--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abortion, for many women, is more than an…" description: "\"Abortion, for many women, is more than an experience of suffering beyond anything most men will ever know, it is an act of mercy, and an act of self-de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png" --- # Abortion, for many women, is more than an experience of… ![“Abortion, for many women, is more than an experience of suffering beyond anything most men will ever know, it is an act of mercy, and an act of self-defense.” quote by Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png) > “Abortion, for many women, is more than an experience of suffering beyond anything most men will ever know, it is an act of mercy, and an act of self-defense.” [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abortion can be a compassionate choice for women, protecting them from greater harm. **In simple terms:** Abortion may be an act of mercy and self‑defense. Key Takeaway Respect women's autonomy and health. Themes women's rights ethics healthcare Mood empathetic serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - medical decisions - legal debates - personal narratives Key Concepts autonomy self‑defense compassion Questions to Reflect On - How does society balance moral views with women's health? - What support helps women after such decisions? A Different Perspective Legal restrictions can limit safe access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Abortion Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion-women-1048273/) [Act Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-mercy-560169/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) [Experience Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-suffering-597369/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-defense/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Women Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-experience-434613/) ## Related quotes > [I support Donald Trump, but I also support abortion and a women's right to choice, what to do with their body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-wilkinson/i-support-donald-trump-but-i-also-support-abortion-and-a-women-s/) [Kendra Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-wilkinson/) > [I noticed that most of the women who are against abortion are women you wouldn't want to have sex with in the first place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-noticed-that-most-of-the-women-who-are-against-abortion-are-women/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-faustina-kowalska/for-there-are-three-ways-of-performing-an-act-of-mercy-the-merciful/) [Mary Faustina Kowalska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-faustina-kowalska/) > [“It's the story of the City of Women; of how it came to be, how it flourished, and how it was destroyed by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-carey/it-s-the-story-of-the-city-of-women-of-how-it-came-to-be-how-it/) [Louise Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-carey/) > [“Contending must be understood and exercised as an act of mercy toward those who doubt and those who have been deceied, regardless of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-armstrong/contending-must-be-understood-and-exercised-as-an-act-of-mercy-toward/) [Aaron Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-armstrong/) > [You don’t see many of these white anti-abortion women volunteering to have any black fetuses transplanted into their uterus’s, do you? No, you don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-don-t-see-many-of-these-white-anti-abortion-women-volunteering-to/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [If abortion was about women's rights, then why is it so profitable? In my eyes, abortion is the most well-known example of blood money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-abortion-was-about-women-s-rights-then-why-is-it-so-profitable-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In nature, creatures never ended the lives of others except to survive. To women, abortion was self-defense and preservation of the species. Abortion was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-castillo/in-nature-creatures-never-ended-the-lives-of-others-except-to-survive/) [Ana Castillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-castillo/) > [Abortion is an act of self-defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/abortion-is-an-act-of-self-defense/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Women, in his experience, often expected you to understand that it was a measure of how much they loved you that they tried their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/women-in-his-experience-often-expected-you-to-understand-that-it-was/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [Though women may appear equal in some ways, and though we definitely have accomplished a lot, the fact is one in one women will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-zeilinger/though-women-may-appear-equal-in-some-ways-and-though-we-definitely/) [Julie Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-zeilinger/) > [“The social invisibility of women's experience is not "a failure of human communication." It is a socially arranged bias persisted in long after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/the-social-invisibility-of-women-s-experience-is-not-a-failure-of/) [Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/) > [There's not a woman in the world who hasn't felt self-conscious about something! We as women all experience it but we never talk about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/there-s-not-a-woman-in-the-world-who-hasn-t-felt-self-conscious-about/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [People like to pretend that all women have the same experience or that all gay people have the same experience. But everyone's life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/people-like-to-pretend-that-all-women-have-the-same-experience-or/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [“Postpartum depression and anxiety that 11-20% of women experience is not at all the same as the more commonly experienced 'baby blues' 80% of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-dippel/postpartum-depression-and-anxiety-that-11-20-of-women-experience-is/) [Judy Dippel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-dippel/) ## More by Alice Walker > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Remember this-- say it & know it is true: Alice loves me Alice loves me and I am not blamed for this. ... she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/remember-this-say-it-know-it-is-true-alice-loves-me-alice-loves-me/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Only the sky above us do we hold in common.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/only-the-sky-above-us-do-we-hold-in-common/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Why aren't you happy in America, if everyone there drives motorcars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/why-aren-t-you-happy-in-america-if-everyone-there-drives-motorcars/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“She saw poetry where other writers merely saw failure to cope with English.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/she-saw-poetry-where-other-writers-merely-saw-failure-to-cope-with/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [My mother had handed down respect for the possibilities...and the will to grasp them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-had-handed-down-respect-for-the-possibilities-and-the-will/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/helped-are-those-who-are-content-to-be-themselves-they-will-never/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“As others might prepare for an exam whose subject matter is unknown to them, so I must study, cram, for every conversation with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/as-others-might-prepare-for-an-exam-whose-subject-matter-is-unknown/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [The original crime of niggers and lesbians is that they prefer themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-original-crime-of-niggers-and-lesbians-is-that-they-prefer/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [My mother was very strong. Once, she picked up a coconut and smashed it against my father's head. It taught me about women defending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-was-very-strong-once-she-picked-up-a-coconut-and-smashed-it/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Many readers fail to realize this, but 'The Color Purple' is a theological text. It is about the reclamation of one's original God: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/many-readers-fail-to-realize-this-but-the-color-purple-is-a/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Humans - whatever billions we are - we don't have the control. We are considered expendable, basically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/humans-whatever-billions-we-are-we-don-t-have-the-control-we-are/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/all-my-life-i-had-to-fight-i-had-to-fight-my-daddy-i-had-to-fight-my/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) [Explore all 654 Alice Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) [Madison Badesheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-badesheim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) [Sonya Renee Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-renee-taylor/) > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Abortion, for many women, is more than an experience of suffering beyond anything most men will ever know, it is an act of mercy, and an act of self-defense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Walker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an-experience-of-suffering/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abortion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an-experience-of-suffering/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/978/alice-walker-347_abortion_abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an_780258.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Abortion, for many women, is more than an experience of suffering beyond anything most men will ever know…” — Alice Walker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Walker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Abortion, for many women, is more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an-experience-of-suffering/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/abortion-for-many-women-is-more-than-an-experience-of-suffering/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```