I have a rare genetic metabolic disorder. If I get pregnant without meticulous planning my child can be born with severe, sometimes life-threatening disabilities. When I was 18 I had a boyfriend that told me that he was sterile. I got pregnant in September of 1998. I knew that the “baby” would be in jeopardy if I decided to have it. I wanted to be a mom, but not like that. The decision was heart-rending, but I knew what I had to do. I was also convinced that my family would not support my decision if I tried to keep it. I had the abortion on December 17th. Three days before my 19th birthday. I went into a deep depression. Eventually people started to show me that I couldn’t rely on them for emotional support. I was supposed to “get over it”. I bought a small wooden box and some baby things and used a camp fire to do a makeshift funeral. It took me years to get better. If it hadn’t been legal, I still would have found a way, it just would’ve been a far more dangerous method.
