Three years ago, I fell ill. I went from doctor to doctor and finally I hit a brick wall. I had several tests done, however the doctors could not find one illness. Ultimately, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I’m 29 years old and married with two lovely children from a previous relationship. My husband and I wanted a child of our own but knew my health wasn’t stable. Last December, I was laid off due to health issues. Then my husband was laid off as well. We were careful not to become pregnant but the contraception that we were using was not as reliable as we thought. In America we are all given the right to choose. I chose to end this pregnancy for many reasons and I’m thankful I had the right. I’m also very thankful for the help that NAF and its member clinic gave my family.
--Submitted by Malia* through a member clinic
Growing up, I was extremely anti-choice. Like many women, I thought I would find someone who I could build my life with. I was wrong. The man that I was involved with didn’t want anything to do with me after I found out I was pregnant. I have three wonderful children already and I am not financially able to have another child. Did I do the right thing in choosing abortion? Yes, and I do not regret having the procedure. Why am I pro-choice? After having this done, I did a lot of thinking and I realized that every woman has the right to choose what’s best for her and her family. I believe every woman has the right to choose.
--Submitted by Miranda* through a member clinic
Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we feature real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.
As states continue to pass abortion restrictions, Dana Weinstein talks to Mother Jones about her abortion experience and how these restrictions would have affected her ability to make the decisions that were best for her family. Dana chose to terminate her wanted pregnancy after she learned that her fetus was missing the main part of its brain and would likely not survive.
With the additional barriers that anti-abortion activists have erected around the country, Weinstein worries about other women in her position. "Abortion is a right, and if that right is taken away, people like me won't be able to make the choice that is right for their child...," she says. "I couldn't sit back and watch women's rights be chipped away by people who have never walked in these shoes."
>Read the full story.
Dana is a member of NAF’s Patient Partnership, which works to include the voices of women who have had an abortion in the public discussions about this issue.
>Learn more or share your abortion story with us.
Washington Post Profiles Dr. LeRoy Carhart
Today, The Washington Post profiled NAF member Dr. LeRoy Carhart who travels from his home in Nebraska almost every week to provide abortion care in Germantown, MD.
Today, staff members from the National Abortion Federation held a private viewing of the documentary The Coat Hanger Project, which chronicles the development of the reproductive justice movement in the United States.
Filmmaker Angie Young got the inspiration for the film (and began shooting footage) while working on a campaign to overturn a 2006 South Dakota law banning abortion. Young, like many others, was compelled to go to South Dakota after the state legislature passed sweeping prohibition on abortion care in the state. In response, the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families coalition, NAF staffers, volunteers, and activists from across the country descended on Sioux Falls and canvassed, protested, rallied and raged to get this ban overturned.
The Coat Hanger Project provides a critical look at how the South Dakota legislature disregarded the established legal precedent regarding abortion and waged a direct assault on Roe v. Wade. The film also provides an ‘unflinchingly prochoice perspective and shows the world that women can stand strong as advocates for reproductive freedom.’ While working on the documentary, Young traveled extensively in the US and Canada to meet with abortion providers, illegal abortion survivors, activists, educators, artists, and others, and worked 24/7 to complete the documentary in August 2008.
Read more information about The Coat Hanger Project
Read more on NAF’s involvement with the “No on 6” campaign
I am 28 years old and a mother of three children. In February 2010, I fell causing severe nerve, bone, and muscle damage to my back. It took several months to recover, during which my relationship fell apart, I lost my job, I had to move back in with my parents, and I filed for bankruptcy. In the midst of all this, I found out I was pregnant, and my doctor informed me that the medication that I was taking interacted with my birth control. Now is not the right time for this pregnancy. Without NAF and its member clinic in Cleveland, I’d be forced to have a child in horrible circumstances.
--Submitted by Belle* through a member clinic
At this point in my life, things are hard. I have five children ages 23, 19, 13, 8, 3. I love them dearly but I am having a hard time raising my three younger children. Terminating a pregnancy is the last thing that I ever expected to do. I am a single parent and try my best to raise my children. However, another child would not help improve my situation. I used birth control but it was not effective. I have no medical insurance and I cannot afford to raise another child. I thank God that I got assistance with my abortion care.
--Submitted by Mannie* through our website
Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we feature real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.
When I was 21, I went to college in order to improve my and my family’s lives. I had survived an emotionally abusive relationship, and was living at home with my parents and my child. During the last year of my four-year-degree program in engineering, I discovered that I was pregnant again. I knew that I had no other choice but to terminate the pregnancy. I had spent so long struggling to make a better life for my family and I wasn’t ready to give that all up. If I had continued with my pregnancy, I would not have finished my last year of college. I went through with the abortion and am okay with my decision, and know that there will be another time and place for me to have more children.
--Submitted by Whitley* through our website
If it weren’t for the assistance from NAF I wouldn’t have been able to go through with my procedure, and for that I am thankful. Many people have a negative opinion of abortion and simply judge people for even thinking about having an abortion. I am not in a position to care for a child at this time in my life. When I came to the clinic the staff was so helpful and put my mind at ease. Everyone was beyond friendly and made me feel like they supported my decision. When you are making a huge decision like this, it is comforting to know that no one is judging you, but instead people are willing to assist you. I cannot express my appreciation for NAF and its member clinic in Ohio for making this process much easier than I expected.
--Submitted by Joel* through a member clinic
Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we feature real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.
Three years ago, I fell ill. I went from doctor to doctor and finally I hit a brick wall. I had several tests done, however the doctors could not find one illness. Ultimately, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I’m 29 years old and married with two lovely children from a previous relationship. My husband and I wanted a child of our own but knew my health wasn’t stable. Last December, I was laid off due to health issues. Then my husband was laid off as well. We were careful not to become pregnant but the contraception that we were using was not as reliable as we thought. In America we are all given the right to choose. I chose to end this pregnancy for many reasons and I’m thankful I had the right. I’m also very thankful for the help that NAF and its member clinic gave my family.
