You're the Only One I've Told: The Stories Behind Abortion, Hardcover

For a long time, when people asked Dr. Meera Shah what she did, she would tell them she was a doctor and leave it at that. But over the last few years, Shah decided it was time to be direct. "I'm an abortion provider," she will now say. And an interesting thing started to happen each time she met someone new. One by one, people would confide--at BBQs, at jury duty, in the middle of the greeting card aisle at Target-- that in fact they'd had an abortion themselves. And the refrain was often the same: You're the only one I've told. This book collects those stories as they've been told to Shah to humanize abortion and to combat myths that persist in the discourse that surrounds it. An intentionally wide range of ages, races, socioeconomic factors and experiences, shows that abortion does not happen in a vacuum--it always occurs in a unique context. Today, abortion has become a core political litmus test for party loyalty. A healthcare issue that's so precious and foundational to reproductive, social, and economic freedom for millions of people is exploited by politicians who lack understanding or compassion about the context in which abortion occurs. Stories have power to break down stigmas and help us to empathize with those whose experiences are unlike our own. They can also help us find community and a shared sense of camaraderie over experiences just like ours. You're the Only One I've Told will do both.

Dr. Meera Shah is a family medicine physician practicing in New York, currently as the Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, where she also serves as the director of Gender Affirming Care and director of HIV Prevention Services. Shah is a strong advocate for increasing abortion access in underserved areas as well as for increasing access to HIV prevention and treatment. A Fellow with the Physicians for Reproductive Health, Shah is dedicated to being a vocal advocate for sexual and reproductive health access for all people. In 2018, she was awarded Woman of Distinction by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman. Shah writes a monthly column for Jezebel, Call Me In the Morning, focused on topics related to sexual and reproductive health.