From an African-American woman who got pregnant at 19 and decided to go to Planned Parenthood:
“We walked into the clinic and the lobby was empty. I approached the receptionist window and woman handed me paperwork to complete. A little while later, a black woman called my name and she escorted me into her office. She looked over my paperwork and told me I was still young, in school and I could worry about kids later.
This was the only advice and counsel I was given. She certainly did not try and persuade me into waiting a day or two to think about my decision. It was clear in her mind that what was about to take place was not a big deal, and she wanted to make sure I grabbed hold of that same mindset. She then moved me into another room and performed an ultrasound.
I asked her if I could see the screen, and she said, “No.” I asked, “Why not?” She said, “It’s against our policy.” Then she told me, “There’s nothing to see, it’s just tissue.” In that moment I should’ve put my clothes back on and walked out. She never talked with me about fetal development, the baby’s heartbeat, or adoption.
Before I knew it I was quickly swept into a sterile bright white room, greeted by a Filipino woman who asked me to climb onto the table. When the doctor came in, he had a mask on and I could only see his eyes. He told me to relax, I would receive a sedative, and I wouldn’t feel anything, and the procedure would not take long. It did seem as if the entire procedure was less than an hour.
I remember walking into the locker room and seeing at least 10 women sitting next to one another on a long bench. We all looked like zombies… Someone came in the room and offered us juice and cookies. I remember thanking the person and in my comatose state, I said, “You guys are really nice in here, you are treating us so well.”
I was deceived, delusional and out of my mind. I was in the lion’s den, and didn’t even know it.”
….
“I was 34 when I had my first molar/ectopic pregnancy. My OB/GYN told me I also had a lot of scar tissue in my fallopian tubes. Two years later at 36, I had a miscarriage, followed by another molar pregnancy at 37. At 38, I had a partial hysterectomy…
The woman from Planned Parenthood was right about one thing when she said, “You could worry about kids later.” Worry was now the operative word.”
Tegra Little “Worry about Children Later” in Doctor Alveda King and Dr.La Verne Tolbert Life at All Costs: an Anthology of Voices from 21st-Century Black Pro-Life Leaders (Xlibris Corporation, 2012) 126 to 128
Share on Facebook