In December 1977, an 18-year-old woman was faced with the choice of life or death. It began when she met a boy at a hometown IGA grocery store. He was a sacker and she was the checker. A typical small town romance, and for both of them it was love at first sight.
After their first month of dating, they spoke of marriage and how they would spend forever with one another.
They also had a future. And, like many young people, they didn’t think about the consequences of sex. All of their plans were demolished when the young woman discovered she was pregnant. The boy was only 16, in high school, and his only source of income was sacking groceries. The girl had no way of supporting a family, and they both were planning to attend college.
Their families could not fund the baby’s future either. The only solution, or so they thought, was an abortion.
To this day, she remembers the hour and a half she spent in the abortion clinic. She and her boyfriend were at the counter, and the receptionist smiled as she took her money, treating her as she did all of the other teenagers. The couple waited an hour before the nurse took her to the room.
She says the room was cold, and the clasp of the door is a sound that will forever haunt her. The boy says the moments waiting in the lobby seemed like an eternity because the clinic’s policy prohibited him from being with his girlfriend. This was not a consultation. She was there for an abortion. No second chances. This was it.
The two individually contemplated their future, wondering what would happen to their relationship. Fifteen minutes had passed. The doctor was running behind, and he still had not visited her. After not being able to bear the time or swallow his conscience, the boyfriend broke the clinic’s rules and went into his girlfriend’s examination room. He clutched her hand, cried and said, “We don’t have to do this. We can make it. I know we can.” She bawled, hugged him and said, “Thank you.”
The doctor walked into the room moments later as the two were joined emotionally by their love and physically by their arms wrapped around one another. The couple stormed out of the clinic.
Eight months later, I was born.
Mom and Dad could not tell you if they received a refund that day, but they can give you a long 20-minute story on every one of my baby pictures.
Mom chose my life over making things easier on her life. I could never believe in abortion, regardless of the situation. It’s a belief I have more passion for than any other, and I will never change my stance.
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