Content warning: child abuse, suicide, infant mortality “Background: I was born into an Irish Roman Catholic Family. More or less. My father was of Irish, English, and Scottish descent. But the family identified as Irish. Big time Irish. My mother was from Swedish, English and Welsh descent. He was raised Roman Catholic by his mother in the strictest sense. She was raised a Methodist in North Dakota. She converted when she married father. They wanted to have six children. Whi

“I was 19 and a junior in college. He was my co-star in a production we were both in. Needless to say our attraction for each other was immediate and intense. But he did not attend my college and I knew as we spent the summer rehearsing our scenes and riding to picnic locations on his motorcycle that it was strictly a 'summer romance’. Only, in September when I missed my period, I knew immediately that I was not going to be able to cut my ties with him that quickly. I went to

"I had two abortions. The first one was in 1970. I was 19, in college, using a Dalkon shield iud for contraception. When I found out I was pregnant, I was filled with horror. I felt like my body had been colonized by an alien. The thought of having a baby was inconceivable. Fortunately, I was referred by the college counseling service to a clinic in NY where abortion was legal. My boyfriend and I drove out from OH to the spotless clinic where I was treated with kindness and d

“In 1972 as a college freshman, I got carried away one evening with a young man I had been dating occasionally. We went too far, and I lost my virginity. I was so devastated by our loose of control that I never saw or spoke to this young man again. Weeks later I discovered I was pregnant. I struggled with telling my mom for fear she would want me to marry this young man. When she finally confronted me, I lied and said I had been with several men and had no idea who the father

"It’s been 46 years and my memory is fuzzy. Some of the details of my experience are burned into my mind and I think they are true to what happened. Other memories may or may not be entirely true. I don’t remember the exact date; it was the winter of 1970 and I had turned 20 that fall. I remember riding in a car during the middle of the night; that part I know is true. The destination was a dingy, country motel out in the middle-of-nowhere South Carolina. The sky was pitch bl

"I was 17 and a senior in high school when I discovered I was pregnant. I had had ONE sexual encounter with a boy 2 years older. It was almost a miracle that I got pregnant because there REALLY was no full penetration. Before he penetrated me, I pushed him away, and fortunately he didn't force himself on me. When I later told him I was pregnant, he didn't believe he could have fathered the pregnancy, because he said "but I didn't even cum!" And that was the truth. Although fe

"In January 1968 when I was a junior in college I became pregnant. My family lived in India and I knew I could not deal with staying with them and having a baby. I had several pregnancy tests that were negative, but I was sure I was pregnant and got that confirmed at the campus health service. I asked girls in my dorm if they knew of illegal abortionists and within a few hours, I had a phone number and made an appointment for the next day. Two friends and i drove to New York

"In 1975, I became pregnant, though I was using contraception. I went to the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Oakland, California for an abortion. The nurses and doctor were respectful and caring. During the procedure, my uterus was perforated, (which happens occasionally during this operation) and we had to stop the procedure. I returned in one week, and had the abortion, after the perforation had healed. Once again, I was treated with utmost respect, and care. This is in sharp

"In 1970, at age 16, I became pregnant. I knew I could not be a mother and wanted an abortion. Abortions were not available in my midwest state; I had to go to New York City. The local Planned Parenthood warned me that at my age, I probably would not be successful without a parent's consent. As the extent of my sex education had been telling me about my periods, I was certain a pregnancy-abortion conversation would go over like a lead balloon. My girlfriend and I decided to g

"I was 22, working as a secretary and living at home with my mom. My boyfriend and I had been dating two years. He was in college also living at home with his mom. It was back in the early 70s, and we were using the rhythm method, which we thought would work, since each month I felt when I ovulated, which typically was on the 16th to 18th day of my cycle because my cycles were always around 35 days or more. We had unprotected sex on the 10th day of my cycle, thinking it was s

"I was between my freshman & sophomore years of college when a condom broke and I found myself pregnant. My boyfriend was a year older and also in college. We were very much in love, but not remotely ready, emotionally or financially, to raise a child. Nor was I willing for a moment to consider bringing a child to term just to relinquish the tiny thing for adoption; the thought of giving up a baby was absolutely unacceptable. Together, my boyfriend and I made the best decisio

"I was 16 when I first got pregnant. It was in 1967 so abortion was illegal. I just knew I would feel too guilty to give a child up for adoption but also knew I was not ready to be a mom and that I would never pursue my dreams if I had the child. I was desperate. I told my mom and she found someone for me that did abortions out of his home. I wound up in the hospital with bleeding. They asked me for information that I would not give. I so appreciated that someone kept me from