Aborsh explores why abortion is still such a “big deal”,
what “choice” really means and looks like,
and why that answer is different for different people.
Hi! I’m Rachel, and I had an abortion on Christmas Eve of 2019. And while it was a relatively accessible procedure, for me; it was also an experience that I found endlessly interesting. It was a decision that influenced — and was influenced by — pretty much every area of my life: my relationship with my body, my spirituality, my ambitions and anxieties, my money, career, friendships, partnerships, and my privileges.
Abortion is, fundamentally, a pretty normal reproductive event. If you haven’t personally had an abortion, you know someone who has … and if that’s the case… why is it still so… tricky to talk about? Each episode of Aborsh explores why abortion is still such a “big deal”, what “choice” really means and looks like, and why that answer is different for different people.
The first season of the podcast was recognized with the Planned Parenthood Toronto’s Choice Award for excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights advocacy and education. In the second season, we’ll continue exploring the landscape of reproductive choice across Canada and its intersections with so many aspects of our lives. We'll also explore how reproductive health and justice in Canada are interconnected with the global landscape — recognizing that developments in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of the world inevitably influence abortion politics for Canadians.
What excites me most about Season 2? Well, when you start talking a lot about your abortion… other people want to tell you about theirs (which I’m here for!), and I’m thrilled to feature some of these stories in our upcoming season. Tune in each week to hear listeners from across the country share their stories—from different phases of pregnancy and walks of life— one episode at a time.
ABORSH
A podcast about abortion in Canada
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SEASON TWO EpisodeS
January 14th, 2025
In this episode, we're diving into a topic we touched on last season, one that’s often at the beginning of many abortion stories: birth control. What we love about it. What we wish was better about it. Why it should be part of publicly funded health care, and how it can even help reframe conversations about abortion.
Featuring Dr. Carol-Anne Vallée, fertility awareness educator and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, AccessBC and the Council of Canadians.
January 16th, 2025
Christa’s abortion story is deeply intertwined with other profound experiences of grief and growth. Her story offers insights into the complexities of life, the challenges of navigating choice, and the inherent duality of such decisions. As captured by a friend's advice: “She told me about other people who had had abortions that she knew. And it helped a lot. And she gave me advice that I've applied many points in my life. She said, if you'd had a kid, it would have been really hard. And it would have been beautiful. And now you've chosen not to, and it's going to be really hard, and it's going to be beautiful.”
January 21st, 2025
Like abortion, sex ed is a human right, and in this episode, we draw parallels between comprehensive sex education and abortion access. We discuss how the moral panic around sex education fuels harmful taboos and enables abuse, and how terms like “pro-life” and “parental rights” are often weaponized to disguise far-right political agendas — one that strip kids, women, queer and trans people of their human rights by going after their safe spaces.
Featuring author Sheima Benembarek and the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
January 23rd, 2025
Kerry’s path involved learning to openly discuss abortion and share her personal experience. Once she found her voice, she made it her mission to keep the conversation going: “I was one of those people who said, ‘I really am pro-choice, but it would never be a choice I'd make myself,’ which just seems like a really handy way to put it.”
January 28th, 2025
In this episode, we speak with the research initiative Abortion On Screen about the portrayal of abortion in TV and film and journalists Nora Loreto and Liz Renzetti about the media's role in perpetuating misconceptions and stereotypes about abortion. We examine the framing and portrayals that shape cultural narratives around abortion and influence public perceptions of pregnancy and choice.
January 30th, 2025
Driving through a sea of anti-abortion billboards, Megan wondered why pro-choice voices can’t occupy the same amount of space. Inspired by a road trip conversation, she shares her journey of reclaiming public narratives and advocating for abortion as a visible and unapologetic right. “We had about a four-hour drive and on the way there we passed like 10 anti-abortion signs on our way there. And I was like, ‘Why can't I put up a pro-abortion billboard?’ and my friend was like, ‘Why can't you?’”
February 4th, 2025
In this episode, nurse and educator Martha Paynter and Métis midwife Cheryllee Bourgeois explore how abolition and decolonization are fundamentally intertwined with feminism. We discuss the need for a societal transformation that ensures body sovereignty, freedom and safety for all—because imprisoning and criminalizing people cannot coexist with these principles. We envision a Canada where resources are redirected from the carceral system to programs that meet essential needs like income support, housing, health care, and transportation. This shift is crucial to upholding the core tenets of reproductive justice, ensuring that everyone has the autonomy and stability necessary to thrive.
February 6th, 2025
As a healthcare provider working with families through pregnancy loss and terminations, Emma offers a compassionate perspective on these deeply personal and complex decisions. Drawing parallels to her own experience, she discusses the shared emotional journey of relief, sadness and all the emotions in between. “No matter the reason, no matter the gestation, all those emotions are similar to what I went through in terms of that roller coaster of making the decision that feels right, even though it's not an easy decision in any way.”
February 26th, 2025
Abortion and sex work are two issues that you may not immediately think have a lot in common. In reality, they share many parallels because, at their core, they are both issues of bodily autonomy and both call into play deeply rooted cultural beliefs about female sexuality. In this episode, we draw on those parallels to discuss how criminalizing and restricting abortion and sex work only makes them more dangerous and harmful. Join us in conversation with the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, the Canadian Public Health Association, and social scientist Cecelia Benoit to examine these issues and their impact on public health and human rights.
March 4th, 2025
Erica deconstructs the arbitrary limits we place on reproductive choices and challenges the stigma around abortion, especially when you need more than one. “I remember saying to him, ‘I can't do a third one. Like, three abortions? Non-negotiable — I'm not doing that.’ Why’s there a number? Why do that to myself? It shouldn't matter. And I talked myself out of it and was like, ‘Erica, don't be ridiculous. That's the patriarchy speaking. You do what you gotta do. It's not a big deal. Like, people get their wisdom teeth out every day. If you need an abortion, you get an abortion.’”
March 11th, 2025
As people delay starting families and the average age of first-time parents increases, the demand for continuous caregiving — from cradle to grave — grows. In this episode, we broaden the conversation around caregiving and reproductive choice to include the often overlooked responsibility of caring for adult dependents such as aging parents. We explore the intersection of paid and unpaid caregiving and its contributions to creating healthy communities and society. Featuring insights from CanAge, the National Institute of Aging, the Child Care Research Unit and Child Care Now.
March 18th, 2025
For Karen, her abortion was a straightforward and empowering decision. In this episode, she shares how making the right choice for herself at the time set her on the path to where she is today — and why she has no regrets. “It was a relatively, you know, I want to say ‘good’ experience. And I kind of never looked back, to be honest. I never thought twice about it. It was absolutely the right decision for me at that time in my life and brought me to where I am today.”
March 25th, 2025
What do abortion and housing have in common? Well, they are both recognized as human rights by the UN and multiple other international organizations and agreements. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it from living in Canada as the ongoing housing crisis locks people into unaffordable living situations. In this episode, we explore the gendered impacts of the housing affordability crisis and how it impacts reproductive decisions, with insights from the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, the National Right to Housing Network, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
April 1st, 2025
Kristiina opens up about the emotional weight of deciding to have an abortion in a challenging relationship. “I knew I wasn't ready. We weren't in the right place for it. But it was just so emotional. I felt so alone and like no one understood what I was going through, and no one could ever understand what I was going through. Even though, of course, hundreds of thousands of people have gone through this and probably have been in similar relationships to mine, and probably have felt exactly the way that I did.”
April 8th, 2025
Diana shares two distinct abortion experiences that show how societal narratives often judge the “worthiness” of a person’s choice. Whether the circumstances are deemed acceptable or not, her story reminds us that every reason for abortion is valid. “And that's one of the reasons why I like talking about both of my experiences, because in one of them — I don't want to say I'm the model but you know, [...] what if someone gets raped? That's like the classic. And so anything that doesn't fall into that boundary is considered like an inappropriate use of abortion, which is, you know, nonsense. There's no inappropriate use.”
April 15th, 2025
Stay tuned. Reproductive Justice x Democracy.
January 14th, 2025
In this episode, we're diving into a topic we touched on last season, one that’s often at the beginning of many abortion stories: birth control. What we love about it. What we wish was better about it. Why it should be part of publicly funded health care, and how it can even help reframe conversations about abortion.
Featuring Dr. Carol-Anne Vallée, fertility awareness educator and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, AccessBC and the Council of Canadians.
January 18th, 2025
Christa’s abortion story is deeply intertwined with other profound experiences of grief and growth. Her story offers insights into the complexities of life, the challenges of navigating choice, and the inherent duality of such decisions. As captured by a friend's advice: “She told me about other people who had had abortions that she knew. And it helped a lot. And she gave me advice that I've applied many points in my life. She said, if you'd had a kid, it would have been really hard. And it would have been beautiful. And now you've chosen not to, and it's going to be really hard, and it's going to be beautiful.”
January 21st, 2025
Like abortion, sex ed is a human right, and in this episode, we draw parallels between comprehensive sex education and abortion access. We discuss how the moral panic around sex education fuels harmful taboos and enables abuse, and how terms like “pro-life” and “parental rights” are often weaponized to disguise far-right political agendas — one that strip kids, women, queer and trans people of their human rights by going after their safe spaces.
Featuring author Sheima Benembarek and the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity.
January 23rd, 2025
Kerry’s path involved learning to openly discuss abortion and share her personal experience. Once she found her voice, she made it her mission to keep the conversation going: “I was one of those people who said, ‘I really am pro-choice, but it would never be a choice I'd make myself,’ which just seems like a really handy way to put it.”
January 28th, 2025
In this episode, we speak with the research initiative Abortion On Screen about the portrayal of abortion in TV and film and journalists Nora Loreto and Liz Renzetti about the media's role in perpetuating misconceptions and stereotypes about abortion. We examine the framing and portrayals that shape cultural narratives around abortion and influence public perceptions of pregnancy and choice.
January 30th, 2025
Driving through a sea of anti-abortion billboards, Megan wondered why pro-choice voices can’t occupy the same amount of space. Inspired by a road trip conversation, she shares her journey of reclaiming public narratives and advocating for abortion as a visible and unapologetic right. “We had about a four-hour drive and on the way there we passed like 10 anti-abortion signs on our way there. And I was like, ‘Why can't I put up a pro-abortion billboard?’ and my friend was like, ‘Why can't you?’”
February 4th, 2025
In this episode, nurse and educator Martha Paynter and Métis midwife Cheryllee Bourgeois join us to explore how reproductive justice extends beyond abortion to include abolition. We discuss the need for a societal transformation that ensures body sovereignty, freedom and safety for all — because imprisoning and criminalizing people cannot coexist with these principles. We envision a Canada where resources are redirected from the carceral system to programs that meet essential needs like income support, housing, health care, and transportation. This shift is crucial to upholding the core tenets of reproductive justice, ensuring that everyone has the autonomy and stability necessary to thrive.
February 6th, 2025
As a healthcare provider working with families through pregnancy loss and terminations, Diana offers a compassionate perspective on these deeply personal and complex decisions. Drawing parallels to her own experience, she discusses the shared emotional journey of relief, sadness and all the emotions in between. “No matter the reason, no matter the gestation, all those emotions are similar to what I went through in terms of that roller coaster of making the decision that feels right, even though it's not an easy decision in any way.”
February 11th, 2025
Abortion and sex work are two issues that you may not immediately think have a lot in common. In reality, they share many parallels because, at their core, they are both issues of bodily autonomy and both call into play deeply rooted cultural beliefs about female sexuality. In this episode, we draw on those parallels to discuss how criminalizing and restricting abortion and sex work only makes them more dangerous and harmful. Join us in conversation with the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, the Canadian Public Health Association, and social scientist Cecelia Benoit to examine these issues and their impact on public health and human rights.
February 13th, 2025
Erica deconstructs the arbitrary limits we place on reproductive choices and challenges the stigma around abortion, especially when you need more than one. “I remember saying to him, ‘I can't do a third one. Like, three abortions? Non-negotiable — I'm not doing that.’ Why’s there a number? Why do that to myself? It shouldn't matter. And I talked myself out of it and was like, ‘Erica, don't be ridiculous. That's the patriarchy speaking. You do what you gotta do. It's not a big deal. Like, people get their wisdom teeth out every day. If you need an abortion, you get an abortion.’”
February 18th, 2025
As people delay starting families and the average age of first-time parents increases, the demand for continuous caregiving — from cradle to grave — grows. In this episode, we broaden the conversation around caregiving and reproductive choice to include the often overlooked responsibility of caring for adult dependents such as aging parents. We explore the intersection of paid and unpaid caregiving and its contributions to creating healthy communities and society. Featuring insights from CanAge, the National Institute of Aging, the Child Care Research Unit and Child Care Now.
February 20th, 2025
For Karen, her abortion was a straightforward and empowering decision. In this episode, she shares how making the right choice for herself at the time set her on the path to where she is today — and why she has no regrets. “It was a relatively, you know, I want to say ‘good’ experience. And I kind of never looked back, to be honest. I never thought twice about it. It was absolutely the right decision for me at that time in my life and brought me to where I am today.”
February 25th, 2025
What do abortion and housing have in common? Well, they are both recognized as human rights by the UN and multiple other international organizations and agreements. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it from living in Canada as the ongoing housing crisis locks people into unaffordable living situations. In this episode, we explore the gendered impacts of the housing affordability crisis and how it impacts reproductive decisions, with insights from the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, the National Right to Housing Network, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
February 27th, 2025
Kristiina opens up about the emotional weight of deciding to have an abortion in a challenging relationship. “I knew I wasn't ready. We weren't in the right place for it. But it was just so emotional. I felt so alone and like no one understood what I was going through, and no one could ever understand what I was going through. Even though, of course, hundreds of thousands of people have gone through this and probably have been in similar relationships to mine, and probably have felt exactly the way that I did.”
March 4th, 2025
Diana shares two distinct abortion experiences that show how societal narratives often judge the “worthiness” of a person’s choice. Whether the circumstances are deemed acceptable or not, her story reminds us that every reason for abortion is valid. “And that's one of the reasons why I like talking about both of my experiences, because in one of them — I don't want to say I'm the model but you know, [...] what if someone gets raped? That's like the classic. And so anything that doesn't fall into that boundary is considered like an inappropriate use of abortion, which is, you know, nonsense. There's no inappropriate use.”
March 6, 2025
Stay tuned. Reproductive Justice x Democracy.
SEASON ONE EpisodeS
June 13th, 2022
When Toronto artist Rachel accidentally becomes pregnant, she immediately knows what she has to do: get an abortion. But even though abortion is legal in Canada, it’s not as easy to get one as she thought it’d be. With guest Joyce Arthur of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, Rachel pokes holes in Canada’s messy patchwork approach to abortion access — and explains how it got to be that way.
June 20th, 2022
We make 35,000 choices a day. Mayo or mustard? Swipe left or swipe right? In this episode, Rachel examines the meanings of “choice” — and how some people and organizations in Canada are actively working to undermine reproductive freedom by spreading abortion disinformation. Featuring guests Chantal Parkinson, founder of the Pro-Choice Society of Lethbridge and Southern Alberta, Frederique Chabot, director of domestic health promotion at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, and Rachael Johnstone, author of the book After Morgentaler: The Politics of Abortion in Canada.
June 27th, 2022
When Rachel calls her mother to tell her the news of her accidental pregnancy, her mom makes a surprising revelation. Featuring guests Darrah Teitel, a playwright and reproductive freedom activist, as well as early abortion activist Judy Rebick.
June 30th, 2022
This bonus episode features an interview with York University professor Tom Hooper, a historian of the Toronto bathhouse raids. Tom unpacks the mythologies surrounding the 1969 criminal code reform, particularly in regards to the impacts on the 2SLGTBQ+ communities, and in relation to the parallel struggles of the women’s liberation movement and reproductive rights.
July 4th, 2022
In Canada, 1988 became a pivotal year for abortion rights when Henry Morgentaler took the issue to the Supreme Court. Guest Rachael Johnstone, a political science professor and the author of After Morgentaler: The Politics of Abortion in Canada, explains how Morgentaler’s 1988 Supreme Court victory changed Canadian women’s lives — and what the ruling left unfulfilled. Longtime abortion rights activists Carolyn Egan and Judy Rebick join Rachel in this episode.
July 11th, 2022
Rachel takes “the abortion pill” and discovers she was woefully unprepared for it. With guest Dr. Dustin Costescu, an OBGYN in southern Ontario, Rachel discusses the abortion pill (Mifegymiso) and the history of self-managed abortions. She and Dr. Dustin also look at the abysmal state of abortion training in medicine, and what empathetic, inclusive health care might look like.
July 18th, 2022
What’s the difference between reproductive freedom and reproductive justice? As it turns out, a whole lot. In this episode, Rachel and guests discuss the fight for abortion access in New Brunswick and how the resurgence of Indigenous midwifery — as an anti-colonial movement — is reclaiming and returning birth to communities across Canada. Featuring guests Jessi Taylor, the spokesperson for Reproductive Justice New Brunswick, and Claire Dion Fletcher, an Indigenous midwife and co-chair of the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives.
July 21st, 2022
In this episode, Rachel and her guests continue to discuss reproductive justice, or rather the ongoing in-justices and structural racism in the Canadian healthcare system, and specifically in regards to anti-Black racism. Featuring Dr Tunde-Byass, an OB-GYN and president of the Black Physicians of Canada, who connects a throughline between the historical legacies of slavery and segregation to the disparities experienced today. And Dr Ruth Habte, a 4th year OB-GYN resident explains why universal cost coverage for contraception is an integral pillar of reproductive justice and choice.
July 25th, 2022
Distinguished professor Sarah Kaplan, founder of the Institute for Gender and the Economy, joins Rachel to discuss why reproductive rights is an economic issue as much as it is a human rights issue. We talk about “gendered capitalism,” the wage gap, the care economy, how we measure GDP and the economic consequences of having children.
August 1st, 2022
In the final episode of this season of Aborsh, Rachel ties up loose ends and looks forward. She’s joined by Aborsh story editor Tracey Lindeman to revisit key takeaways from the series and what progress might look like for Canadian reproductive rights and freedom.
The Team
Rachel Cairns (creator) is a Toronto-based writer and "one of the country’s most original actors”. Her solo show Hypothetical Baby—a companion project to this podcast—was acclaimed for its “sharp and witty writing and a nuanced exploration of wider social issues.” She is currently adapting both projects into a memoir with ECW Press.
Tracey Lindeman (story editor) is the author of the bestselling book BLEED: Destroying Myths and Misogyny in Endometriosis Care. A veteran freelance writer and editor, she’s also a journalism instructor and a new PhD student.
Ameilia Chiarelli (editor) - Amelia has worked in audio editing for over 10 years, transitioning from film and tv to the audiobook world. She is passionate about the planet and owns a sustainable bridal boutique in Waterdown (Stolen Hearts Bridal!) She loves anything related to health and fitness, books, bunnies, and travel. Having met Rachel through the audiobook world, she is excited to be working on such a great and important project!
Laura Reznek (composer/sound designer) is a Canadian songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based between Vancouver and London. Previous composition projects have spanned across theatre, dance, and film–most recently the premiere of a full-length contemporary dance show ‘Agrimony’ at Vancouver Dance Centre, ‘a hidden autobiography’ at the National Arts Centre of Canada, and Ambie-nominated podcast, ‘Expectant’. Her third studio album, “The Sewing Room’ is set to be released in April 2025 via Mary Yelling Records.
READ MORE
Writing
What the US Election Results Mean for Canadian Reproductive Rights
— She Does the City
Why We Need More Abortion Stories
— She Does the City
What I learned from my Mum’s Abortions
— Toronto Star
We can’t afford kids in Toronto. Whose fault is that?
— Toronto Star
The problem with rent control (or the lack thereof) in Toronto
— Toronto Star
The right to “choice" and housing in Canada
— rabble.ca
The Good, the bad, and the ugly of abortion in Canada
— Ottar Magazine
IN THE NEWS
Want to raise a kid in Canada? That'll be $293,000
— The Walrus
We Need to Talk About Abortion Access in Canada, Too
— Macleans
Why Should Canadians Care about Roe v. Wade?
— Vancouver Magazine
You Don’t “Both Sides” Human Rights
— Canadaland