Muslim South Asian Writer Fariha Róisín Shares Her Abortion Story

Faith and spirituality often shape our perceptions of sex, sexuality, and abortion. In this video, writer Fariha Róisín discusses her abortion experience.

Róisín shares how she initially felt shame around her abortion as a South Asian Muslim woman. However, during a pilgrimage to Mecca, she felt forgiveness and came to accept her abortion. Since then, she’s worked through the shame and stigma around abortion.

Her abortion also affected her perception of spirituality. She now sees spirituality less as a checklist of what one can and can’t do. It’s more expansive for her now.

As a writer, Róisín hopes that sharing her story will help others. She continues to write about topics at the intersections of health and sexuality, normalizing the conversations.

Being brown and also being Muslim, like those two things combined – I just had this overwhelming sense of ‘it can’t be me.’ This is not what my life is supposed to be.

• AUTHOR: Fariha Róisín • LAST UPDATED: August 25, 2019