There's no doubt that abortion is a contentious issue. Many women around the world are fighting for their right to chose whether or not they can terminate a pregnancy, and the activists who are struggling for this are both lauded and criticized from either side. But there is an emotional toll to the procedure that is often left unexpressed - which is why it is so important to listen to the women who shared their personal stories on social media. For example, in a video recently posted to TikTok, 19-year-old Kaylyn Weston spoke about how she coped with the after-effects of terminating a pregnancy. [[tiktokwidget||https://www.tiktok.com/@kaylynweston/video/6966658774333394181]] In her TikTok video, Weston states: "On the right side, you're labeled a sinner. On the left, you're expected to only gain relief and an open future. "When in reality, it feels like all my doors have been closed. No one wants to hear about the negative effects an abortion can have without it getting political." The video has clearly resonated with other TikTok users, and accrued over 966,000 views, 202,000 reactions, and a further 8,000 comments as of the time of writing. Indeed, many other women subsequently came out of the woodwork to share their experiences too. <img class="wp-image-1263112847 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-12-at-12.59.03-1.png" alt="A TikTok comment." width="1028" height="211" />[[imagecaption|| Credit TikTok]] For instance, one TikTok user wrote: "Honestly it's probably the hardest choice we make. No one is 'happy' after getting one. It's still a sore spot for me." <img class="wp-image-1263112849 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-12-at-12.58.06-1.png" alt="A TikTok comment." width="998" height="202" />[[imagecaption|| Credit TikTok]] A second stated: "The mother's day guilt is the worst. But I was in NO place mentally or financially to be taking care of a baby." <img class="wp-image-1263112850 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-12-at-12.58.15-1.png" alt="A TikTok comment." width="989" height="163" />[[imagecaption|| Credit TikTok]] Someone else stated: "It's been 7 years since mine... I still carry the ultrasound in my wallet." <img class="wp-image-1263112851 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-12-at-12.58.47-1.png" alt="A TikTok comment." width="1039" height="216" />[[imagecaption|| Credit TikTok]] Another person wrote: "As far as being labeled a sinner: only God knows what you went through. He understood your situation and understands your pain. God loves you." <img class="wp-image-1263112852 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-12-at-12.58.21-1.png" alt="A TikTok comment." width="965" height="201" />[[imagecaption|| Credit TikTok]] Finally, someone else added: "Took me 10 years and every now and then, I see a kid that would have been the same age and [...] sadness overwhelms." Commenting on her experiences in a later interview with <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalisitza/forbidden-grief-abortions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buzzfeed</a>, Weston stated: "To me, forbidden grief is the grief that a woman may endure after having an abortion. It is isolating, heavy, and difficult to process." [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/CNajzBAMZwX]] She added: "It’s referred to as forbidden because we feel we shouldn’t experience grief of any kind, as it was our choice to terminate the pregnancy. "However, a loss is a loss, and just because a woman decides to end her pregnancy does not mean that she will not regret or feel any negative emotions towards it. "I feel the biggest misconception with abortion is that women are 'happy' to do it and feel free afterwards, when the reality can be the complete opposite." <h6>Featured Image Credit: Pexels/Viktoria Slowikowska</h6>

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