Shout Your Abortion (styled #ShoutYourAbortion) is a campaign for abortion supporters and a project of the left-of-center fiscal sponsorship group NEO Philanthropy. The group was created with the intention of normalizing abortion. ¹ It launched in 2015 to push the notion that “abortion is normal” and that women should talk positively about having had abortions. ²

Spread through social media, graffiti, vandalism, shirts, and left-leaning publications, #ShoutYourAbortion culminated in a book which was endorsed by abortion-advocacy leaders like the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America and Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ^{3 4}

Founding

After pro-life activist David Daleiden released surreptitiously obtained video that alleged that Planned Parenthood was engaged in illegal fetal body parts sales in 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Planned Parenthood defunding bill. ⁵ Senate Democrats filibustered it in the U.S. Senate. ⁶
Following the effort to cut federal funds to the network that performs an estimated one-third of abortions in the United States, abortion-rights supporter Amelia Bonow to announce that she had a positive abortion experience. ^{7 8} According to Bonow, “I have a good heart and having an abortion made me happy in a totally unqualified way. Why wouldn’t I be happy that I was not forced to become a mother?” Bonow’s disclosure was seized upon by feminist opinion writer Lindy West, who used the hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion. The hashtag was used over 100,000 times in 24 hours. ⁹

West later Tweeted that her efforts were “about destigmatization, normalization, and putting an end to shame” regarding abortion.

Bonow and West eventually co-founded the organization named after West’s hashtag – Shout, LLC, under which the organization #ShoutYourAbortion exists – and co-authored a book with feminist music editor Emily Nokes in 2018. ¹¹

Funding

According to Shout Your Abortion’s website, the group is a “fiscally sponsored project” of NEO Philanthropy. Donations to Shout Your Abortion benefit NEO Philanthropy, which handles contributions to the campaign. ¹²

Founded in 1983, NEO is a pass-through nonprofit which sponsors a number of similar projects covering a wide array of policy areas. The group also funds left-wing activism on a number of issues. NEO also contributes to pro-abortion causes: in 2016, it gave $287,438 to Shout, LLC for “project management” fees and Abortion Access Front (formerly Lady Parts Justice League). ^{13 14} NEO Philanthropy gave an additional $360,000 to Shout, LLC for “project management” fees in 2017. ¹⁵

Impact

Oprah Winfrey’s magazine O profiled Bonow and #ShoutYourAbortion in 2018. ^{16 17} Nokes and Bonow were profiled through a republication of part of their book in YES Magazine, and #ShoutYourAbortion’s website highlights other coverage at CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera, and other prominent left-of-center publications. ^{18 19}

The impact #ShoutYourAbortion has had on the U.S. abortion debate as a whole is questionable. The organization’s coverage focuses around the fact of its activism, not results in the form of judicial, legal, or political accomplishments. Despite its media coverage, its Twitter page has just over 4,000 followers and its Facebook page has fewer than 6,000 followers. ^{20 21}

A Kickstarter page for the #ShoutYourAbortion book raised $16,929 from 351 donors. ²²

Controversies

Pro-life advocates who work with women who suffer from the aftermath of abortion have criticized #ShoutYourAbortion for portraying only one segment of U.S. women who have abortions. ^{23 24}

In 2019, Bonow interviewed young children about their opinions on abortion. She told one child that abortion is supported by God. ^{25 26}

Leadership

#ShoutYourAbortion is formally led by West, Bonow, and Nokes.

1. Shout Your Abortion, Donate, Accessed June 8, 2019. https://shoutyourabortion.com/donate/
2. Shout Your Abortion, Main Page, Accessed June 8, 2019. https://shoutyourabortion.com/
3. Square Up, Shout Your Abortion book, Accessed June 8, 2019. https://squareup.com/store/shout-your-abortion/item/shout-your-abortion-book
4. Shout Your Abortion, Book, Accessed June 8, 2019. https://shoutyourabortion.com/book/
5. Congress.gov, 114^th Congress, House Bill 3134, Accessed June 8, 2019. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3134/actions
6. Deirdre Walsh, “Senate vote to defund Planned Parenthood fails,” August 4, 2015. Accessed June 8, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/politics/senate-planned-parenthood-defunding-legislation/index.html
7. DeSanctis, Alexandra. “Four Arguments for GOP Politicians Serious about Defunding Planned Parenthood.” National Review. April 16, 2019. Accessed June 11, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/defunding-planned-parenthood-four-arguments/.
8. Michael Pearson, “Women embrace, criticize #ShoutYourAbortion,” September 29, 2015. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/22/living/shout-your-abortion-feat/
9. Anne-Marie Tomchak, “The women ‘shouting’ their abortion,” September 22, 2015. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-34327404/the-women-shouting-their-abortions
11. Shout Your Abortion, Book, Accessed June 8, 2019. https://shoutyourabortion.com/book/[/note] ¹⁰Melissa Barnhart, “Will Oprah give equal time for women to shout their abortion regrets?” August 28, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.christianpost.com/news/oprah-equal-time-women-shout-their-abortion-regrets-silent-no-more.html
12. “Shout Your Abortion – Donate.” Shout Your Abortion. Accessed June 11, 2019. https://shoutyourabortion.com/donate/.
13. ProPublica, NEO Philanthropy 2016 990, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133191113/201713109349301696/IRS990
14. Abortion Access Front, About Us, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.aafront.org/about-us/
15. NEO Philanthropy, 2017 990, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://neophilanthropy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NEO-Philanthropy-990_Public-version.pdf
16. Melissa Barnhart, “Will Oprah give equal time for women to shout their abortion regrets?” August 28, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.christianpost.com/news/oprah-equal-time-women-shout-their-abortion-regrets-silent-no-more.html
17. Lindy West, “I set up #ShoutYourAbortion because I am not sorry, and I will not whisper,” September 22, 2015. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/22/i-set-up-shoutyourabortion-because-i-am-not-sorry-and-i-will-not-whisper
18. Bonow & Nokes, “In ‘Shout Your Abortion,’ a celebration of life,” January 22, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/in-shout-your-abortion-a-celebration-of-life-20190122
19. Shout Your Abortion, About, Accessed June 9, 2019.https://shoutyourabortion.com/about/
20. Twitter, Shout Your Abortion account, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://twitter.com/ShoutYrAbortion
21. Facebook, Shout Your Abortion account, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/shoutyourabortionUSA/
22. Kickstarter, Shout Your Abortion Book, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ww3/shout-your-abortion-book
23. Melissa Barnhart, “Will Oprah give equal time for women to shout their abortion regrets?” August 28, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.christianpost.com/news/oprah-equal-time-women-shout-their-abortion-regrets-silent-no-more.html
24. Katie Yoder, “Women defy #ShoutYourAbortion with their stories of regret,” January 22, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/news/women-defy-shoutyourabortion-with-their-stories-of-regret/
25. Nicole Russell, “The #ShoutYourAbortion campaign is now misleading children,” January 4, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-shoutyourabortion-campaign-is-now-misleading-children
26. YouTube, MRCTV, “Abortion activist tells kids about ‘God’s plan’ – with abortion,” January 3, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqVhZ9bsjUw