Kelsea McLain

Written By

Pronouns: She/Her

Location: Durham, NC

I share my story because stigma is isolating. My abortions are a beautiful part of who I am and my lived experience and I am proud to share this part of my reproductive journey. 

Abortion Advice: Love on yourself through every step of the process. So often, we think we need to push forward and be tough when facing an abortion. You are deserving of kindness, patience, and attention to your medical needs while pregnant. Don't be afraid to seek out guidance and advice on how to manage your pregnancy symptoms before and after your abortion. Make sure you do extra things to care for yourself before and after your abortion - Wear your favorite comfortable clothes, eat your favorite foods, watch your favorite TV shows, play your favorite games. Nourish yourself. 

How I honor my abortions: I honor my abortions by fighting to ensure everyone has access to the resources they need and pushing back against the barriers that make care hard to access and stigmatize our choices. 

What I wish people knew about abortion: I wish people knew that people have abortions because they don't want to parent. So often, the narrative is you have an abortion because "Now is not the right time for a child". For many, that right time will never come and abortion is a crucial part of their desire to not have children. 

What is your favorite abortion on TV? My favorite abortion in the media is a recent TV abortion: Janine’s abortion in Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Rarely do we get to see abortion stories as part of a tableau of a person’s lived reproductive experiences, and Janine’s abortion exposed not only the disturbing reality of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers but the compassion of abortion care providers and the reality that abortion is a loving choice.

Kelsea in the Press

News
15 Minutes: Kelsea McLain
15 Minutes: Kelsea McLain

I had an abortion in 2010, and there were protestors at my clinic in Florida. That prompted me to want to do something to make people feel supported. When I was at the clinic, I had a family member there to support me; but as I was looking around, I could see that people seemed to look alone and isolated in the experience. I heard women in the room talking about the protestors and how upsetting they were. I had heard about a group that volunteers at a clinic in Kentucky that does some harrowing things to support people accessing abortion, and I was inspired by their activism.

How Medication Abortion Access Has Changed Over 20 Years
How Medication Abortion Access Has Changed Over 20 Years

A few years after my first abortion, I realized I was pregnant again. I was living in North Carolina and working for an abortion provider; I asked my boss how I could get an abortion from her. I had to receive an ultrasound even though I knew exactly when I conceived the pregnancy, and I knew I had no signs of an ectopic pregnancy. I had to hear the state-mandated script about the risks, even though I worked with a provider and regularly provided options counseling. Then I had to wait an additional three days before getting my medication abortion, because the state said so. The whole process was sobering, insulting, and really drove home how demeaning and demoralizing these added barriers are.

For the ‘Beyoncé of Abortion Storytelling,’ the Fight Is Just Beginning

Renee Bracey Sherman is changing how people think about abortions, but her target isn’t the anti-choice activists picketing the rally in front of the Supreme Court. “It’s a waste of my time and energy,” she says. “Men like that are never going to change their minds. They are hell-bent on controlling women and people of color. My job is to ensure that people who have abortions are loved and supported.”

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