Abortion at 15 ‘changed my life’, says Wales Green Party candidate

A candidate in the Senedd election in May said she hoped sharing her own experience of having an abortion at the age of 15 would help others “understand the importance” of women’s health and rights.

Tessa Marshall, 28, said having the experience while studying for her GCSEs had “changed” her life and led her to understand issues such as bodily autonomy and sex education.

Marshall spoke openly on the subject for the first time while speaking to sixth year pupils at a recent school campaign event at Ysgol Plasmawr, Cardiff.

After the event, she said women’s rights needed to be “defended” in a political environment where some still wanted them “suppressed.”

Marshall, the Green Party of Wales candidate in this year’s election, mentioned her experience of abortion to pupils during her presentation at the school event.

Although the issue was not discussed further at the event, some students later said they appreciated seeing a politician speak openly about such an emotional and taboo subject.

“Having an abortion at 15 changed my life,” Marshall later told BBC Wales.

“Without access to abortion, I would probably have a 13-year-old child today, and that access is not something that is guaranteed to women elsewhere in the world.

“This meant that disruption to my exams was minimal. It helped me understand the importance of human rights, bodily autonomy and women’s rights, and that’s why I shared it.”

In Wales, England and Scotland, abortions are legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and beyond this period if there are serious health risks.

Since 2020, abortions in Northern Ireland have been permitted for pregnancies up to 12 weeks, but after that they are only legal in specific cases, including cases of fetal abnormalities.

Marshall said the circumstances leading to her abortion were due to a lack of “proper sex education in school,” and she said she was not “received proper information” at the time.

“Ensuring young people have access to the correct information, in order to make the right decisions about their health, is very important when it comes to sexuality,” she said.

Reflecting on the situation was part of her political awakening, which she said was still relevant today.

“We’ve seen that in America, women’s right to abortion has been taken away,” Marshall said.

“It’s really important that we stand up for the right to abortion and the right to have an abortion close to home.”

Marshall said young people should have the means to access “the education they need,” even if they come from cultural or religious backgrounds that may oppose abortion.

“It’s important that people have the right information, access and resources to understand how they can protect themselves when engaging in sexual activity.”

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