Woman Had Three Abortions Because “Having Children Holds Women Back”

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Sep 1, 2016   |   5:19PM   |   Washington, DC

In July, LifeNews covered tortured performance artist Marina Abramovic’s admission to having three abortions because she believed children would get in the way of her career.

Abramovic (pictured) told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel, “I had three abortions because I was convinced that it would be a disaster for my work, that you only have so much energy in your body and I would have to share it.”

Fellow artist Hein Koh saw Abramovic’s story and decided to respond with her own, very different experiences with motherhood. In a post on Facebook that went viral, the Brooklyn, New York artist said her twins have inspired her as an artist, and they have not held her back.

The artist and mother of twin girls Ami and Oni posted a photo of her breastfeeding her twins while working at her computer, along with a message about how her experiences as a mother have made her a better artist.

“#MarinaAbramovic thinks that children hold women back in the art world … All Marina knows is her own experience, and it may be true for her, but that’s not everyone’s experience or the truth. Becoming a #mom (of twins no less) has personally helped me become a better #artist – I learned to be extremely efficient with my time, prioritize what’s important and let go of the rest, and #multitask like a champ.”

She continued: “I learned to function (even if barely) on very little sleep, and out of the chaos, insanity and even torture at times, a flood of new emotions entered my work, becoming more interesting & layered as a result. … parenting is like any other challenge in life … and if you embrace it and figure out creative solutions, you can emerge a better person.”

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Hein’s photo and her message received a lot of praise and thanks from moms and others on social media. On Monday, after national news outlets began reporting her story, Hein posted a follow-up message about receiving both praise and attacks for her original message.

She wrote:

I’m experiencing a little bit of internet fame from my tandem breastfeeding laptop photo, which I feel a little embarrassed by. However, the reason I posted it in the first place is to let other artists, particularly female artists, know that deciding to have kids doesn’t necessarily mean you will compromise your creativity, that in fact you may become MORE creative. On a practical level, your time will obviously be compromised and your mental energy will be consumed by your kids in addition to your art, but what matters more is quality, not quantity. It’s important to look at the holistic picture, what motherhood can actually do for you and your art (if it is a path that you desire) rather than the nitty gritty of time constraints.
… Moms are always the first to judge other moms, when we should just leave each other alone. I’d like to promote a culture where women build up other women and don’t feel the need to tear each other apart, leading by example rather than attack. Let’s just let one another live.

Hein did not mention her views on abortion at all, but she did not need to. Her post about her children is life-affirming and empowering for women facing difficult pregnancy situations. Too often women are told that they need abortions because they can’t handle a child and a career/education. Hein’s powerful example and many others like her’s are demonstrating that women do not need abortions to succeed. Women are strong enough and capable enough to be moms and pursue their dreams.