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In 1976, I became pregnant at the age of 15, and since I loved my boyfriend, figured I'd be a teenage mom. My mother, upon finding out, sat me down and told me in no uncertain terms that I was going to have an abortion. It was illegal in our state, and she arranged for me to go to a neighboring state to a very professional clinic, and have it taken care of. Soon afterwards my boyfriend was arrested for burglary, and within a year was dead. I have been so grateful all my life that my mother stepped in and helped me through this, I was able to finish school and become a productive, self-supporting member of society, instead of ending up on welfare and struggling for who knows how long to get on my own feet in this world, and producing offspring who would have been raised in the culture of poverty and hardship often created when teens become single moms.

Each situation of unwanted pregnancy is so completely unique and personal, it seems obvious that these decisions should be kept out of the political arena and left to the individuals and families who must deal with them. I am so sickened by the right wing control freaks who want to force every pregnancy to go to term, but then refuse to help underprivileged or even just unprepared, clueless young women once they actually have the child. It's as if they believe life begins at conception and ends at birth!

posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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