This Is The Reality Of Abortion In Lebanon

Whenever abortion is brought up in Lebanon, tensions rise and opinions get thrown around like anyone asked for them. The fact remains, however, that we know very little about the realities of abortion in Lebanon, and that we keep silencing voices that try to speak up about it.

The A Project is an amazing resource that is shedding more light on this important issue, and can be a great help for anyone who needs to find out more about their options when it comes to unwanted pregnancies, as well as an excellent source for a multitude of other resources that have to do with sex and sexuality in Lebanon.

With all the team’s hard work, though, Lebanese society at large still ignores that abortion is an every day occurrence that is only made unsafe by our choice to ignore it, which is why we’ve decided to share some first-hand stories from those who have encountered it first-hand, and today, we share them with you.

“I was with my boyfriend for 3 years when I got pregnant. I was very worried about telling him because I messed up my birth control and that’s probably why I got pregnant. When I did tell him, he was so supportive, and told me that he’s willing to do whatever I chose. I met with a doctor, and together we decided that I can take pills that might be hard to find, but that would help my case.
It was very hard to find the pills, but ultimately, I spent a day taking one every hour, and by the end of the day, I had terminated my pregnancy. I will always be thankful for that doctor.” – Aya, 26

“I was married when I was very young, and I made sure to make my husband promise that I would at least finish university. In my second year, I knew I was pregnant and that that would mean that he would force me to leave my classes. When my little sister, who is two years younger than me, heard about this, she told me about a doctor that she heard about. We talked to some people and got the doctor’s number, and when we went he told us that he wants one thousand dollars. I couldn’t take that much money without my husband noticing, and I had to let go of the idea. I love my son, but it will always hurt me that I was bound to home because of what happened.” – Maria, 24

“I come from a very well-off family, and we always had dinners in our house. When I was in my early twenties, I ended up alone with someone who was visiting us, and I was assaulted. I was devastated to find out that I fell pregnant, and I searched for a doctor who would do it discreetly, but I was afraid of the sketchy doctors here. It was a very dark time in my life, and I considered ending my life sometimes. I ended up telling my mom who took me abroad to take care of my situation. It was horrible to have to live my trauma over and over to be able to get someone to help me, and even then, I ended up going abroad.” – Stephanie, 34

“When I was growing up, I always dreamt of having children and a beautiful family, and when I became pregnant, me and my husband were over the moon with joy. However, we discovered after 20 weeks that the baby had an abnormality that would kill her during childbirth. Due to our laws, I wasn’t allowed to end my pregnancy and instead had to give birth to my still-born daughter. I cannot begin to describe how scarring the whole thing was. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.” – Yara, 28

“I work in a restaurant, and I’m studying to become a teacher. In my second year at university, I started dating a guy who works with me, and we got in a relationship. He refused to use condoms though, and preferred to just rely on his will-power to prevent pregnancy. I don’t blame him, I agreed to this knowing the risks, but I do blame him for disappearing on me when I told him that I was pregnant. He even quit his job at the restaurant. And I didn’t ask him for anything, I saved enough money and found someone who would sell me the pills, all I wanted was for him to be around when I started the process, but instead I had to do it alone in a hotel room.” – Sarah, 21

Please note that the names of those who have shared their stories have been changed for their own protection.

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