a contraceptive that failed. No contraceptive method prevents pregnancy 100% of the time. If abortion were used as a primary method of birth control, a typical woman would have at least two or three pregnancies per year — 30 or more during her lifetime. In fact, most women who have abortions have had no previous abortions (52%) or only one previous abortion (26%). Considering that most women are fertile for over 30 years, and that birth control is not perfect, the likelihood of having one or two unintended pregnancies is very high.

MYTH: Women often wait until the second or third trimester before having an abortion. ❌

Most abortions (88%) are obtained in the first trimester of pregnancy. In fact, over half of all abortions are obtained within the first 8 weeks. Fewer than 2% occur at 21 weeks or later.

You can learn more here.

So what are the solutions? 

  1. Stand for women. Period. Stand united.
  2. Vote, vote, vote, especially at state-level elections. 
  3. Be a part of the bigger conversation. Share your story. Once more people realize that each year, almost half of all pregnancies among American women are unintended, and about half of these unplanned pregnancies, 1.3 million each year, are ended by abortion.
  4. Watch this amazing conversation I had with Pat Mitchell, where we talked about becoming Dangerous Women–including Roe vs Wade.

It is the only way we can change the rules moving forward for the next generation of women. Our daughters and their daughters are counting on us.

********

CrystalFounder2

Crystal Andrus Morissette, Founder Simply Woman Magazine

From life as a homeless teen to coaching A-List celebrities, from having abs of steel and the Miss Galaxy to weighing over 200 pounds after having babies, Emotional Age and Communication Expert Crystal Andrus Morissette is a worldwide leader in the field of self-discovery and personal transformation. A media darling, she has been featured numerous times on Oprah.com, the New York Post, Fox TV, the Daily Mail, CBS Radio, CTV, CityTV, Global TV, Slice TV, the Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star. Crystal is the founder of the S.W.A.T. Institute (Simply Woman Accredited Trainer), an empowerment coach certification exclusively for women that she created with fellow female visionaries Louise Hay, Marianne Williamson, Colette Baron-Reid, and Sandra Anne Taylor among others. Established in 2009, the S.W.A.T. Institute is now in over 30 countries.

Crystal is the author of five best-selling books, including her latest release entitled, “Simply…Woman: Stories from 30 magnificent women who have risen against the odds!” She is also certified in nutrition, sports medicine, and yoga.

Crystal’s message of resilience, strength, and inner power has allowed her to grace the stage with speakers such as Dr. Phil, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Naomi Judd, Suze Orman, Marianne Williamson, Louise Hay, Dr. Joan Borysenko, Debbie Ford, Sarah Ferguson—Duchess of York, and many more. Crystal has coached women from all walks of life including A-list celebrities, best-selling authors, scientists, doctors, dentists, and lawyers to stay-at-home moms and struggling teens. Her passion is to get down in the trenches and help people become the (s)heroes of their own lives.

www.crystalandrusmorissette.com | www.swatinstitute.com

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