List of songs about abortion

This list contains songs which have lyrics that refer to abortion in some manner.

Contents:

Top · 0–9 · A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

0–9

• "$19.99 A.D." by Qwel (featuring Robust) (2001)
  A song in which rapper Qwel expresses his pro-life views on abortion.^[1] Considering the album the song is featured on in 2007, he stated, "Some of it, I look back on it and I think, I was 19 and complaining about things I didn't know nothing about. I don't think a 19 year old man should do an abortion song. But I'm older now, I could not have known that then."^[2]

• "6794700" by Birmingham 6 (1994)
  A song which condemns the Catholic Church's position on reproductive rights, featuring the line "Don't hide your shame behind the convent wall/Keep your child or don't give birth at all."^[3]

A

• "Abortion" by Cars Can Be Blue (2005)
  An irreverent duet in which a couple discuss their plans to get an abortion and then mutually declare "killing this baby was the best choice we ever made!"^[4]

• "Abortion" by Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew (1986)
  A pro-life rap song that describes abortion as a "distortion" and states the "world's morals are out of proportion." ^[5]

• "Abortion" by Kid Rock (2000)
  A song about a man so grieved by his girlfriend's abortion that he contemplates suicide.^[6]

• "Abortion Is a Crime" by Alpha Blondy (1994)
  A song about how Alpha Blondy opposes abortion.^[7]

• "Abortion Is Murder" by P.O.D. (1994)
  A song with a pro-life message included as a hidden track on the album Snuff the Punk. Reflecting on it years after its release, lead vocalist Sonny Sandoval said, "We don't do that stuff anymore, 'cause that's not where we're at. You know, we're not about stepping on people's toes."^[8]

• "Act of Love" by Neil Young (featuring Pearl Jam) (1995)
  A song about abortion that Young was inspired to record with Pearl Jam after playing it live with them at a Voters for Choice benefit concert,^[9][10] about which he has said, "See, personally, I'm pro-choice. But the song isn't! This isn't an easy subject to confront head-on. People who say that human beings shouldn't have the right to dismiss a human life - they have a point. You can't dismiss that point. But then there's the reality. There's idealism and reality, the two have got to come together yet there are always major problems when they do."^[11]

• "Adiós, mamá" by Trigo Limpio (1976)
  A Spanish-language song written from the perspective of a fetus that comes to terms with the news the woman carrying it intends to have an abortion.^[12]

• "All My Life" by Paul Stookey (1990)
  A song about the different suggestions on how to respond to an unplanned pregnancy given to a woman by people she knows.^[13]

• "Altering the Future" by Death (1990)
  A song that weighs the potential for abortion and capital punishment to change the course of future events.^[14]

• "Amendment" by Ani DiFranco (2010)
  An unreleased song calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to guarantee gender equality and abortion rights.^[15]

• "At Conception" by Cursive (2006)
  A song about a priest who becomes involved with a teenage girl whose boyfriend is away at war, then urges her to have an abortion when she gets pregnant, although he regularly protests at the clinic.^[16]

• "Aurélie" by Colonel Reyel (2011)
  A French-language rap song about a 16-year-old who decides to continue a pregnancy despite her parents and friends advising her to have an abortion.^[17] When asked if he opposes abortion in an interview, Colonel Reyel stated he does not, and explained the intent of the song: "What I'm trying to evoke in the story is that it remains above all a personal choice. It's for the girl to decide whether she is able to give life or not, quite simply. And in the case of Aurélie, she feels ready, we must therefore support her rather than bully her."^[18]

• "Autobiography" by Nicki Minaj (2008)
  The final verse of this song is about experiencing a sense of loss and longing after an abortion.^[19]

B

• "A Baby's Prayer" by Kathy Troccoli (1997)
  A song in which a child in heaven asks God to forgive his or her mother for having an abortion.^[20]

• "Baby (Should I Have the Baby?)" by Cindy Lee Berryhill (1989)
  A song about weighing various reproductive options, including abortion.^[21]

• "Baby Birch" by Joanna Newsom (2010)
  A song about regreting abortions on poetry.

• "The Baby Stays" by Sage Francis (2010)
  A song which alternates between the perspective of a man upset by not having a say in his partner's decision to have an abortion, the woman herself, and the fetus.^[22]

• "Back Alley Surgery" by Malvina Reynolds (1978)
  A song Reynolds wrote to protest a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing restrictions on Medicaid funding of abortion, suggesting it will cause poor women to turn to unsafe means.^[23]

• "Bear" by The Antlers (2009)
  A song about an unhappy couple who grow even more distant after an abortion.^[24]

• "The Beat of Black Wings" by Joni Mitchell (1988)
  A song about a shellshocked Vietnam War veteran who finds out his girlfriend had an abortion without telling him.^[25][26]

• "Becky and the Baby" by Jimmy Ibbotson (2005)
  A song about an abortion clinic bombing that kills a reporter covering a protest outside.^[27]

• "Bellyache" by Echobelly (1993)
  A song Sonya Madan wrote about the distress a friend went through after having an abortion.^[28]

• "Berkeley Is My Baby (And I Wanna Kill It)" by Blatz (1990)
  A song in which the East Bay punk band expresses their dislike of Berkeley, California, including the lyric "Berkeley is my baby, but I should've aborted it/Had some doubts in the waiting room, but now I'm stuck with it."^[29]

• "The Biggest Hurt" by Barbara Fairchild (1982)
  A song about a woman experiencing deep regret after having had an abortion.^[30]

• "Birthday I.O.U." by All (1993)
  A song Bill Stevenson wrote about what he felt going through an abortion with his girlfriend.^[31]

• "Bitchcraft" by Strelnikoff (1998)
  A song written in the voice of religious conservatives condemning abortion and vowing to correct what they view as morally transgressive behavior. It was intended as a statement against lobbying by the Catholic Church to change abortion law in the band's native Slovenia.^[32]

• "Bodies" by The Sex Pistols (1977)
  A song inspired by an obsessed fan and mental asylum patient named Pauline, who once showed John Lydon a fetus, and told him she had gotten pregnant by male nurses at the asylum.^[33][34] In 2009, in response to a conservative website interpreting the song as pro-life, Lydon stated, “The lyrics state both cases. I agree with both sides at the same time – not for religious reasons, but for humane ones."^[35]

Breathe (2am) by Anna Nalick

• "Brick" by Ben Folds Five (1997)
  A song in which singer Ben Folds tells the story of an abortion his girlfriend had during high school.^[36]

• "Broken People" by KJ-52 (2009)
  In the second verse of this Christian rap song, a pregnant girl contemplates having an abortion but decides against it because despite her difficulties, "she knew his life was the thing that matters."^[37]

• "Burden In Your Hands" by Underoath (1999)
  A song in which Underoath elaborate upon their pro-life position on abortion.^[38]

• "Butyric Acid" by Consolidated (1994)
  A song that takes issue with the pro-life movement and some of the tactics it uses when protesting abortion clinics.^[39]

C

• "The Call" by Matt Kennon (2009)
  The second verse concerns a teenage girl about to get an abortion when her boyfriend calls to say he'll marry her and raise the child.^[40]

• "Can I Live?" by Nick Cannon (featuring Anthony Hamilton) (2005)
  A song that is a semi-autobiographical account of how Cannon's mother decided not to have an abortion.^[41]

• "Carry the Blame" by River City People (1989)
  A song about a woman experiencing feelings of guilt after an abortion.^[42]

• "Certi momenti" by Pierangelo Bertoli (1980)
  An Italian-language song in which Bertoli criticizes a law allowing doctors to opt out of performing abortions on conscience grounds.^[43]

• "Children Can Live (Without It)" by DC Talk (1990)
  A song with a pro-life message, about which band member Michael Tait said, "We were told by people that a lot of times ‘issue-oriented’ albums are not great sellers, or you’ll get a lot of flak for them. To best honest with you, we’re human, and we didn’t want to get laid out again. But if telling the truth hurts, then it’s just gonna have to hurt because that’s what we’re about. You know, racism is sin, abortion – to us – is sin."^[44]

• "Choices" by Jeffrey Gaines (1992)
  A song in which Gaines expresses his view that the abortion decision should be left up to women.^[45]

• "Choirgirl" by Cold Chisel (1979)
  A song about a man who tries to console his distressed girlfriend prior to an abortion.^[46][47]

• "Chotee" by Bif Naked (1998)
  A song about the abortion Bif Naked had at age 18 while married to her then-drummer.^[48][49]

• "Chow Down" by 7 Year Bitch (1992)^[50]

• "Clinic" by Crash Vegas (1995)
  A song about a woman going through an abortion.^[51]

• "Con una estrella" by Ricardo Arjona (1998)
  A Spanish-language song which implores an unmarried pregnant woman not to have an abortion.^[52] In a radio interview, Arjona stated, "So it has an explanation in the CD: 'This is just a story, not a point of view,' right? Because I believe that such determinations belong to the people who have to make them, and I do not want to get in the position of having to influence people to see what to do with their lives or the life of someone who has a lot to do with them. That's the reason for the clarification and that's why I did not dare record this issue for so long, in order not to make it a kind of anti-abortion anthem, which was not really what I wanted to capture in this song."^[53]

• "Coulda Been" by K. Sparks (2009)^[54]

• "Curse of Blood" by A.W.E. Band (2009)
  A pro-life song that shifts perspective with each verse: the first verse is about the unborn, the second about a woman regretting an abortion, and the third verse about a nation asking God's forgiveness.^[55][56]

D

• "The Dancer" by James Lee Stanley (1988)
  A song that metaphorically addresses facing an unplanned pregnancy, with "the dancer" referred to in the lyrics representing the choice to continue it, and "the sure way" abortion.^[57]

• "Dangerous Place" by Julie Miller (1990)
  A song Miller was inspired to write after reading a pro-life tract reshaped her views on abortion.^[58]

• "December" by Frida Hyvönen (2008)
  A song about a woman who goes to an abortion clinic with her boyfriend.^[59]

• "Dégénérations" by Mes Aïeux (2004)
  A French-language folk song with lyrics that mourn the passing of the era when Quebecers had large families and condemn modern women for having abortions.^[60] When a pro-life news site ran an article labeling the song pro-life, the group responded with a letter stating that they are "in profound disagreement with [this] interpretation," and are "unanimously" pro-choice.^[61]

• "Diary of an Unborn Child" by Mark Fox
  A song sung from the point of view of a male fetus who shares developmental news from conception to abortion.^[62]

• "Didn't Wanna Be Daddy" by Jeffrey Gaines (1992)
  A song Gaines wrote about the conflicting thoughts he had after finding out a woman he was with had an abortion. Commenting on the song, he said, "I guess that song, the tone that I addressed it is - I know I'm really simplifying this - but you want to get the lead in a play and you don't get the part, you go back to your friends and you go, I didn't want it anyway."^[45]

• "Die of Shame" by Tilt (1999)
  A song about a young woman who dies giving herself an abortion because she is too ashamed to talk to her parents and her state has a parental consent law.^[63]

• "Dr. Hatchet" by Seventh Angel (1990)
  A Christian thrash song that accuses doctors who perform abortions of committing murder.^[64]

• "Dr. Tiller" by Kendl Winter (2010)
  A song Winter wrote about the 2009 murder of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller.^[65]

E

• "Elle attend son petit" by Pierre Perret (1981)
  A French-language song in which Perret expresses approval of the 1975 legalization of abortion in France.^[66]

• "Everyday" by The Saw Doctors (1996)
  A song about a young woman from Ireland traveling to England for an abortion.^[67]

• "Execution" by Grammatrain (1995)
  A Christian rock song about the band's opposition to abortion.^[68]

F

• "Fallopian Rhapsody" by Lunachicks (1995)
  A song in which the band give reasons they think it is necessary for abortion to be legal.^[69]

• "F.D.K. (Fearless Doctor Killers)" by Mudhoney (1995)
  A song written as a condemnation of anti-abortion activists who use violence against doctors.^[70]

• "First Trimester" by Illogic (2004)
  A song Illogic wrote based on his experience of having a girlfriend get an abortion without telling him.^[71]

• "The Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe (1997)
  A song about a girl who commits suicide as a result of the regret she feels for having an abortion.^[72]

• "Fugu" by Marianne Dissard (2011)
  A song Dissard described as being "about abortion and also about my relationship with my ex-husband."^[73]

• "The Future" by Leonard Cohen (1992)
  The final verse features the lyrics "Destroy another fetus now/We don't like children anyhow/I've seen the future, baby: it is murder."^[74]

G

• "Games of Chance and Circumstance" by AD (1985)
  A song that condemns the legalization of abortion in the United States.^[75]

• "Get Your Gunn" by Marilyn Manson (1994)
  A song written in reaction to the 1993 murder of aborton provider Dr. David Gunn.^[76]

• "The Gift of Life" by Desmond Child (1991)
  A song Child wrote about the experience of going through an abortion with his high school girlfriend and the regret he now feels over it.^[77]

• "Giving You Back" by Robyn (1999)
  A song from Robyn's second album My Truth that deals with an abortion she had in 1998.^[78]

• "God Has Lodged a Tenant in My Uterus" by Tammy Faye Starlite (2000)
  A satirical country song in which the singer assumes the role of a character whose oft-pregnant mother sung this song to her as a child to instill a pro-life viewpoint.^[79]

• "Goose Walking Over My Grave" by Jay Munly (2004)
  A dark folk song that begins with the narrator reluctantly punching his sister, who is pregnant by him, in the stomach at her request.^[80]

H

• "Hands on the Bible" by Local H (2002)
  A song described as being about "guilt over abortion and karma."^[81]

• "Happy Birthday" by Flipsyde (2005)
  A song in which a man apologizes to the child he might have had if not for an abortion.^[82][83]

• "Hard to Make a Stand" by Sheryl Crow (1996)
  A song which mentions a woman who is fatally shot on her way to get an abortion.^[84]

• "Hellbound" by The Breeders (1990)
  A song about a fetus who survives an abortion.^[85]

• "Hello Birmingham" by Ani DiFranco (1999)
  A song written in response to the 1998 bombing of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama.^[86]

• "Hide My Sin" by Lorene Mann (1971)
  A song about a woman who travels to New York state, which legalized abortion three years prior to the 1973 case Roe v. Wade, for an abortion.^[87]

• "Howard" by Rickie Lee Jones (1997)
  A song about a woman haunted by the spirits of the abortions she had. When asked about her views in relation to the song, Jones stated, "I am not sure about the nature of a foetus, if it matters, truly. One wants to hope it matters, because one wants there to be a god, a morality, a good and evil, and if foetuses mattered, it would give some sense that there is in fact more than meets the eye, that the invisible world is filled with spirit, that a being exists even in a couple cells. It may. Or maybe not."^[88]

I

• "I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good" by Steve Taylor (1987)
  A satirical song about an ice cream vendor who bombs an abortion clinic to ensure continued business.^[89]

• "If I Were a Killer" by Galactic Cowboys (1993)
  A song that presents abortion as rationalized murder, featuring lines such as "If I were a killer, I'd hide behind a doctor's door."^[90]

• "I'll Be Good To You, Baby (A Message to the Silent Victim)" by Andraé Crouch (1981)
  A song written from the perspective of God talking to an aborted fetus.^[91]

• "I'll Live Yesterdays" by Lee Hazlewood (1971)
  A song about a man who would rather dwell in memories than carry on with a failing relationship after an abortion.^[92]

• "In America" by Creed (1997)
  A song that contains the line "Only in America we kill the unborn to make ends meet."^[93]

• "In te" by Nek (1993)
  An Italian-language song with lyrics written by Antonello de Sanctis about a past relationship in which his partner had an abortion without telling him.^[94]

• "In the Fields" by Sara Hickman (1990)
  A song about a woman remembering an old relationship from how it began to how it ended after an abortion.^[95]

• "In the Line of Fire" by Dogwood (1997)
  A song from the Christian punk band Dogwood that provides a narrative from the fetus's point of view.^[96]

• "In the Morning" by Anika Moa (2005)
  A song Moa wrote about the abortion she had when she was 20.^[97]

• "Invetro" by Organized Konfusion (1997)
  A song in which duo Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch take on the role of twin fetuses inside the uterus of a crack-addicted woman, one preferring to be aborted rather than face a bleak future, and the other hoping to experience the world despite any possible adversities.^[98]

• "Isobel" by Dido (1999)
  When asked about her song "Thank You" being sampled on the Enimem track "Stan", Dido responded, "I certainly write songs about things that haven't happened to me, and they're just not quite as shocking. Like, 'Isobel' is about abortion. I'm not saying whether I think it's right or not."^[99]

• "It’s Not the Time" by Kendall Payne (1999)
  A song about a teenage girl struggling over whether or not to have an abortion, which received negative response from pro-lifers when a clip of it was posted online, although Payne is pro-life herself: "…protesters posted messages saying, 'This is just another young person who doesn’t understand the sanctity of life.' To be accused by the people who I’m supposed to be on their team! They were using words that I use!"^[100]

• "I Want to Live" by The Right Brothers (2006)
  A song sung from the perspective of a fetus urging the young woman carrying it to choose adoption over abortion.^[101]

• "I Would Die For That" by Kellie Coffey (2007)
  The first verse of this song, which Coffey wrote about her experience with infertility, references a friend's abortion as a point of contrast.^[102][103]

J

• "Jesus Loves You" by Jewel (2001)
  The final verse includes the lyrics "They say abortion sends you to a fiery hell/ That is if the fanatics don't beat Satan to the kill."^[104]

• "Judge's Chair" by Peggy Seeger (1996)
  A song about unsafe abortion that Seeger wrote for NARAL, but which was not well received by the organization, according to her: "They didn't like [it] at all. It's not what they wanted. On the other hand, it stops people in their tracks. And it stops me in my tracks when I sing it. What they wanted was an anthem that everybody could join in and sing on."^[105]

K

• "Killers of the Unborn" by Barren Cross (1988)
  A song about abortion written from the perspective of a fully sentient fetus.^[106]

• "Kitchenware & Candybars" by Stone Temple Pilots (1994)
  A song about Scott Weiland's experience of going through an abortion with a former girlfriend.^[107]

• "KKKill the Fetus" by Esham (1993)
  A song that encourages pregnant women who are addicted to drugs to have abortions.^[108]

L

• "L'Annonciation" by Mylène Farmer (1985)
  A song about an abortion after a rape.^[109]

• "La Femme Fétal" by Digable Planets (1993)
  A song in which rapper Butterfly gives reasons why he thinks access to abortion should be protected.^[110] Commenting on it, fellow group member Ladybug stated, "We didn't make a conscious decision [to address issues]. We are conscious of our environments and of our lives and we take true situations in our lives and put it into songs. So that is an issue that every young person has to deal with at some point in time when you start having intercourse and sexual relations and stuff."^[111]

• "Legal Kill" by King's X (1990)
  A song with a pro-life message,^[112] about which band member Ty Tabor said, "I think ‘Legal Kill’ is another one that’s special to me. I’m happy to have gotten a chance to say that on a record. It’s kind of a touchy thing, being in the particular venue that our albums are in. That’s a very unpopular song, but I was very happy that it happened; that we got to do it.”^[113]

• "Let Me Live" by Pat Boone (1984)
  A song Boone has described as "the anthem of the unborn child,"^[114] featuring a children's choir that assumes the role of fetuses from a dream of Boone's, describing development up to three months.^[115]

• "Let's Get Out of Here" by Blessid Union of Souls (2008)
  A song written from the perspective of a fetus trying to convince the woman carrying it to leave an abortion clinic waiting room.^[116]

• "Life Inside You" by Matthew West (2008)
  A song about a teenage girl who considers abortion after becoming pregnant by her substance-using boyfriend, but opts against it, giving birth to a son and marrying the father after he overcomes addiction.^[117]

• "Lime Tree" by Bright Eyes (2007)
  The first verse of this song is about an abortion: "I keep floating down the river but the ocean never comes / Since the operation I heard you're breathing just for one / Now everything is imaginary, especially what you love / You left another message said it's done / It's done."^[118]

• "Little Ones" by Phil Keaggy (1980)
  A song in which the singer pleads for people to stand up for the rights of the unborn.^[119]

• "Lost Ones" by J. Cole (2011)
  A song written as a dialogue between a couple facing a pregnancy, with Cole alternating between the voice of the man, who suggests an abortion, and the woman, who dismisses the idea.^[120]

• "Lost Woman Song" by Ani DiFranco (1990)
  A song in which DiFranco recounts the abortion she had after becoming pregnant in 1988.^[121]

• "Lucy" by Skillet (2009)
  A song about a young couple struggling with sadness and regret after an abortion. They see a counsellor who suggests that to overcome these feelings they should treat the abortion like a death in the family, and so they hold a funeral, buy a headstone, and choose the name Lucy to put on it.^[122]

M

• "Malediction" by Atomic Opera (2000)
  A song that condemns abortion as evil and asks God to bring judgment on America for legalizing it.^[123]

• "Malenkoye chudo" by Singing Together (2002)
  A Russian-language song that encourages young women considering abortion to opt against it.^[124]

• "Mama Mama" by Judy Collins (1982)
  A song about a mother of five and her ambivalence about having aborted an unintended pregnancy.^[125]

• "Mandy Goes to Med School" by The Dresden Dolls (2006)
  A tongue-in-cheek song in which Amanda Palmer imagines herself and bandmate Brian Viglione as back alley abortionists.^[126]

• "Manhattan, Kansas" by Susan Werner (2011)
  A song about a woman who got pregnant in college, opting for abortion when her boyfriend would not offer her any support, and then encountering protesters at the clinic.^[127]

• "Maria" by Roberta D'Angelo (1976)
  An Italian-language song about a woman who undergoes a risky illegal abortion and "returns to live a little longer but even more alone."^[128]

• "Mary and Child" by Born Against (1991)
  A song in which the band express their pro-choice views on abortion.^[129]

• "Mazohyst of Decadance" by Dir En Grey (1999)
  A Japanese-language song written to be an account of abortion told from the perspective of the fetus.^[130]

• "Miracle" by Whitney Houston (1990)
  A song L.A. Reid and Babyface wrote about a woman who had an abortion and later felt she made a mistake.^[131] When asked if the song was intended to convey a pro-life message, Houston stated, "I didn't sing it with that in mind. I think about the air we breathe, the earth we live on. I think about our children. I think about a lot of things, things God put here for us to have, things that we need and take for granted. I think all of these things are miracles and I think we should try to take better care of them."^[132]

• "Moral Majority" by Dead Kennedys (1981)
  A song that denounces the now-defunct conservative organization Moral Majority, featuring the line, "You don’t want abortions, you want battered children."^[133]

• "Mortal Seed" by Ephraim Lewis (1992)
  A song Lewis wrote about the experience of his girlfriend going through an abortion.^[134]

• "Murder She Wrote" by Chaka Demus & Pliers (1994)
  A song about a woman who has developed a negative reputation for apparently having multiple abortions.^[135]

• "Musa di nessuno" by Afterhours (2008)
  An Italian-language song about a man who feels helpless when his partner decides to have an abortion.^[136] In an interview, Afterhours frontman Manual Angnelli stated the song was "a piece on lack of communication between men and women," and that it was written for the purpose of "telling a story, the emotions and feelings so raw, without taking sides."^[137]

• "My Special Child" by Sinéad O'Connor (1991)
  A song O'Connor wrote about her decision to end a planned pregnancy in 1990 after the breakdown of a relationship and how she handled it.^[138]

• "My Story" by Jean Grae (2008)
  An autobiographical song about the abortion Grae had at age 16. Grae has stated her intent with the song was to give listeners a vivid picture of her experience: "The whole idea of it was, no, I wanted to do a song that was this real about it. Taking you into the room. The anaesthetic. You're going through the whole process, especially experiencing it as a teenager. And not having anyone to share that with." ^[139]

N

• "Nine-Month Blues" by Peggy Seeger (1975)
  A song about how failed contraception leads to unintended pregnancy Seeger was commissioned to write by the National Abortion Committee.^[140]

• "No Apology" by Anti-Flag (1999)
  A song in which the band argue that banning abortion would not prevent it from happening and would lead to women dying from unsafe abortions.^[141]

• "No lo perdona Dios" by Aventura (1999)^[142]

• "No Name Yet" by Hangnail (1999)
  A song that expresses the band's pro-life stance on abortion.^[143]

• "Not a Solution" by Chokehold (1995)
  A song that criticizes the pro-life movement, including those of the band's contemporaries in the vegan straight edge scene that adhered to the hardline philosophy, which includes opposition to abortion.^[144]

• "Nude as the News" by Cat Power (1996)
  An autobiographical song about an abortion Chan Marshall had at the age of 20.^[145]

O

• "Oasis" by Amanda Palmer (2008)
  An upbeat pop song about a teenage girl who becomes pregnant from being date raped at a party and chooses to get an abortion, but quickly dismisses the experience because she receives a signed picture from her favorite band, Oasis. Palmer explained that the song was intended to be "funny and dark" rather than offensive, stating, "When you cannot joke about the darkness of life, that's when the darkness takes over."^[146]

• "Odious" by Vigilantes of Love (1991)
  A song written from the perspective of a man who bombs an abortion clinic. Regarding it, frontman Bill Mallonee noted, "I am not the character nor do I advocate the bombing of abortion clinics. Violence only begets violence. However, one must understand what righteous anger might look like when all options are closed off."^[147]

P

• "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna (1986)
  A song about a girl who decides to carry her pregnancy to term despite the fear of disappointing her father.^[148]

• "Pennsylvania Is…" by Everclear (1993)
  A song that criticizes legal restrictions on abortion brought into place in Pennsylvania under governor Robert P. Casey.^[149]

• "Piccola storia ignobile" by Francesco Guccini (1976)
  An Italian song about a woman undergoing an illegal abortion that Guccini based on common elements from personal stories related to him by several women.^[150][151]

• "Plastic Rose" by Dave Alvin (1991)
  A song about a young couple waiting in a coffee shop before an appointment for an abortion.^[152]

• "Play With the Boys" by Exude (1985)
  A song about a high school sports star whose girlfriend, a cheerleader, gets pregnant and has an abortion without telling him.^[153]

• "Potter's Field" by Anthrax (1993)
  A song about a criminal rebuking his mother for choosing not to have an abortion due to her religious convictions.^[154][155]

• "Poussière d'ange" by Ariane Moffatt (2002)
  A French-language song Moffatt wrote about her friend's experience with going through an abortion.^[156]

• "Pro- (Your) Life" by Arab Strap (1999)
  A song in which the narrator tells his partner abortion is the best option for them given their current circumstances.^[157]

• "Push Dawta Push" by Jah Bull (1979)
  A song in which Jah Bull condemns women for having abortions and encourages them to give birth to increase the population.^[158]

R

• "Rapid City, South Dakota" by Kinky Friedman (1974)
  A song Friedman has described as "the only pro-choice country song",^[159] which tells the story of a young man who skips town after getting his girlfriend pregnant, leaving a farewell letter and feeling reassured by the knowledge that she plans to see a "doctor in Chicago."^[160]

• "Rainy Day" by Pigeon John (featuring RedCloud) (2005)
  Features a verse in which Pigeon John thanks his mother for not going through with the abortion she considered while pregnant with him. Commenting on the song, the rapper said, "I wanted to share how a human's simple choice does bring life or death. There is no in between. It just looks grey." ^[161]

• "Real Killer" by Tech N9ne (2001)
  A song in which Tech N9ne recalls his real-life involvement in several abortions by creating a narrative in which he arranges them like hits.^[162]

• "Red Ragtop" by Tim McGraw (2002)
  A song about a young couple who drift apart after choosing to have an abortion.^[163]

• "The Resistance" by Drake (2010)
  A song in which Drake mentions an abortion had by a woman he was involved with briefly.^[164]

• "Retrospect for Life" by Common (featuring Lauryn Hill) (1997)
  A song about how Common and his girlfriend found themselves facing an unplanned pregnancy and opted against abortion.^[165][166]

• "The Right to Choose" by Oi Polloi (1999)
  A pro-choice song that condemns violence against abortion providers.^[167]

• "Rock A Bye Bye" by Extreme (1989)
  A song which draws a parallel between abortion and the nursery rhyme "Rock-a-bye Baby".^[168]

• "Roses" by Steve Green (1998)
  A song in which Green likens abortion to plucking roses before they have bloomed.^[169]

• "Rosie Jane" by Malvina Reynolds (1975)
  A song Reynolds wrote in support of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,^[170] featuring a lyrical dialogue between a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy and a doctor, who talks down to her.^[171] According to Reynolds' daughter, Reynolds wrote the song about her friend, singer-songwriter Rosalie Sorrels, but chose not to reveal this during her own lifetime out of concern it would upset Sorrels.^[171]

• "Rosslyn Road" by Mike & Billy Nicholls (2008)
  A song Billy Nicholls wrote based on having once seen a young man hand money to a young woman outside an abortion clinic in London.^[172]

• "RU 486" by The Pain Teens (1993)
  A song that expresses the band's opinion that the abortifacient drug mifepristone is "a wonderful invention." ^[173]

• "Runaway Love" by Ludacris (featuring Mary J. Blige) (2006)
  A song which refers to an 11-year-old girl who gets pregnant by an older boyfriend and cannot afford an abortion.^[174]

S

• "Safe" by Eligh and Jo Wilkinson (featuring Pigeon John and Slug of Atmosphere) (2009)
  The first verse of this song is about a woman who picks up the phone to make an appointment for an abortion but hangs it up after looking at her sleeping child.^[175]

• "Sally's Pigeons" by Cyndi Lauper (1993)
  A song sung from the perspective of a woman whose best friend died from an unsafe abortion.^[176]

• "Samantha (What You Gonna Do?)" by Cellarful of Noise (1988)
  A song about a pregnant schoolgirl struggling over whether or not to keep her appointment for an abortion.^[177]

• "The Secret" by Vin Garbutt (1989)
  A song about women who secretly bear regret over having had an abortion.^[178]

• "See No Evil" by Holy Soldier (1990)
  A song from the band's debut album, Holy Soldier, which features the dialog of an aborted fetus.^[179]

• "The Senator" by Si Kahn and John McCutcheon (1986)
  A song about a pro-life U.S. senator who mysteriously finds himself pregnant and has a doctor decline his request for an abortion because "the law's the law."^[180]

• "Se quiere, se mata" by Shakira (1996)
  A Spanish-language song about a teenage girl from a well-to-do family who gets pregnant and dies after having an abortion.^[181]

• "Shasta (Carrie's Song)" by Vienna Teng (2004)
  A song about a woman driving home from a clinic after deciding not to go through with an abortion.^[182]

• "She Wore a Red Carnation" by Candye Kane (1994)
  A song Kane wrote based on a story she read about a woman who went to Mexico for an illegal abortion.^[183]

• "Si Je T'avais Écouté" by Les Nubians (1998)
  A French-language song about a teenage girl who has an abortion.^[184]

• "Sie hat geschrien" by Selig (1994)
  A German-language song about a young woman who gets an abortion.^[185]

• "Silent Scream" by The Crucified (1986)
  A pro-life song that asks "Does only God and my heart hear the baby's silent scream?"^[186]

• "Silent Scream" by Slayer (1988)
  A song that casts abortion in violent terms, including the lyrics, "Silent scream/Bury the unwanted child/Beaten and torn/Sacrifice the unborn."^[187]

• "Silent Scream" by Stutterfly (2002)
  A song written from the perspective of a fetus asking the woman carrying it not to have an abortion and afterward condemning her for going through with it.^[188]

• "Sixteen Thousand Faces" by Pat Boone (1985)
  A song Boone wrote to protest the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold a ruling that prevented the mass burial of 16,000 fetuses found at the home of a former medical lab owner in 1982.^[189]

• "Slide" by The Goo Goo Dolls (1998)
  A song about a young couple debating whether to have an abortion or get married.^[190]

• "Sometimes Miracles Hide" by Bruce Carroll (1991)
  A song about a couple who are given an unfavorable prenatal diagnosis but decide against abortion due to their faith in God.^[191]

• "Song X" by Neil Young (featuring Pearl Jam) (1995)
  A song dealing with the 1993 murder of abortion provider Dr. David Gunn.^[9][10]

• "Speculum" by Adema (2001)
  A song about an unidentified band member whose girlfriend got pregnant and had an abortion without telling him.^[192]

• "Spin" by Taking Back Sunday (2006)
  Features the lyrics "The abortion that you had/It left you clinically dead and made it all that much easier to lie/Said, 'It’s nothing that I’m proud of'/Well, It’s nothing that I‘m proud of."^[193]

• "The Stranger" by Kat Eggleston (1994)
  A song which gives an account of the experience of going through an abortion.^[194]

• "Sunshine and Dandelions" by Cosmo Jarvis (2009)
  A song Jarvis wrote to contrast what he described as the "potential beauty" of a relationship that leads to a pregnancy with the "sometimes emotionally detached" decision to have an abortion.^[195]

• "Superman" by Marry Me Jane (1997)
  A song about the thoughts a woman has after an abortion, wondering if her child would have been "Superman," "an idiot," etc.^[196][197]

• "The Survivor" by Phil Keaggy (1995)
  A song written from the perspective of a baby born alive after an abortion.^[198]

T

• "Tears Fall" by BarlowGirl (2009)
  A song that expresses the band's view that abortion is a tragic loss of life.^[199]

• "That Hospital" by Loudon Wainwright III (1995)
  The third verse of this song recounts Wainwright's experience of going to a hospital with his then-wife Kate McGarrigle in 1976 for an abortion, and, after she opted against it, returning there for the birth of a "little girl." When Wainwright's daughter Martha was asked if this referred to her, she responded, "Yeah. He doesn't make up a lot."^[200]

• "That's Love" by Ricochet (2004)
  The first verse of this song is about a young woman opting not to go through with an abortion.^[201]

• "These Three Things" by Type O Negative (2007)
  A song that condemns abortion and suggests that those who have one will go to hell. Josh Silver, the band's keyboardist, stated that, while he disagreed with the message of some of the lyrics frontman Peter Steele wrote for the album Dead Again, he supported Steele's expression of his views: "Honestly, I’d rather deal with a guy whose views I don’t agree with than a guy who has no views. Probably 90 percent of music today is mediocre, view-less shit. Type O has always had opinions; sometimes they’re horrific, sometimes they’re depressed, but we’ll always have opinions."^[202]

• "To Zion" by Lauryn Hill (1998)
  A song about how Hill chose to give birth to son Zion although advised to have an abortion on account of her music career.^[203]

• "A Tool to Scream" by Zao (2001)
  A song with lyrics that condemn abortion. In an interview with a Dutch music website, guitarist Scott Mellinger stated, "We are seen as a pro-life band, but essentially we are as a band for nothing," and that though he personally views abortion as "tantamount to the murder of a child" he thinks it is "no business of the government to say it is not allowed."^[204]

• "Traffic" by Stereophonics (1997)
  The lyric "to kill an unborn scare" in the second verse of this song refers to abortion.^[205]

U

• "Unbeschreiblich weiblich" by Nina Hagen (1978)^[206]

• "Unborn Child" by The Rep (2009)
  A song written from the perspective of a fetus about to be aborted.^[207]

• "Unborn Child" by Seals and Crofts (1974)
  A song with lyrics written by Dash Crofts' sister-in-law that asks women considering abortion to rethink their decision.^[208] Commenting on the song, Crofts said, "It is our effort to make people aware of when life begins, which we feel is at conception. We feel that each soul has the right to grow without the development being prevented."^[209]

• "The Unseen" by Geto Boys (1992)
  An explicit rap song about how the group believes abortion needs to be stopped.^[210]

• "Two minutes to midnight" by Iron Maiden. Relevant lyrics: "To kill the unborn in the womb"

W

• "Warm Sentiments" by Arrested Development (1994)
  A song in which the narrator confronts his girlfriend for having an abortion without telling him.^[211] In an interview, group member Speech explained the song's intent, stating, "The song is basically about relationships, about communication, as opposed to me trying to dictate what she does with that child. It's not pro-choice or pro-life."^[212]

• "Water & Bridges" by Kenny Rogers (2006)
  A song about a young man who takes his girlfriend to get an abortion and later questions whether this was the right decision.^[213]

• "What It's Like" by Everlast (1998)
  A song in which one of three characters is a pregnant teenager considering having an abortion.^[214]

• "What's Going On" by Remy Ma (featuring Keyshia Cole) (2006)
  A song about a rapper who struggles with the decision to have an abortion after initially trying to deny her pregnancy.^[215]

• "White Crosses" by Against Me! (2010)
  A song written in reaction to a pro-life display of 4,000 white crosses called the "Cemetery of the Innocent" that was set up on the lawn of a church across the street from where Tom Gabel lived at the time he wrote much of the album White Crosses, which he described as an "eyesore."^[216]

• "Why Oh Why" by Holly Near (1996)
  A song written from the perspective of a mother of six who dies from a back-alley abortion she seeks because she cannot support another child.^[217]

• "Willie Mae" by Steve Arrington (1985)
  A song about a child who is born to a couple after they opt not to go through with an abortion and eventually dies because they cannot afford enough food.^[218]

• "Womb" by :Wumpscut: (1997)
  A song written in the voice of a fetus taunting the woman carrying it that her thoughts of abortion are futile because it intends to be around for the rest of her life.^[219]

Y

• "You Can't Be Too Strong" by Graham Parker (1979)
  A song that gives an account of abortion from a man's perspective,^[220] about which Parker has said, "...my impressions of such a powerful experience are not one-dimensional, and this is apparent in the song to all but the most narrow persons who might decide to misconstrue its meaning and my standing on the subject for their own, political/moral prejudice."^[221]

• "You My Child" by Stuart Davis (1995)^[222]

• "Your Pretty Baby" by The 77s (1984)
  A song about a woman getting an abortion that suggests she will come to regret it in the final verse.^[223]

• "(You're) Having My Baby" by Paul Anka (featuring Odia Coates) (1974)
  A song in which a father-to-be celebrates his partner's pregnancy, including the lyrics, "Didn't have to keep it/ Wouldn't put you through it/ You could have swept it from your life/ But you wouldn't do it."^[224][225]

References