An abortion clinic worker who previously had an abortion says the following:
“A number of patients used – or abused, depending on one’s moral perspective – their right to abortion in ways that forced me to question the depth of my own pro-choice stance. For example, I was deeply troubled by “repeaters,” women who came to us for their third, fourth, or fifth abortion, and who often exhibited lifelong histories of spotty – or no – contraceptive use. I also struggled with women who waited until well into their second trimester before presenting themselves for elective terminations. These cases, which on the surface smack of personal irresponsibility, [upset] me because I felt they made the pro-choice platform even more vulnerable to critics.… I’m a bit hesitant to admit that the tough cases took a personal toll as well. They tarnished my innocently romanticized version of abortion as a difficult but worthy, and even admirable, decision.”
Clinic Worker Jenny Higgins
Jenny Higgins “Sex, Unintended Pregnancy, and Poverty: One Woman’s Evolution from “Choice” to “Reproductive Justice” from Krista Jacob. Abortion under Attack: Women on the Challenges Facing Choice (Emeryville, CA: Seal Press, 2006) 35
