How I Went From Pro-Abortion to Pro-Life
Can Preborn Education Encourage Women to Not Have an Abortion?
A Personal Case Study
Is it possible for a pro-abortion person to change their mind and become a pro-lifer? After researching and reading the pros and cons of abortion, I have made a new determination that abortion is murder.
A doctor said to me once about my abortions, “Steph, you don’t know what the kids would have become.” Had I heard that earlier in my life, would I have had children?
“The right to an abortion is a right. A woman can end her pregnancy at any time,” those were my words when I started this paper, yet after research, I have turned pro-life.
In 1973, American women celebrated the victory of the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade which meant women could terminate their pregnancies nationwide.
There was a time when abortion didn’t matter in this country. Slave owners ordered slaves to have as many children as possible as that was money in their pockets. Having kids was a part of the American capitalist machine so it didn’t matter how many kids you had.
The United States abolished slavery in 1865. Some White Americans got mad at poor ex-slaves for having large amounts of kids. But when it came to childbirth that’s all the slaves knew besides agriculture. Slave owners forced slaves to breed and pick cotton and abortion was not an option.
My mother’s great-grandmother was a slave. Her mom carried a slave mentality and had many children. My mother was born in 1942, two generations up from slavery. There weren’t any contraceptives available, so my mother had six kids and struggled with different baby daddies.
When I was age 14, I thought I had to go down the same road my mother took. I wanted four kids to be on welfare and live on the south side of Sacramento.
My Life Changed
One day, a counselor told me life didn’t have to be the way I envisioned. Since I already planted the seeds in my mind three of the pregnancies still happened. Since abortion was legal, the seeds were never planted in my soil, and I had three abortions.
I was 16 when I had my first abortion. Because of The Roe v. Wade case, I didn’t need my mother’s permission to have an abortion. I wanted the abortion because I’m a twin and the possibility was high that I would have twins. I also saw how my mother struggled.
My second abortion at age 18 was not planned. I had only slept with the guy once. I was mad at myself because there were things I still wanted to do with my life, and I felt having a child would get in the way. I still did not want the responsibility.
The guy that got me pregnant was a loser. I knew I could not give birth knowing I would have no help. The guy had two or three other women pregnant. One of the women I knew! Scandalous! I did not want to take hormones or the pill. I tried them and got sick.
My method of birth control came down to having the guy remove his penis before his ejaculation.
When I got pregnant at the age of 24 years old, I was sad. I was still finding myself and when I found out I was pregnant it was depressing. I think I started to realize it was not right to have an abortion, but I did it anyway.
The guy I was with had the capability to be a great father, but he was into cocaine. I felt the situation would lead to a dead end. He wanted a child, but I didn’t want the responsibility and had an abortion. I vowed it would be my last abortion.
Was I selfish? Who determines if I was selfish or not? For two of the pregnancies, I had sex with the guy one time. Was I playing Russian roulette with getting pregnant?
Looking back now I ask myself, “Did it make a difference in my life?” You can call me a sellout or a coward, but I knew that I wasn’t a responsible person. The odds were if I didn’t have an abortion, I would have been on welfare needing help.
If the Roe v. Wade verdict had not existed, I would have had those three pregnancies. My life would be different. I’m sure I would be a grandmother today. Would I have gone to school and graduated from college?
Would I have been one of those women that have kids and succeed with a business? I’ll never know. But I knew I did not want to raise a child alone.
Having an abortion was more of a relief than carrying a child for nine months. I knew there would be a chance that I would be obese. I felt morning sickness, cigarette smoke was disgusting, and certain food smells made me sick.
At the start of this paper, I was pro-abortion. But with my newfound knowledge, I would keep abortion legal, but have mandatory state-regulated preborn education.
The Roe v. Wade verdict gave me the right as a 16-year-old teenager to take a life. Had the internet been available, things may have been different. I have no regrets…I think…
What is Abortion?
Abortion is when a woman by choice decides to end the life of her preborn baby.
There are two ways a woman can have an abortion:
A woman can take a pill that will neutralize her preborn and dissolve it from her body. Or, she can have a surgical procedure in a clinic. Both abortion methods have been used for over 40 years. “
Abortions are very common. In fact, one in four women in the U.S. has an abortion by the time they are 45 years old,” (Bethesta, 2022)
How Soon Can You Have An Abortion?
“It’s best for an abortion to be as soon as possible. Abortions early in pregnancy are safer and cost less than abortions performed later.
Many studies show nine out of ten abortions happen during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.” (Lacner, 2010)
How Long Has Abortion Been Around?
Induced abortion has been around since ancient times. Procedures include herbs, sharp instruments, stomach pressure, and other methods. “During the early days of America there were no abortion laws, however, Churches were against abortion.” (Spivack, 2019)
“Birth rates were high in 1836 and the average woman gave birth more than five times during her lifetime. Many women wanted to limit the number of pregnancies. There weren’t any laws against abortion in the U.S. until the 19th century. Those laws grew more restrictive, and many women sought abortions in secret.” (Blakemore, 2022)
Abortion Becomes Legal in 1973
In 1973, Jane Roe was a single parent and pregnant. She and James H. Hallford, a Texas doctor, hired attorneys, Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee. They filed a lawsuit on their behalf in U.S. federal court against their local district attorney, Henry Wade, alleging that Texas’s abortion laws were unconstitutional.
Hallford was arrested for previously giving women abortions. He argues that the Texas state’s laws were vague when it came to abortions. At the time, abortion was illegal in Texas, and it was a crime to get one.
By the end of the case, the Supreme Court ruled abortion legal in all the states. The Roe v. Wade decision sparked debates all over the country. The arguments were for and against abortion. While some people rejoiced, a lot of pro-lifers felt that abortion was murder.
The ruling decided two important things:
- The right to privacy protects a woman’s right to have an abortion.
- Abortion should be safe and legal.
The Top 5 Arguments for Pro-Abortion and Pro-Life
My Final Thoughts
Abortion is a woman’s right.
Now I say the preborn has a right too.
Abortion is a necessary procedure in some cases.
Abortion is never necessary as a C section can be performed in less than an hour.
Abortion is a woman’s personal decision.
The preborn has a separate life and has a decision too.
Abortion should be safe and legal.
Abortion should not be legal and is not always safe.
Abortion should be affordable.
Make abortion moderately expensive if legal.
Abortion can be used as a form of birth control.
Abortion should never be used as birth control.
Abortion should be available to all women who need or want it.
No! A woman needs to go through an evaluation before being allowed to abort her preborn.
Women should be educated on the fetus.
This is true. Education may sway some women away from abortion
In conclusion, I see abortion in a new light. I am now pro-life. I now know abortion is a selfish act and should be illegal. If abortion stays legal, then there should be educational requirements and set a limit on the number of abortions a woman can have.
Just sayin’
Steph
References
Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated Jun 24; cited 2022 May 31]. https://medlineplus.gov
Lacner, A. (2010, December 1). How early in a pregnancy can you get an abortion?
Planned Parenthood. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/ask-experts/2572
Spivack, C. (n.d.). During the early days of America, there were no abortion laws.
Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://wmpeople.wm.edu/site/page/wmjowl/home
Blakemore, E. (2022, 17). The complex early history of abortion in the United States. History. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-complex-early-history-of-abortion-in-the-united-states
Watson, K. [Prolife Replies]. (May 15). My Body My Choice
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcZ6IOjNbi0
Sander-Lee, T. [Prolife Replies]. (2019, May 15). No One Knows When Life Begins
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnAbwc_pHSY&t=1s
Mosher, S. [Prolife Replies]. (2019, June 18). Abortion Will Stop Overpopulation
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVRJnoQJgoY
Reynolds, S. [Prolife Replies]. (2019, July 10). Abortion in Cases of Rape
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEomZ-O7t0&t=6s
Craddock, J. [Prolife Replies]. (2020, February 19). Abortion is a Constitutional Right
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7iS65pZ-lw
