I Used to Be Anti-Choice. Here’s How I Changed My Mind.

I used to be an anti-choice conservative Christian. To be honest, I never questioned my stance on abortion: I never thought to research the procedure and had never met anyone who had had one. I just knew what I was taught, and my position on the matter, which was that “abortion was murder.”

Today I consider myself a passionate advocate for reproductive justice and freedom. I serve on the board of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights, host a podcast series for Repro Film, have given a TEDx Talk about my reproductive rights evolution, and am working on a short documentary about abortion.

So what changed my mind?

It was a slow process, but the most impactful thing was hearing first-hand stories from people who had abortions. Specifically, I heard from women in my former church who outwardly professed to be “pro-life” but who were more than happy to confess their abortion stories to me after they saw that I was no longer anti-choice. Many of those women were silenced by an anti-choice church that told them their experiences were shameful, wrong, and sinful. It broke my heart to learn this.

With the permission of those who confided in me, I have been able to share their stories, keeping them anonymous to protect their privacy. From including anecdotes in my 2019 TEDx Talk “Reframing Reproductive Rights: Going Beyond Pro Choice vs. Pro Life” to sharing blog posts on my blog platform GirlTalkHQ.com, I realize how fortunate I am to have a platform and a voice to amplify personal stories, and consider it a privilege to be using my media skills in this way.

I know changing your mind on abortion is possible, but I am also willing to give people space and time in their journey.

As a mom of two and a filmmaker with nearly two decades of experience in film and TV, both in front of and behind the camera, I know how powerful and disruptive storytelling can be. To see yourself or your lived experience on screen can change how you see yourself and the world around you. And I know, thanks to my background, how uniquely positioned I am to share abortion stories on film.

I recently directed and produced a short documentary called “Someone You Know,” which profiles the stories of three women who had abortions later in their pregnancies, and the barriers they faced along the way. Each of them chose to use their real names and images, boldly wanting to share with audiences that the person who needs an abortion, especially later in pregnancy, is not a faceless stranger but just like someone you know. The film features storytellers Valerie Peterson, a corporate professional from Texas who learned she was pregnant after her kids were grown and was given a diagnosis that her fetus was incompatible with life; Sharon Lagos, a student from Honduras who unexpectedly found out she was pregnant when she arrived in the U.S. but was given harmful misinformation from a fake clinic; and Mindy Swank, whose desired pregnancy went from bad to traumatic when a Catholic hospital denied her a lifesaving procedure while experiencing a miscarriage because she wasn’t bleeding enough. The film also features commentary from Renee Bracey Sherman, founder and executive director of We Testify, and Dr. Meera Shah, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic and author of You’re The Only One I’ve Told: Stories Behind Abortion.

I am running a Kickstarter campaign until November 8 to raise money for post-production and to work with a talented team of animators in Brazil (whose work you can see on my campaign page and trailer).

I began working on this film in 2020, slowly creating the trailer and poster design with my own money and funding from three small grants. Little did I know this film and its stories would be even more relevant in 2022 with the overturn of Roe v. Wade. And now, with reproductive rights on the ballot in California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana in the midterms, I am hoping my Kickstarter campaign and film will be a way for people to take action on this issue beyond voting. We all know the power of storytelling. I hope the dynamic, complex, and intimate stories shared by three ordinary yet extraordinary women in “Someone You Know” will challenge how even the unlikeliest person will think about abortion.

If I am successful with this Kickstarter, my goal is to complete and release the film on June 24, 2023 — the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade — as a way to dismantle stigma and misinformation about later abortion, foster empathy, and start impactful conversations.

Please consider donating to my campaign while it is still running, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram (both @ashadahya) to keep up to date with my projects.