You’ve probably gathered by now that carafem is doing things a little differently. One of our goals is to change the conversation around abortion and combat the stigma surrounding the topic, and we think the first step in changing the conversation is changing the language around abortion care.
First of all, let’s talk about the “A-word.” Abortion. It’s what we do. carafem provides medication abortion, which is a little too vague and technical of a term. Instead, we talk about the abortion pill. Doesn’t that sound better? We certainly think so. And if you didn’t know by now, our services are all about YOU. We don’t just give you an abortion; we provide compassionate abortion care. We wouldn’t have it (or say it) any other way.
Next, carafem wants to make sure that you feel comfortable. To do that, we want to remove any of that sterile, medical jargon. carafem has centers, rather than clinics. When you come to us, you will be clients, rather than patients. The abortion care you receive will be a process, rather than a procedure. Instead of a doctor, you’ll meet with a clinician. You will hear about comprehensive birth control options, rather than contraception.
Finally, we believe that every woman and her individual story is important and deserves to be heard. You are not a conglomerate of women, but each client is a unique woman. So, the care we provide will be different depending on the client. We want to reflect that in our language. Maybe you want to plan for a family, but, then again, maybe you don’t. With that in mind, we want to offer you reproductive health care, rather than family planning.
Here at carafem, we pay special attention to the words and phrases we use. We think this is one important factor in changing abortion care in this country. More than that, though, we want to emphasize one key idea: this is your life and your decision, and you are our top priority.
Tell us what language you use to talk about abortion, and let us know what you think of ours!
