I had an abortion 15 years ago. Now I'm fighting in the Georgia state house for your rights
My abortion story is hard to share but so important for everyone, especially Georgia's politicians, to understand
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has felt like a gut punch -- not only because women deserve every opportunity that men have, but because I had an abortion 15 years ago.
Mine is not the kind of story that any mother who has been in my position wants to relive, believe me. But we are desperate to get far right politicians to see the damage they will do if they eliminate access to safe abortion.
When I made the decision to terminate a pregnancy for medical reasons, I was 37 years old. My husband and I were thrilled when we found out we were pregnant but a little apprehensive with the extra caution required when you’re over 35.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SUPREME COURT ROE V WADE DECISION REAFFIRMS WHY WE MUST FIGHT TO ELECT PRO-CHOICE, DEMOCRATIC WOMEN
At our 12-week ultrasound, everything seemed right on track, so we shared the exciting news with our family. Our 5-year-old daughter was ecstatic and immediately started talking to my belly, telling her little brother or sister she loved them. I felt so much joy watching her sweet face full of excitement.
I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision for me and my family, including my unborn child.
But then a few days later, I got the call from the doctor that my blood test indicated Trisomy 18 — a chromosomal disorder that they classify as "incompatible with life." Essentially, my pregnancy would end with the death of our child, either a stillbirth or my baby living a very painful short life of only minutes outside my womb before dying. We were stunned.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They asked me to come in immediately for a genetic test that eventually conclusively confirmed the diagnosis. My perinatologist and my OB both recommended termination because of my age and because I had young children who depended on me.
SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE IN LANDMARK OPINION
After a week of sleepless nights researching Trisomy 18 and searching for any hope that the doctors could be wrong, all while my daughter continued kissing my belly, talking to her little brother or sister -- the result was always the same.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}My heart was breaking into a million little pieces. The decision seemed impossible.
I kept trying to imagine what my husband and I would say when unsuspecting friends or even strangers happily asked when I was due or if we knew the baby’s gender. And then there was the crippling vision of our youngest daughter, who’d only be 6-years-old, burying her sibling who she had come to love so much.
My doctor checked in several times that week and always reminded me how hard pregnancy is on the body. My daughter’s birth had been no walk in the park. Then she asked: Is it worth risking your life and possibly leaving your daughters without a mother only to delay the inevitable? I knew what I had to do and scheduled the abortion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SUPREME COURT RULING PROVES WE WEREN'T 'HYSTERICAL,' WE WERE RIGHT
I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision for me and my family, including my unborn child.
I hope and pray that my daughters never have cause to consider such an impossible decision. But it’s devastating to think that, should the worst happen, they might not have the same freedom to choose what’s best for their family. It’s unthinkable that despite a trained physician recommending the contrary, they might be forced to stay pregnant at great risk to themselves!
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Georgia State Rep. Shea Roberts (Courtesy Shea Roberts)
Now that the unthinkable is a reality and Roe’s protection is gone, I expect Republican lawmakers here will push to enforce Georgia’s six week ban, which is before most women even know they’re pregnant.
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Even worse, local media have reported some legislators are calling for a complete ban with no exceptions – even for the mother’s health. These extremists across the country are fixated on taking away our freedom and controlling our bodies with laws that punish women who leave the state to get an abortion, arrest doctors who perform them and encourage vigilante reporting procedures to the government.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Protesters stand in front of the Supreme Court building with pro-choice signs. (Joshua Comins/Fox News Digital)
I am sharing my story because I need the brazen politicians, including my Republican colleagues under Georgia’s Gold Dome, to know their actions will kill people just like me. Passing laws that interfere with a doctor’s care will result in children just like mine losing their mothers.
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We cannot let this happen in Georgia! The midterm elections in November are literally a matter of life and death for Georgia citizens. We need leaders in office who will protect our rights, not take them away.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}I refuse for my daughters’ generation to be the first with fewer rights than their mothers. The time for silence on this issue is over. We must use our collective voices and power to protect our right to medical privacy and bodily freedom.