Category: Quotes

One clinic worker discusses how many women do not tell their partners, parents, or friends about their abortions, and come in for them alone:

“…While lots of women involve loved ones in their decision and some even bring partners, parents or friends to the clinic, lots of women don’t. For most of these women, I think its about self-preservation. They don’t tell because they expect their parents or partner to be unsupportive, perhaps even try to prevent them from having an abortion. I think the majority probably tell them later, when the fear that the unsupportive loved one can block their choice is gone. These women sometimes express guilt for not telling, but it strikes me as smart. It makes sense to call only on people one can expect support from. It only makes me mad that some women can’t rely on their closest family and friends to support them, no matter what.”

Lynne V. “What 1,000 Abortions Have Taught Me” Feminist Women’s Health Center http://www.fwhc.org/abortion/1000ab.htm

Women who hide their pregnancies from the very people who could help them find alternatives are forced to struggle with the terrible decision of abortion alone. This clinic worker is not the first to suggest that her patients considering abortion refrain from telling anyone who might encourage them to have the baby or offer practical, life-affirming help.

 

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One abortion provider says

“Women frequently ask questions like, “Can you tell what sex it is?”“How big is it?” “Does the doctor cut the cord?” “What happens to the fetus once the abortion is finished?” These questions are normal. Most women have a mental image of the fetus; they want to compare their image to reality. In a few cases, women have asked to see the tissue. My experience with this has been very positive — the women’s mental image is almost always scarier and more disturbing than reality. For some women, the motivation is curiosity; for others, I believe it is a way to say good-bye to this pregnancy. Women often ask these more graphic questions in an apologetic tone, afraid their questions are morbid or strange. I see these questions as part of the process and hope all providers meet these questions with respect and an affirming attitude.”

Lynne V. “What 1,000 Abortions Have Taught Me” Feminist Women’s Health Center http://www.fwhc.org/abortion/1000ab.htm

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”If you do 12 i[abortions] n a row, it can make you feel bad…No matter how pro-choice you are, it makes you feel low..

She said she preferred doing second trimester abortions. When asked why:

”Because the patient is asleep”

Of her patients:

”They look at you as an evil person who is deliberately putting them through a painful procedure. I just feel like explaining to them that this is not something that I am going out of my way to do. It’s their whole attitude that bothers me. I feel like a simple thank-you is in order instead of ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ ”

Jack Hitt “Who Will Do Abortions Here?” New York Times Jan 18, 1998

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/18/magazine/who-will-do-abortions-here.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

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