My sweet son is here today because of the pro-life protections in my state, made possible by the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. In April of 2023, I learned I was unexpectedly pregnant. It was a shock because I had taken precautions to ensure I would not become pregnant, and, given an ongoing health issue, doctors believed I would likely not be able to become pregnant.
I had been seeing someone for a couple of months, but we had recently agreed to part ways. After learning I was pregnant, I reached back out to him, and we were both filled with shock and fear. I already had an 18-year-old son, and the man I was seeing had two children from a previous relationship, and of course, we were no longer together.
Without hesitation, he said I should have an abortion. I had always called myself pro-choice and had dear friends in my life who had multiple abortions. The concept of abortion never seemed to bother me, until I realized I would be aborting my own child. Despite that, I agreed, at his urging, to abort our child. The mere thought of it made me sick, and I could never schedule the appointments myself.
My home state of Kentucky permitted abortion when the life of the mother was at risk, and the neighboring state of Tennessee also had limits on abortion, meaning I would need to travel out of state.
We finally made an abortion appointment in Carbondale, Illinois, which would be a four-hour drive.
