Friday, February 20, 2015

NARAL Activist: Having Abortion ‘One of the Best Decisions of My Life’



NARAL Activist: Having Abortion ‘One of the Best Decisions of My Life’

by Dr. Susan Berry20 Feb 2015
In a new video reportedly created to encourage other women to speak out about the positive effects of abortion, Renee Bracey Sherman says having an abortion was “one of the best decisions” of her life.

“I haven’t once regretted it,” Sherman says. “It allowed me to change paths. It was one of the best decisions of my life. And I’m happy.”

Sherman, who calls herself a “reproductive justice and storytelling activist,” is the author of Saying Abortion Aloud: Research and Recommendations for Public Abortion Storytellers and Organizations, in which she, in a joint venture with the Sea Change Program, urges women to share their stories about their abortions publicly in order to create a new narrative about abortion as a positive part of a woman’s life and put an end to the negativity associated with abortion.

According to Fusion, Sherman – a NARAL board member – received the Justice Award by ACCESS Women’s Health Justice in 2013 “for her volunteerism housing and giving rides to women traveling 4-5 hours for their abortions.”

Sherman’s research, which was essentially a “survey with public abortion storytellers” that used Google forms and interviews, found that 92 percent (36 of 39) of respondents said they would continue to share their abortion stories publicly because these experiences were satisfactory. Additionally, Sherman said she found that 41 percent of abortion storytellers said they had “received little to no support from the organization with whom they partnered to share their story.”

“Recommendations” for abortion storytellers, as a result of the survey, are that they be made aware of types of support they can receive when sharing their abortion stories; that they know they should share the truth; and that they be compensated for sharing their abortion stories because “their work and contributions are valued.”

The report also provides recommendations to organizations that support public abortion storytellers.
Writing at the Huffington Post, Alanna Vagianos was taken with Sherman’s video and “the thought process she went through before choosing to terminate a pregnancy – and the opportunities making that choice has afforded her.”

“The best part of this video — besides that it shows she made the best decision for herself at the time — is that it reveals so much about Sherman’s personality, family and upbringing, showing that she’s so much more than her choice to have an abortion,” Vagianos continued. “She is a full human being with likes, dislikes, funny stories and a family that loves her. Sherman’s choice to have an abortion was just one of many decisions she’s made in her lifetime.”

NARAL
Caroline Fredrickson was the general counsel for NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Washington legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and is the president of the American Constitution Society.

Note: Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the American Constitution Society.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a contributor for MoveOn.org, and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society         
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Media Matters, the Brookings Institution (think tank)., and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Ilyse Hogue was a director of political advocacy for MoveOn.org, is a senior adviser for Media Matters, and the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Peter B. Lewis was a contributor for MoveOn.org, a donor for Media Matters, and a trustee at the Third Way.
William M. Daley is a trustee at the Third Way, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.
Ronald A. Klain is a trustee at the Third Way, and the coordinator of government Ebola efforts for the Barack Obama administration.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Saban Center for Middle East Policy is a policy center at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Haim Saban is a benefactor for the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the chairman for Univision Communications Inc.  
Fusion Media Network, LLC is a venture partner with Univision Communications Inc., and a venture partner with ABC Inc.
Mary Ann Tighe was the VP for ABC Inc., and is a regional CEO for the CBRE Group, Inc.
Laura D'Andrea Tyson is a director at the CBRE Group, Inc., and was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Richard C. Blum is a director & former chairman for the CBRE Group, Inc., an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and married to Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a senior director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Eric H. Holder Jr. was an intern at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, a board member for the American Constitution Society, and is the attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice for the Barack Obama administration.
Caroline Fredrickson is the president of the American Constitution Society, was the Washington legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the general counsel for NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Janet Reno is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society, was the attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Ronald A. Klain was her chief of staff.
Ronald A. Klain was Janet Reno’s chief of staff, is the coordinator of government Ebola efforts for the Barack Obama administration, and a trustee at the Third Way.
Peter B. Lewis was a trustee at the Third Way, a contributor for MoveOn.org, and a donor for Media Matters.
Ilyse Hogue was a director of political advocacy for MoveOn.org, is a senior adviser for Media Matters, and the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.












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