Leaning Into Family Planning

Nearly one third of American women will have an abortion by age 45.

Of those, 93 percent will be for “social reasons,” according to pro-choice advocates at the Guttmacher Institute.

Whether through self-help books like Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In or countless how-to, this-is-why-you-should articles – the message for young women is clear: career first, motherhood later.

There’s a new abortion focused conversation raging among young working women today.

Provided 58 percent of abortions are performed on women in their 20s (the majority of which are college educated), social pressure to “achieve” could be a driving force for some.

Penelope Trunk, noted blogger and founder of three startups, including the Brazen Careerist, remembers becoming pregnant for the first time.

“You’ll destroy your career possibilities,” she writes of her mother’s “militant” insistence on an abortion.

On her blog, she recounts the details leading up to her two abortions.

“I don’t think any woman who has kids would look back on an abortion and say it wasn’t a good thing,” Trunk tells PINK.

“It’s very hard to say I should’ve had different kids, because I love my children more than anything.”

However, Trunk, for one, believes managing our reproductive lives around career is unwise.

Nicole Davis, a 28 year-old digital strategist, agrees. After becoming pregnant right after college, she considered abortion.

“Motherhood wasn’t supposed to come until after I was ‘established’ professionally, and I didn’t want to be associated with negative stereotypes about young mothers,” Davis says.

But, at 23, Davis chose to start her family despite outside voices questioning the possibilities of her professional future.

“I thought I had to follow this linear, uninterrupted path in order to get where I am today, but I didn’t,” she says.

Trunk says she doesn’t regret having two abortions, instead wishes she understood, then, how much more important family is to her than career.

She insists, “Women should support the decisions of other women without pressure.”

“Now, I look at my son and I can’t believe I ever thought of terminating my pregnancy,” Davis says. “For me, the ‘right time’ wasn’t planned.”

Bonus PINK Link: Can you lean in and be balanced at the same time? Our editor weighs in.

Did you have an abortion to prevent disrupting your career?

By L. Nicole Williams

Nicole is the Editor at Little PINK Book. Follow her on Twitter @iamnicwill.

“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.” Nancy Willard