Get your facts straight

I oppose criminalizing the tough choices that some women have to make about their reproductive health. I worked in OB-GYN offices for many years and have seen both the joys and heartbreak of pregnancy. 

When I see the political ads talking about “full term abortion,” I wonder if those denouncing it know what they’re talking about.

There is tremendous joy in getting close to term: falling in love with the baby, getting his or her room ready and dreaming about their education. Sometimes a patient came in toward the end of her pregnancy, finding that her baby quit moving. After careful exam, it is determined that the baby has died. All those hopes and dreams of the future are dashed, and now everything has changed.

To make things even more traumatic, this woman will have to go through labor and delivery of a dead child. Sometimes, she would just go into labor and deliver her baby, but other times, she will need to be induced. This is not abortion. This is the result of a baby having died, and a woman having to go through the heartbreak and trauma of going through labor – only she’s not going to receive the gift she’s been looking forward to for so long. I believe this is what is being called “term abortion.” So wrong!

Having worked in the field for 40 years, not ever did I see or even hear about a pregnancy being terminated during the end weeks or months of a pregnancy. When you’re hearing or seeing these ads, think about whether the politicians talking about it actually have a clue as to what they’re saying.

On a more personal note, I became pregnant at a very young age. With the support of my parents, they were ready to back my decision to have an abortion or go through with the pregnancy. I chose to continue with my pregnancy and have never regretted it. Yes, I could have had an abortion, which at that time was illegal. They were available, but it would have been at the hands of a stranger in Tijuana, as we lived very close to the border at the time, or maybe someone’s kitchen table with a blindfold on and unsterile instruments.

Surely you wouldn’t wish that on your child, your friend or the person you might have planned your future around. You would hope that if that decision had to be made, it would be with the thought that it would be carried out by a professional with sterile instruments in a clean environment. 

Just a couple of things to think about when we’re listening to the political ads.

– Laurie Francil, Durango