This happened in 1977. My thoughts and feelings have been the same
since
the moment I found I was pregnant. I am glad to be able to share them.
I had a severe seizure disorder and was suffering from depression. At
the
time, diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy and depression did not
include
therapy for the problems anti-seizure medications combined with
tranquilizers can create. I had had a blood-clot in my lung in 1970,
at the
age of 19, and so responsible doctors advised against birth control
pills.
I had an IUD. It failed, and my husband impregnated me.
When I learned I was carrying an embryo, two things happened. One, I
made a
choice instantly to terminate, that is to say, to undergo a medical
procedure which would evacuate my womb. I wasn't exploiting the power
of
euphamism. I knew the cellular mass and DNA could become a fetus, but
at
that time it wasn't. I made my decision instantly because I knew
myself and
my circumstances.
The second occurance was spontaneous. I had not pre-concieved a
relationship with an embryo. I can't explain it, only share it. The
bottom
line in this website is a collection of realities. One could call this
part
of my abortion "spiritual".
I loved being pregnant. I loved every minute of it. I felt no
remorse,
regret, guilt, or embarassment about ending it. Whether or not I alone
created it, I did have a relationship with the embryo inside me. We
seemed
to have known and loved each other for centuries. It was wordless,
gossamer, discreet.
Very very little in my mind has been completely unchanging, but my
solidarity with my decision to have an abortion and, as it seems, that
brief
little life's blessing on my choice, have never changed. I am not
sorry.