TRUE STORY -

Long ago when the R v W had barely became law, and birth control pills were not readily available for girls without parental consent, my best friend who was barely 19, accidentally got pregnant with a new boyfriend she really liked. (Allegedly the condom broke.) She had been going to junior college and working full-time, seeking to move out of her family's emotionally toxic home. She had 5 siblings and the mother was a tyrant and belittled the passive dad and fought constantly with the daughters in that household.

My friend was crying and wailing and had me drive her to his house to tell him the news. I waited in the car while she went to the door. He opened the door and was zipping up his pants and a half-naked girl was behind him. He laughed at her when she told him.

She ran back to the car and decided right then to end it as she had gone through this with her older sister who had gotten pregnant at 16 and was forced to give the baby up for adoption, even though she later married the boyfriend.

She had watched her sister be constantly shamed, belittled and made to feel horrible by the mother.

So, I drove her to the clinic and picked her up afterwards. She told no one but me. The abortionist was a butcher. The after effects resulted in her suffering a constant aching pain, especially intense during her monthly periods where she would be nearly bedridden with pain. This went on for years. She was too ashamed to go to a doctor and tell them what she did, so it was never investigated.

She never made that mistake again. When she finally married, she found she was rendered barren. She has suffered lifelong pain for that decision.