A Texas Abortion

Because the only people who know the truth about abortion are the women who have had one.

Anonymous Texas Woman at Firedoglake:

This is my story of getting an abortion in Texas, of my rights being exercised. Even with the laws in place to convince me otherwise, I still made the right decision no matter how much it hurt. I believe I have the right to go through this painful experience without paternalistic intervention “for my own good” as I am solely responsible for myself and my body.

When I became unintentionally pregnant (40% of pregnancies in the US are unintentional), I wanted to keep the pregnancy but I am unemployed. The cost of raising a child to adulthood is over $220,000. I have two wonderful children already that would suffer if I brought another child into their lives. I would damn myself, and my offspring, to poverty and worse.

SNIP

I knew what I wanted. I took two weeks to attempt to figure out how to make that happen. I couldn’t come up with a way that wasn’t detrimental to my current family, the potential child and myself, in that order, and there are physical and legal deadlines to making this decision to keep a child or have an abortion. So, I sat in the car with the father, as we got snacks after getting the pregnancy confirmed; and told him my decision. I wasn’t going to go through with the pregnancy. I value life and my focus was on the lives that would be impacted by addition of another child.

SNIP

I love life. I love all life. Furry lives, like my pets, and small beings, like my children. I love people, animals, rocks, earth. I am a Christian and I celebrate and thank God every day for the gift a of a body. I want to give that gift someday. I just can’t do it if I can’t take care of that being. The message I want to leave you with is that you know someone who has had an abortion. You do and they deserve your love, support and respect because it was the single hardest decision they ever made.

Read the whole thing.