It's the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I don't remember not having a choice, but I do have a story. I am the middle of three children. When my mother was pregnant with my sister, she had some serious problems. There was spotting and bleeding throughout the pregnancy, but it was 1967 - there wasn't much they could do for her. About 2 weeks before her due date, she woke up in the middle of the night and the mattress was soaked. She was so embarrassed that she had wet the bed without waking up. Then she turned on the light. The entire mattress was covered in blood. How long had she laid there, quietly bleeding out?
My dad was a long-haul trucker in those days, so he wasn't there or even within calling distance. She called her sister who rushed her to the hospital. She says she remembers white lights and a lot of doctors and that one of the nurses said, "Is she going to make it? At some point, she saw herself lying on the table and hearing a baby cry. She says she thought to herself, "Oh, I guess Doug will have to take care of them now." As quick as that, she was back in her body and opening her eyes.
About 6 months later - she thought she was pregnant again. Then she was afraid. She talked to her doctor about a tubal ligation. Not only was there a points process that she had to go through (how old was she, how many children did she already have), but she had to have my dad's permission to have the operation. Seriously, he had to go to the doctor's office and listen to what would happen during the procedure and HE had to sign a paper giving his permission for her to control her own fertility. An adult woman in the early 1970s.
People, we cannot go back to those days. I control what goes on in my uterus. I am the one who is responsible for its products and I am the one who ultimately pays for any choice I make. Our daughters deserve to make their own informed choices - we owe it to them to make sure they can.
Exactly !
Posted by: Emma | January 23, 2009 at 06:36 AM
Can I get another amen!
Posted by: erica | January 23, 2009 at 05:00 PM