What I do know is that many of us who gratefully sought abortions in that first wave are mothers now. And our feelings toward abortion have become more complicated over time. For some, abortion is still viewed as our liberator, the event that allowed us to live the rest of our lives.
For others, it's our burden. We can't look at the children we have now without thinking of the babies who were never born.
At the book club meeting, my friend who is the mother of four, shifted in her seat.
"I never told anyone," she whispered and lifted her hand.
"You, too?" I asked.
She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek.
Every woman in the room except one had ended a pregnancy. And each remembered it in her own way. Some were defiant in their gratitude while others were haunted by regret.
No self-inflicted stigma there. Ambivalence, regret, "complicated feelings". What a testimonial to the power of abortion. That makes me want to support it and become a provider.
