‘When Emily Letts got pregnant, she knew she would get an abortion. Then she decided to film it. Letts, 25, is an abortion counsellor at Cherry Hill Women’s Center in New Jersey, which is where she had her abortion. The non-graphic video focuses on her face and shows her breathing and humming through the procedure.

I know there are women who feel great remorse. I have seen the tears. Grieving is an important part of a woman’s process, but what I really wanted to address in my video is guilt.

Our society breeds this guilt. We inhale it from all directions. Even women who come to the clinic completely solid in their decision to have an abortion say they feel guilty for not feeling guilty.

I didn’t feel bad. I do feel a little irresponsible and embarrassed about not using birth control. I was able to learn and move forward. And I am grateful that I can share my story and inspire other women to stop the guilt.’

Why I Filmed My Abortion (Heather Wood Rudulph, Cosmopolitan)