I am furious about the state of abortion in the United States. Women should not have to go through a gauntlet of protestors to get this basic care. Women shouldn’t have to order the medication from shady internet pharmacies in Russia or India or who-knows-where-else, like I did, because it was cheaper, because there were no protestors, because there is only one clinic in my state and waiting periods and ultrasounds.
My experience was painful, traumatic, and has left me with what I can only describe as PTSD symptoms BUT EVEN SO abortion must remain safe and legal. Forcing a woman to carry a pregnancy is as monstrous as forcing a woman to end a pregnancy.
Let me tell you my story:
I got pregnant unexpectedly in 2016.
I wanted that baby, but I let my then-boyfriend pressure me into terminating the pregnancy.
It’s a hassle to terminate a pregnancy in my state. There is only one clinic, and mandatory ultrasounds and a 72-hour waiting period. Insurance doesn’t cover it.
I didn’t have the money to drive all the way to the other side of the state and stay in a hotel for 3 days and cover my abortion, so I ordered abortion medication from a shady internet pharmacy.
When the medication arrived, I took a day off work to handle things. I was completely alone that day. My boyfriend never offered to come sit with me, he never asked me how I was, and he never apologized for strong-arming me into throwing away my only realistic chance at motherhood. When I said something about being sad and afraid that I’d never have another chance to have children he said “well, our mutual friend’s mom didn’t have her until she was forty, you have time” all non-chalant, like my fears and pain and worry didn’t mean a thing.
It still took me two years to leave him.
