Sep 5 Sep 5 "He tells me that I’m 16 weeks pregnant and that he won’t perform an abortion: he says it’s against his beliefs. " Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, 16 Weeks, New York, U.S. “For my mother and me, this is shocking information. I’m shocked that I’m pregnant to begin with and we’re both shocked that his beliefs have anything to do with whether or not I can obtain an abortion. My mother is a lawyer. She’s enraged. Abortion is legal. My doctor sends me to a clinic on 59th Street between 5th and Madison. The place is well-run and professional and I am treated with dignity and compassion.” Read more.
Aug 20 Aug 20 "Part of me was thinking of having an abortion without him knowing, but I knew that wouldn’t be a good thing." Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, 13 Weeks, Location Unknown “I had this abortion on August 22, 2012. It was six years ago today, and I was just a few days shy of my 33rd birthday. Let me add I was 13 weeks 3 days for this abortion, and the pain from the procedure was the most painful of the five.” Read more.
Jul 25 Jul 25 "We met with our OB who subsequently told us that the ultrasound showed our child’s brain ventricles were nearly twice the size they should be." Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, 21 Weeks, Maryland, U.S. “My husband and I faced another agonizing decision. I would not wish this on anyone; once---let alone twice. On August 13, 2010, we decided once again to terminate the pregnancy and said goodbye to our second child, this time to our daughter. We were able to choose a surgical option due to the gestational age in Washington, DC. After a series of tests and doctor consultations, the best guess was that our losses were the result of a recessive combination of genes: one from each of us. This means that there is a 25% chance of reoccurrence in each subsequent pregnancy.” Read more.
Jun 8 Jun 8 "From the moment I got pregnant, it was a difficult experience. I forget the name of what condition I had, but I wasn’t able to keep anything down. " Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, 17 Weeks, Location Unknown “I don’t have any regrets. To this day my husband and I are the only ones who know and it will most likely stay that way. I guess I just want to let anyone who has had or will be having an abortion know that it’s okay. You’re doing what’s best for you. You will get through it. I understand. You’re valid. And you’re loved. And you have support right here if no where else.” Read more.
May 14 May 14 "I wasn’t having super regular menstrual cycles because I had an IUD, so that didn’t warn me. I didn’t think to check if I was pregnant. " Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, 13 Weeks, California, U.S. “You had to go in, get a sonogram, wait the mandated 24 hours, then come back in for the procedure. Given that there was a two-and-a-half-week wait for just the first appointment and given that my job situation was what it was, I was really worried that I wouldn’t be able to make one of those two appointments and everything would be pushed back another three weeks, minimum, as a result. And we also have a 20-week ban here. I was really nervous that my circumstances would push me over the ban.” Read more.
Apr 4 Apr 4 "He lost his job when I was 12 weeks pregnant and we eventually got evicted. I was in a shelter." Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, 18 Weeks, Location Unknown “I don't regret the abortions exactly; I know with my soon-to-be ex-husband it never would have been good life with a dad like that. I know that as a recovering drug addict I could never have raised them alone. I know with my first three I was too immature and not thinking of what I should have all for the wrong reasons. But they were all so avoidable and I feel I failed my kids by getting pregnant with them in those situations. I am guilt stricken and so much of me has died because of this.” Read more.
Apr 3 Apr 3 Podcast -- "My mother said she thought I was pregnant and I said, 'No, Mommy, no. I'm not pregnant.' " Sharing Truth Later Abortions, 2nd Trimester, New York, Audio Content warning: In this audio, Gail shares her memories of having a 2nd-trimester abortion when she was just 15 years old. She tells of not only being uneducated about sex, but also of being kept in the dark every step of the way throughout her abortion experience. “I knew nothing. Nobody told me anything. I was uniformed about what I was about to go through. I had no support. no support at all.” Listen.
