National Abortion Federation Blog: Saporta Reporter

Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we will be featuring real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.


The clinic and the Hotline made a big difference in my life. My boyfriend and I are both unemployed and knew that having a child at this point in my life would be very difficult. The clinic and Hotline’s assistance have allowed me to pursue my dreams.

--Submitted by Nadine* through a member clinic


I have a five-year-old daughter and since she was born my whole life has been geared towards her safety and happiness. Now that I am a mother, my views have changed on what women’s rights are and how we need to protect them.

If anything bad ever happened to my daughter and an unexpected pregnancy was the result…I would just die if someone was able to just snap their fingers and decide what was best for her future without knowing or caring about how she felt.

I am and always will be pro-choice because of my beautiful baby girl.
--Submitted by Jessica* through our website

*Names changed to protect patient privacy

Labels: patient stories, wednesday's words from women

Today, I issued the following statement:

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed historic health care reform legislation. And while we agree that the health care system is certainly broken, it is unfortunate that reform continued the discrimination against our country’s most vulnerable women.

Health care reform was intended to expand comprehensive health care coverage for millions of Americans. Abortion care is basic health care for women and should not be treated differently from any other health care service, yet restrictions like the Hyde Amendment seriously limit women’s access to care. Although it has been the status quo for more than 30 years, the Hyde Amendment is a harmful, unacceptable policy that discriminates against millions of women who rely on the government for the rest of their health care.

While many of us feel very strongly that public funding restrictions need to be lifted, the pro-choice community did not attempt to use health care reform as a vehicle to advance this important goal. Now that reform has been passed, it is time for pro-choice leaders in the private and public sectors to come together to truly address the inequalities in access to abortion care and work to repeal the Hyde Amendment.

Every month, our toll-free Hotline receives thousands of calls from women who are unable to afford the abortion care they need. We recently heard from a woman who was fleeing an abusive relationship and although she had Medicaid, it wouldn’t cover her abortion; a full-time college student who was selling her textbooks to raise money for her procedure because health insurance through school didn’t cover abortion care; a rape victim and mother who was pawning her possessions in order to afford an abortion; an unemployed mother of four who was facing eviction and suicidal because she could not afford an abortion; and a single mother raising a child with a disability, who was employed and on Medicaid, but unable to afford the cost of the abortion care she needed.

In a fair and just society, we cannot continue to discriminate against our poorest women and their families. It’s time to redefine what being pro-choice means in this country. You can’t be pro-choice and deny low-income women the same access to abortion care as wealthier women.

While passing health care reform was important, it is critical that the President and our pro-choice allies in Congress now turn to protecting the health and rights of low-income women and begin to work toward the repeal of the Hyde Amendment. All women—regardless of their economic status—deserve equal access to the abortion care they need.

Labels: health care reform, women

Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we will be featuring real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.

The clinic has really helped me in many ways. They helped me to make the right decision and to understand that I’m a good person. They helped me to realize that I don’t have to be ready to have a baby. I don’t have to rush things just because of what other people say. They helped me to become a woman and know what’s right for me, and it’s not that hard with the help of the clinic and the Hotline.

--Submitted by Cindy* through a member clinic


I became pregnant only one year after the birth of my first child. I do not have the means to support a second child nor do I believe that it would be fair to my son to have another so soon. I was raised in a Unitarian Universalist family and we were brought up to be pro-choice. I knew that abortion was the safest and best option for me at this time.

--Submitted by Ellen* through our website

*Names changed to protect patient privacy

Labels: patient stories, wednesday's words from women

Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we will be featuring real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.

I have two sets of twins, both delivered via C-section. The second delivery was extremely difficult due to severe scar tissue. My doctor informed me this pregnancy could take my life or leave me with severe complications. I have four small children, two seven-year-olds and two eight-year-olds, and I could not risk not being there to watch them grow up and share their lives.

--Submitted by Karen* through a member clinic


After the pregnancy test came back positive, I knew that I was going to get an abortion. I'm only 21; I'm too young to be a mom, and I don't have the money to support myself and a child. I'm still in college, and I don't want to drop out and end an art career that had yet to start. Not to mention the man involved was no longer in my life. He's also still in college, and I didn't want to put the burden on him of paying child support and student loans. It wouldn't be fair to either of us.

I went to a clinic outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The first visit there was for a sonogram and to find out my blood type. One of my best friends went with me for support. I love her so much for going with me. My next visit was for the actual procedure. I'm lucky that my mom was understanding; she went with me so that she could drive me home. The staff at the clinic is just amazing; they made sure that I understood the procedure and what was going to happen after. They also had a counselor for me to talk to about the abortion.

I know this was the right choice for me. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through, but I'll never regret my decision. I'm just thankful that my close friends and my mom were there for me to help get me through everything.

--Submitted by Abigail* through our website

*Names have been changed to protect patient privacy

Labels: patient stories, wednesday's words from women