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Women who abort: reflections on the unborn
elliot insitute ^ | David C. Reardon

Posted on 04/16/2002 6:16:13 PM PDT by katherineisgreat

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I'm doing a research paper on Abortion in High School and found this article one of the best papers I've seen on what it does to women.

While rather long, it should definetly be passed around.

1 posted on 04/16/2002 6:16:13 PM PDT by katherineisgreat
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To: katherineisgreat
           For some balance:::

           "I was 19, a sophomore at a Midwest university, and rather naive. I
           was not sexually active or a frequent party goer. One evening, I went
           to a college party with a boy I was dating; his name was Tim. I drank
           some punch that tasted like cherry pop. I remember going upstairs
           and passing out in a bedroom. When I woke up, Tim was on top of
           me. I got up, went to the bathroom, and saw that I was bleeding. I
           knew I was no longer a virgin. I felt embarrassed and ashamed.

           It took me a long time before I could admit to myself that I had been
           raped. Initially, I felt that I was responsible for what happened
           because I had gotten drunk. It would take me years of working
           through my guilt, shame, and anger to be able to say, 'It was not my
           fault. I was raped.'

           I continued to see Tim and have intercourse with him on a regular
           basis. I didn't have the self-esteem and support to stand up and say
           'no' to an unhealthy, abusive relationship.

           I ended up getting pregnant. I didn't consider having the baby
           because of the shame it would have brought to my family and to me.
           I was born and raised Catholic and had attended an all girls' Catholic
           high school. I felt that there was no way that I could be a single mom
           in our community. I was distraught, scared, and feeling guilty. I knew
           that abortion was illegal, but I was determined to have one.

           Tim encouraged me to have the abortion. He was dating other women
           and did not want me to bear his child. The experiences that I went
           through attempting and finally getting an abortion are something you
           read about, something that happens to other women. Well, it
           happened to me, and this is my story.

           I got pregnant in early summer. I had a job working at the University
           Extension Center, and I told one of my co-workers that I was
           pregnant and wanted an abortion. She said that she had a friend who
           could help. I called in sick one day and drove three hours to see her
           friend. I went alone — and I was scared.

           The woman lived on a street of tidy bungalows. Her house was neat
           and orderly, and the woman, who was a little older than me, looked
           respectable and clean. She was also kind, and realized that I was
           frightened. She offered me liquor to calm my nerves. I refused, and
           she proceeded. I got up on her kitchen table, and she inserted a coat
           hanger in me.

           At that moment, I became numb — numb to any physical, emotional,
           mental or spiritual pain. Had I allowed myself to feel anything, I might
           have gone over the edge. I deadened the pain by shutting down.
           When she removed the coat hanger, I got dressed and drove home.

           I kept waiting for something to happen — to bleed, to have cramps.
           But nothing happened.

           Tim got the name of a man in town who could help. I went on my
           lunch hour to a seedy motel, the kind you can rent by the hour; today
           it is boarded up and deserted. I found the room number that he had
           given me. The man was overweight and unkempt, and he smelled of
           cigarettes. He repulsed me.

           He had a hose, similar to the kind people used for enemas, which he
           used on me. I paid him, left, and went back to work. Again, I was
           numb to pain. And again, there were no results.

           My co-worker's friend came to town. We arranged another meeting.
           She made a second attempt with the coat hanger. Once again,
           nothing happened. I was getting more and more desperate.

           I contacted the man from the seedy motel. He agreed to make a
           second attempt with the hose. I brought Tim with me, and he waited
           in another room. I started to get ready for the procedure, but I sensed
           that something was different this time. I still remember the smell of
           his breath and the look on his face as he started to unzip his pants. I
           was so overcome with fear; I thought I was going to throw up. I
           managed to scream, and Tim came in the room. The man zipped
           himself up, grabbed his bag and left.

           As I was living this nightmare, Tim was telling friends in town that I
           was pregnant and seeking an abortion. One day, two police officers
           came to see me. They said they heard that I was pregnant and
           looking for an abortion. I lied and said it wasn't true. They asked me
           to call them if someone offering an abortion tried to contact me, and
           they left. I became scared and depressed.

           Tim heard about a dentist in a nearby city who performed abortions.
           We went to see him. He said I was too far along, and refused to help
           me. At this time I was about four weeks pregnant.

           Tim then found someone in Chicago. We drove three hours and went
           to an agreed-upon meeting place at a Burger King. A car was waiting
           for us. We were blindfolded, put in the backseat, and driven
           somewhere. When they took our blindfolds off, we appeared to be in
           a doctor's officethere were medical school diplomas on the walls and
           surgical equipment in the room. I felt I was finally going to get help.

           The doctor and nurse were compassionate, gentle and
           understanding. The doctor numbed my vaginal area and performed a
           suction type of abortion. He gave me medication to lessen the
           possibility of hemorrhaging and told me to take it easy. We paid him,
           were blindfolded again, and taken to our car. We drove home.

           The next morning, I didn't feel any pain or cramping. I was tired and
           scared, but also relieved. Maybe it was finally over.

           A few weeks later, I was getting ready to return to college. As I was
           leaving, my parents said they heard I was pregnant. Was it true? I
           could honestly say, 'No, I am not pregnant.' I remember their reliefand
           my own.

           A couple of months after the abortion, as I was working on a term
           paper, I began to hemorrhage. My roommates took me to the
           campus health center. An ob-gyn examined me, and said I needed
           an emergency D&C. First, he needed my parents' written permission
           and got in touch with them immediately. They gave their approval in a
           Western Union telegram. I had the D&C.

           At a follow-up visit, the doctor handed me some birth control pills and
           told me to use them. He must have known what happened to me. But
           he never accused me and never passed judgment. For that, I was
           grateful.

           Believe it or not, I kept seeing Tim. That was my low self-esteem at
           work. At the same time, I felt shame and guilt, and I was fearful that
           people would find out. What would they think of me? Would I be
           shunned? Would they think I was immoral or evil? Would my friends
           still be there for me? I became seriously depressed and suicidal.

           I went to see a Catholic priest, who threw me a life ring. I needed to
           hear that I was not a bad person and that I was forgiven. He was
           sympathetic and said that God forgave me and I needed to forgive
           myself. He also said, 'Mary, you have so much to give and so much
           life in you. Stop hanging around people who are waiting to die.' The
           priest gave me hope and helped me see that I was a good person.

           By the time I was 23, I knew I needed therapy. I had been having
           nightmares about the rape and abortions. Even today, more than 30
           years later, I still have an occasional nightmare.

           I made progress in my therapy and had a big breakthrough four years
           ago. I was working with a spiritual counselor. We talked about the
           abortion and how it still haunted me. She said, 'whatever is still there,
           let's bring it into the light and pray that whatever needs to be healed
           will be healed.'

           At home, 20 minutes later, I had excruciating shooting pains in my
           stomach. I broke out in a full-body cold sweat. I couldn't move. I lay
           on the floor. I was hyperventilating, and my hands and arms were
           becoming numb.

           I started to breathe deeply and to pray. I prayed that the pain would
           pass. I prayed for an end to the nightmare. I realized that I was
           experiencing the physical pain of all the attempted abortions that I
           had never allowed myself to feel. I was releasing three decades of
           stored up pain. And then it passed.

           When my husband came home, he wanted to take me to the
           hospital. I told him that I didn't think they would find anything wrong.
           Later, I had a physical exam to make sure I was in good health, and
           they found nothing wrong.

           It has been quite a journey, one that I hope no woman ever has to
           experience again. Why tell my story after so many years? Why now?

           It is my hope and prayer that the right to choose will never be taken
           away. And these days it seems a possibility.

           We must have the freedom to make reproductive choices and access
           to counseling and support. Looking back, I can say that despite my
           experiences, I was one of the lucky ones. I survived; others did not. I
           tell my story for them, so that no woman will ever have to repeat my
           journey. "
 

2 posted on 04/16/2002 6:23:53 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: katherineisgreat
ABORTION...The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.
3 posted on 04/16/2002 6:24:28 PM PDT by Ann Archy
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To: katherineisgreat
Look right there in the middle about the survey. The women who killed their babies said they did it because of "somebody else".

Look, 99% of the guys in prison doing hard time will tell you they are innocent, or they fell in with bad company, or their mother weaned them too soon.

They all blame "somebody else".

Abortion is still an act where one party, the abortionist, does it for pleasure (usually obtained through the use of the money he gets from the women), and the other party does it for convenience - so that "somebody else" will not be a problem.

Why would you want to pass this article around? It's fairly propagandistic and it misinterprets its statistical data.

4 posted on 04/16/2002 6:26:42 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: gcruse
Another problem is the article clearly indicates that the Catholic Priest suffers from the delusion that the heresy of antimonianism is the guiding principle of Christianity.

He's probably in a police lineup as we speak, eh?!

5 posted on 04/16/2002 6:29:32 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: katherineisgreat


HARD TRUTH: ABORTION KILLS BABIES!


6 posted on 04/16/2002 6:29:36 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: gcruse
``When I arrived [at the clinic], there was a long line up of other women waiting for their abortions. I could not see the doctor until I waited a long time. Eventually he saw me. He did an ultrasound examination of my abdomen to see the baby. When I asked to see it, he refused. I asked him how big the baby was. He would not tell me. He said the abortion was going to be easy ... However, by that time of the day I did not have time to wait for the abortion as I had to do some homework for school. I explained that I had to leave. An appointment for the abortion was arranged for the next day, Nov. 3, 1992. By that time in my pregnancy, I could already feel the baby move inside me. I cried a lot on Nov. 3rd before I went to the clinic. However, I stopped crying as I made my way to the clinic for my appointment at 2:30 p.m. Upon arrival at the Clinic, I saw ladies outside carrying pictures of unborn babies. I looked at the pictures and thought about my own baby. As I was going towards the door a lady asked me `Can we help you?' I started crying ... They asked if I knew how the baby looks like and they showed me a book about how a baby looks like as it grows inside a mother. They also asked me about why I wanted an abortion. I told them about my financial problems ... (They) helped me by paying my rent and helping to pay for groceries (and) with maternity clothes and things for the baby. My daughter Emily was born on April 8, 1993.''
7 posted on 04/16/2002 6:31:09 PM PDT by mdittmar
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To: all
I think you misunderstand me. I am pro-life and I posted this article because it shows the physchlogical effects of abortion.

And I find it deseparately sad that while most people consider Abortion wrong, they think it should be legal on the grounds of "choice"

8 posted on 04/16/2002 6:31:18 PM PDT by katherineisgreat
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To: Cindy
"The Hard Truth" is my pearl of wisdom on the subject and does not necessarily reflect the views of all Rightgrrls. Click on the graphic and you will find a great resource of LIFE! links.
9 posted on 04/16/2002 6:41:03 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: katherineisgreat
I am pro-life and I posted this article because it shows the physchlogical effects of abortion.

Sorry, I thought you said you were doing a research paper, implying
that you were willing to look in all relevant data.  My bad.

10 posted on 04/16/2002 6:41:39 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: muawiyah
 the heresy of antimonianism

Metallic blasphemy?  Help me out here.

11 posted on 04/16/2002 6:45:47 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: gcruse
I am doing a paper but it is on the legal issues surronding it (federal, state, Consitution etc.) I used this as kind of interesting stuff to read on the side, but certainly not to be put in a hard paper. (at least I thought it interesting.)
12 posted on 04/16/2002 6:48:16 PM PDT by katherineisgreat
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To: Cindy
An interesting article. It presents a valid viewpoint, that people will suffer attacks of conscience if they particpate in or encourage another to have an abortion. What the article didn't say is that God created this sense of conscience within us. We all have an innate sense of right and wrong. This isn't a case of a "new ethos" warring against an "old ethos".

That said, we should have compassion on women who have abortions and men and family members who encourage them to do so. Make sure they get counseling. Many churches have counseling programs which help women and men understand what has happened to them and how God will help them forgive themselves and feel healed. God is the answer.

13 posted on 04/16/2002 6:50:29 PM PDT by Ciexyz
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To: katherineisgreat
Thank you so much for sharing this article. It should be required reading for everyone, and not just women. I truly belive no one WANTS an abortion.
14 posted on 04/16/2002 6:51:39 PM PDT by Lorianne
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To: gcruse
I think I get it now.
Ignore suicide bombers.
Ignore dead babies.
Ignore the G_d d_amned NAMBLA.

Coddle baby killers.
Coddle jew killers.
Coddle sodomites preying on children.

And never educate with the truth, only propaganda.
If those in hell can see America today, they are surely screaming unfair, unfair.

15 posted on 04/16/2002 6:55:27 PM PDT by Taiwan Bocks
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To: gcruse
The doctor and nurse were compassionate, gentle and understanding. The doctor numbed my vaginal area and performed a suction type of abortion

What wonderful medical staff. So nice of them to suck the baby out.

16 posted on 04/16/2002 6:59:47 PM PDT by Rightwing Canuck
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To: Taiwan Bocks
So you are basically slamming the RC church and President Bush, if I got it right. Not that there's anything wrong with that. ;)
17 posted on 04/16/2002 6:59:56 PM PDT by gcruse
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To: gcruse
Try this one - http://www.epsomurc.cwc.net/History.htm - it's the heresy that ALL IS FORGIVEN ALL THE TIME
18 posted on 04/16/2002 7:03:30 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: katherineisgreat
Thanks for posting the article. This sentence struck me as very important.

The rhetoric of "choice" may actually be obscuring the national problem of unwanted abortions--abortions on women who would prefer to keep their babies if only they could receive the love and support they need to empower them as mothers. 

I still wonder why the feminists "chose" to fight for a woman's right to abort, rather than to fight for her right to bear a child. Feminists wanted women to be equal with men and ended up making women more masculine (ie, barren, at least temporarily). If feminists really valued women they would have helped women by giving them support through difficult pregnancies.

They don't really support Choice; they support snuffing out lives.

19 posted on 04/16/2002 7:09:28 PM PDT by syriacus
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To: muawiyah
 
          I looked up antimony in the dictionary and only got the metal.
          It seems the spelling of the word eludes a firm grasp.  Note how
           it goes from mon to nom here in just one paragraph!

           Antimonianism was the general belief that Moral Law was no longer
            binding on Man, and that those individuals were not responsible to
            a higher authority for their actions by virtue of being in a state of
            grace or perfection. Wanton and lewd behavior were generally
            ascribed to these groups. Anitnomianism became a common
            charge against the radical fringe.

20 posted on 04/16/2002 7:14:07 PM PDT by gcruse
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