“Golden” Anniversary

The traditional symbol for 50 years of marriage is gold. People celebrate or observe their Golden Anniversaries. My 50 year observation this summer is that of my abortion in the summer of 1971. I was 17. My parents were supportive and we had the means for my mother to fly with me to New York City. We took a taxi from the airport directly to a doctor’s office where I was examined and he verified that, yes, I was about 13 weeks pregnant. We stayed in a hotel and the next morning took another taxi to the ‘lying in’ entrance to a hospital. My mother paid with Traveler’s Checks and I had an abortion procedure with general anesthesia. At that time patients stayed overnight in hospital. The next day my mother picked me up in a taxi and we went to the airport to fly home to Arkansas.  She said to me, “We will never speak of this again.”  And we didn’t. I am not ashamed nor apologetic about my abortion at all. I still live in Arkansas and abortion access is under attack and very strictly regulated in my state now. It is with pride and determination that I LOUDLY speak up for people who seek abortion care. Everywhere!  Always!