Everyone is Talking About: Exhale!

Exhale is celebrating our 10th Anniversary! Founded by and for people with personal abortion experiences, we have been providing emotional support to our community for over a decade. 

When we first started our talkline service in the Bay Area (with just $1,000 and six volunteers), we were the only one of our kind in the nation.  Since that time, we’ve helped spur new public conversations about what our community wants and needs to be healthy and emotionally well after an abortion; and inspired the launch of new services to meet those needs. 

The need for women and men to have access to emotional support after an abortion, and to feel supported and respected by family and friends, is now a widely accepted fact. Recent media articles written for women who may need an abortion and to friends helping somebody through one have included references and referrals to Exhale, alongside medical information and health recommendations. 

On Jezebel, “How to Help a Friend Through an Abortion,” directed readers to:

Refer your friend to resources. There are lots of resources available to help your friend with any specific concerns or questions she may have. Everyone I talked to recommended Exhale, which describes itself as "the nation's premiere organization addressing the emotional health and wellbeing of women and men after abortion."

In the February/March issue of Bust, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting an Abortion,” suggests that after an abortion: 

“Talking to friends and loved ones is ideal, but if you’re not comfortable being candid with them, there are plenty of women you can contact who’ve been in your shoes.  Exhale, a California-based, community-led organization that addresses the “emotional health and wellbeing of women and men after abortion,” offers a free and confidential after-abortion counseling hotline.  Keep in mind that there’s no “right” way to feel after an abortion, and your feelings may change from day to day or minute to minute.”  

Even better, Exhale is no longer the only service of our kind. 

Within the last decade, new organizations have started to offer women and men with nonjudgmental emotional support: including Backline, Faith Aloud and Connect and Breathe; as well as the growing Abortion Doula Movement, which we’ve reported on here.  Creating opportunities and resources for women to get the emotional support and social respect they need after an abortion is no longer a controversial idea or just a trend.  It’s here to stay and we expect new services, strategies and communities to grow in response to what we learn and need.

Beyond our direct impact on the health and wellbeing of women and men after an abortion, we are also excited that our community of volunteers is gaining recognition and visibility for the time, talent and passion they contribute to Exhale. 

The January/February issue of the Grassroots Fundraising Journal features Exhale volunteers and alumni on the cover, along with an article on “Supporting Volunteer Fundraisers.”

Writer Karen Topakian reports:

“Exhale is dedicated to creating a culture of fundraising at their organization, much of which is connected to how the organizational leadership views grassroots fundraising. They talk about their fundraising as being community-supported, mission-linked, and part of movement-building – and they share this perspective with all the volunteers they bring in.” 

To learn more about how volunteers take leadership in fundraising for Exhale, you can read volunteer Shihan Qin post on “Becoming a Fundraiser at Exhale.”

January 2012 marks ten-years of Exhale’s talkline operations.  We’re thrilled that our community of women and men with personal abortion experiences has gained the public recognition and respect we’ve been working towards; and more resources  to be healthy and emotionally well.  Looking ahead, we know pro-voice advocates will continue to create a more supportive and respectful social climate around abortion.  Let's shape the next decade!