In the early 1980s, I was a nurse practitioner at a women’s clinic that provided abortions. Two women who came to the clinic have remained in my mind as a testament to why this service is a vital part of female health care.
The first was a 12-year-old sixth grader who had been a victim of incest. She looked and acted like a 10-year-old and was, of course, terrified. This little girl would have been even more traumatized had she been forced to carry a pregnancy to term. We performed the abortion, provided her with contraception and, of course, counseling for her and her mother, hoping that she could be shielded in the future from further abuse.
The second was a woman of 52 with some health problems who had thought she was menopausal and unexpectedly found herself pregnant. She and her husband were, of course, dismayed as their children were grown and they feared the prospect of starting over at their age with the possibility of a difficult pregnancy.
Between these two were the many women who for various reasons decided that abortion was their best option. It’s not a decision that any of them made lightly.
If legislators so eager to control women’s decisions about their own health want to reduce abortion, might they think about contraception available to all? How about some help with child care? Maybe doing something to prevent those already born from being slaughtered at school?
Aline Schwob
Durango
