Sofia Franklyn, co-founder of the hugely successful podcast Call Her Daddy, has spoken candidly about the lasting emotional anguish she has experienced following her decision to abort her unborn child in 2023.
Known for its provocative and unfiltered conversations, Call Her Daddy has become a global phenomenon, ranking among Spotify’s five most popular podcasts worldwide.
In an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir, Daddy Issues, Franklyn reveals that she continues to grapple with unresolved emotions surrounding her abortion three years after undergoing the procedure.
“I can usually reconcile the dark corners of my past, but my feelings around my abortion are, in many ways, still pending, and, frankly, it still feels very wrong to share publicly,” she wrote. “But I hope putting myself out there will free me from the self-imposed exile and shame.”
Franklyn, who was 30 at the time, visited a Planned Parenthood clinic shortly after learning she was pregnant and requested an abortion, explaining to staff that she was due to travel to Europe in just two days. An appointment was arranged for the following morning, after which she took abortion pills at home.
Reflecting on the experience, Franklyn said she had been entirely unprepared for the emotional turmoil that would follow her decision to end her unborn child’s life.
“When you have an abortion, the take-home packet gives you explicit instructions on what to do if you bleed through two pads per hour. But nowhere does it include guidance on the emotional clusterfuck that’s to come,” she wrote.
In the weeks following the abortion, Franklyn described experiencing profound physical and emotional upheaval, admitting that she “couldn’t recognise myself in the mirror, physically or mentally,” and “felt crazy.” She subsequently came to understand what she described as a “physiological, hormonal, neurological chain reaction” for which “no one prepares you.”
For too long, the pro-abortion movement has sought to make discussion of abortion’s physical and emotional aftermath, including the reality of abortion regret, effectively taboo. Its unwillingness to confront the peer-reviewed research openly, coupled with the selective presentation of evidence by sympathetic sections of the media, has helped sustain a narrative that places ideology above inconvenient facts.
This ideological approach continues to shape policy in Ireland and elsewhere. The silence will only be broken when more women come forward and speak frankly about what they have experienced. Encouragingly, that is happening with increasing frequency, and the momentum appears set to grow. The more these voices are heard, the harder it will become for governments, including the Irish Government, to continue appeasing the pro-abortion movement at every turn.
Sofia Franklyn deserves enormous credit for her bravery and candour in coming forward to share her story.