Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ashley Walker; (678) 990-9032, ext. 105, c: 404-791-9725 or
Christine Schicker; 404-610-8871
AFTER ABORTION WEB SITE DEBUTS ON NEW YORK SUBWAYS
New Outreach Unveils Transit Ads at Fordham University Forum
New York City, NY, September 12, 2008 – Abortion. It’s a word that grips us when we hear it—sometimes with anger, sometimes with fear, and oftentimes with pain. Most people avoid the subject. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, approximately 1 out of 3 women in the United States will have had an abortion by age 45. It’s fair to say that the majority of Americans have either had an abortion or know someone who has experienced one.
An outreach to those trying to make sense of their abortion experience away from judgments and debates has created stunning transit ads that will appear throughout the New York City subway system this fall. Recognizing that the New York City population largely uses mass transit for transportation, the Abortion Changes You outreach hopes to reach those who have been touched by abortion – either their own or that of someone close to them – and assure them that they are not alone.
The ads will be unveiled on September 23, 2008 at 7pm at Fordham University during a forum titled, Why can’t we talk about abortion? The forum will feature the outreach creator Michaelene Fredenburg, author of the newly released book, Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved Ones Abortion Experience. The 22-inch subway placards feature images of men and women who have been touched by abortion. An Asian female shares, "I thought life would be the way it was before," while a tattooed Caucausian male says, "I often wonder if there was something I could have done to help her."
One thousand subway cards featuring these voices will run between October 13 and November 9, 2008 and will direct people to the Abortion Changes You website. On AbortionChangesYou.com visitors will be able to connect to local resources as well as participate in interactive content where they can learn how to build a support system, explore a range of emotions, identify unhealthy behaviors, and anonymously share about their experience through stories, artwork, poetry, and songs.
Last month, the APA Task Force released findings on mental health and abortion and noted, “Secrecy was associated with increases in psychological distress (anxiety and depression) over time, via the mediators of increased thought suppression and decreased emotional disclosure. … feelings of stigmatization led women to engage in coping strategies that were associated with poorer adaptation over time (page 60).”
Says Fredenburg, “Our immediate goal with these ads is to communicate to men and women touched by abortion that they are not alone and to invite them to visit AbortionChangesYou.com. It is also our hope that the ads will open a compassionate cultural dialogue surrounding abortion. Providing a safe place for friends and family members to support loved ones who have been touched by abortion is long overdue.”
To schedule an interview with Michaelene Fredenburg or to register as a member of the media to attend the Fordham event, please contact Ashley Walker or Christine Schicker at 678-990-9032, both with The Maximus Group.