It was BEFORE Roe v. Wade. I was a college student nearing my senior year. I got pregnant over the winter break with my long time high school sweetheart. He did not want to get married. I wanted to finish college. Neither of us wanted a baby that year but abortion was illegal. I pursued illegal “back alley” options. They were AWFUL: dirty, unsanitary, unsafe. So we married, the option neither of us preferred at that time and both of us resented, not just in the short term for the next decades to come, even though I miscarried at four months. We both stopped our college educations and tried to make a successful marriage from a bad beginning. We divorced after nearly two decades and three later live births.
I have fought to keep this medical procedure safe for my three grown daughters and five granddaughters. We should never have to face unsafe choices as the only alternative. WE CANNOT TURN BACK.
Your Stories
In the 50’s one of my friends became pregnant. Her parents sent her to Cuba where she had the abortion in a hospital. The cover story was she went to visit relatives out of state. In the early 60’s another friend became pregnant by a married man. She went to Mexico for the abortion in a clinics. She came back with a raging infection & despite the hospitals’ best efforts, she died depriving the world of a very talented teacher.
Anonymous
Many decades ago, before Roe v Wade, I needed an abortion. At 6 weeks, I had rubella and other personal concerns. To find a competent physician was impossible. The only person that I could find to perform the procedure was a defrocked physician, who carried out the procedure without anesthesia. And I never conceived again. I NEVER want any woman to suffer through an experience like this. I didn’t regret the abortion, nor did I sustain any feelings of guilt. We need to keep these services available without any obstructions. No one is being required to have an abortion but it should be available to anyone. NO STRINGS!
Paulette
I was 19, at University, I was at no point in my life to have a child. I am thankful, to this day, that I had safe and legal choices. I was able to complete my degree, start a career and plan for my son. He turned 26 this year and is still the love if my life.
Chris
I was “lucky” enough to get pregnant in 1975, 2 years after Roe v. Wade, & had a relatively easy time of it. I went to Planned Parenthood, where they counseled me as to all the various options, but I had planned an abortion–I got pregnant through a failure of birth control (IUD) & it was not the right time for me to bring a child into my life (or the right partner.). I have never regretted my decision, though in the 40th anniversary year, I do sometimes think of the daughter that would be 40 in March. So many choices are made in our lives, & they all change our lives in some way, but we don’t need to regret the road not taken. Human choice in reproductive health is one of the most important human rights.
Rebecca
I was finishing college and found I was pregnant with minimal resources and no immediate prospects for being able to care for myself or a child. I was able to find and obtain a then-illegal, fairly expensive, but safe abortion. I have never regretted that choice, and my later life, with further education, a satisfying occupation, marriage, and two wonderful, now-adult, children would not exist had I not made that decision at that time. These are our bodies and our lives, and women must be able to make the decisions determining them. It is time for us to stand up and speak for our choices. Other women may make other choices, but we all need to have the right to make our own decisions regarding our own bodies and lives.
Janet
I became pregnant in 1971 when I was 17 and just starting college. I did not want a child, and I certainly could not see myself married. Unbeknownst to me, abortions were not yet legal, and parental consent was required as well as a hospital board’s consent. Out of desperation I went to see a doctor in the city where I attended college. Thankfully, he was a compassionate man; he overruled the parental consent and agreed to my abortion. On the other hand, the nurses were judgmental and cruel in their treatment of me. I always consider that my abortion was a sound decision, and I have never regretted it.
Karen
I knew that I did not want a child at that point in my life nor could I support one. It was very difficult to find a provider that would do an abortion. There were two in my state. One was over 4 hours away, and the other was 90 minutes away. I had to jump through several legal hoops — watching videos, having an ultrasound, counseling, and a waiting period — before I could legally have an abortion. I was NOT a minor — I was an ADULT, and yet my options were limited because of legislation passed by someone other than myself that applied directly to my body.
Anonymous
I had my abortion when I was 23. I was against it completely until I found myself not being able to consider any other solution. I had my reasons like we all do. I believe that all of our reasons are valid reasons to have an abortion. I own my body and the choices I make with it. It taught me to be a better person. I judge people less and love people more since my abortion. I have no shame and no regrets and am proud to be the woman I am today.
Jennifer
I was seventeen years old and in an abusive relationship with a man who was twenty-five. I got pregnant and thought to myself, I don’t want to be tied to him for the next eighteen years and I also don’t have any business trying to raise a child. I was still in high school! I had to call my dad to have him sign for permission. It’s not something I’m proud of but it was necessary at the time. If I had been denied that opportunity, I don’t know what my life or the child’s would have become.