We were so moved when we first read this mikvah ritual for after an abortion, and we’re honored that the Metro Atlanta Community Mikvah (MACoM) has allowed us to share it here. It makes room for a complicated, deeply personal experience, with no prescribed feelings and no required meaning, only a private space to pause, reflect, and mark a transition.
The ritual draws on two earlier works: Mayyim Hayyim’s “Following an Abortion” ritual and Rayzel Raphael’s “Abortion Ritual.” We’re grateful to both for the care and wisdom they put into these words. We love the idea of reinterpreting Jewish traditions in ways that are meaningful to us, so that ancient practices like immersion in living waters can meet people where they are today. What follows is shared with gratitude to MACoM and to the original authors.
Mikvah After Abortion
A Personal Ritual for Reflection and Renewal
For some, immersing in the mikvah after an abortion can offer a meaningful opportunity to pause, reflect, and mark a transition. The experience of abortion is deeply personal and may bring a complex combination of feelings that can change over time.
Mikvah offers a private, nonjudgmental space to acknowledge the experience in whatever way feels right. Immersion can provide a tangible moment of transition — honoring what has been experienced, creating space for healing or reflection, and moving forward with intention.
There is no prescribed way to feel and no particular religious meaning that must be attached to the immersion. This moment belongs entirely to the person immersing.
The Ritual
The ritual begins with a kavanah (כוונה), or personal intention, followed by immersions in the living waters of the mikvah. Blessings and reflections offer moments to acknowledge what has been experienced, be present, and move forward with intention. The ritual concludes with a final kavanah.
Opening Kavanah1
Help me, God, as I move forward from this decision,
to honor all that I have experienced
and make space for whatever I may be feeling in this moment.
Let the living waters of the mikvah wash over me and soothe me.
Help me find peace in the warm water of this rechem, womb,
and emerge renewed, held, and whole.
At this point in the ritual, three immersions traditionally take place, accompanied by blessings and reflection.
Closing Kavanah
I came to this place hoping for self-acceptance and peace.
As I leave these waters, may I be filled with renewal, energy, power, and direction.
Just as water creates change, I honor my own changes at this time of transition. I am ready to affirm life as it will now be.
Thank You, God, for Your embracing spirit.2
1. Adapted from Mayyim Hayyim’s “Following an Abortion” ritual.
2. Adapted from Rayzel Raphael, Geela. “Abortion Ritual”.
