Comments on: Day 1: Assessments, Ultrasounds, and Musings

By: Barbie

Barbie — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:16:10 +0000

Thank you for your well written blog about such a sensitive issue. You are a very brave woman.

By: Agathe

Agathe — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:07:34 +0000

You mentioned the misinformation surrounding medical abortion and RU-486 in Canada. Unfortunately, unknowledgeable or anti-choice health professionals are a reality throughout Canada and we (Canadians for Choice) hear stories about this everyday on our phone line.

To find the nearest medical (or surgical) abortion provider, women can call our toll-free national Information and Referral Line: 1-888-642-2725
We provide accurate, nonjudgemental information about all options and have the most up-to-date national directory of abortion providers.

I’m glad that your access wasn’t blocked! Thank you for sharing your experience and helping to dismantle the stigma around abortion

By: Rhiannon

Rhiannon — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:27:04 +0000

Ah, you’re in my neck of the woods. Yeah I don’t appreciate the attitude St B has towards this issue as well as others. I feel like if you’re publicly funded you should be nonsecular.

By: Belle

Belle — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:05:49 +0000

FourInchHeels, they require emergency contacts because some women don’t follow up, and if they are in that 5% where it was unsuccessful, they can suffer life threatening consequences. Severe infections and such.

By: crone

crone — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:20:49 +0000

This is amazing! Thank you for being public about your experience.

I had two abortions, both “surgical” and both in doctor’s offices — in the US. The first was in 1981 and was very painful. The doctor was wierd, but I was sooooooo relieved when it was over. The second was in 1993 and was less traumatic and painful than having a tooth pulled — with novocaine. Again, huge relief.

The worst part about both of them was the alone-ness. In a world where women who have abortions are seen as selfish, murderers, like that, it’s hard to open a conversation with anyone about it.

I’m not sorry I had them. In addition to life challenges at the time of each abortion, I know that am NOT cut out to be a mother in this lifetime.

So thank you again for opening up about your experiences.

By: Av0gadro

Av0gadro — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:02:06 +0000

On the same not, one thing I heard during the Siri abortion controversy was that it might not be Siri’s fault that she brings up CPCs before actual abortion providers because CPCs use the word abortion all the time to bring in women seeking abortions. Actual abortion providers are much less likely to use the word abortion much, because they’re afraid to get too much attention (for very good, well documented reasons). I can’t say it’s a self-created barrier to access, because the clinicians are afraid because of antis’ actions. But it is a barrier that isn’t related to the legality of abortion.

We have one clinic in town (250,000 people) that advertises that it provides abortion (and vasectomies and tubals). But my own OB provides abortions to patients at her practice and never advertises it anywhere. I never would have known (even as a patient) if we hadn’t talked about it when I needed a D & C following an incomplete miscarriage. She thinks it’s a service she needs to provide to her patients, but she doesn’t want to be known as an “abortionist.”

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:11:50 +0000

MA, you make a very important, and often overlooked, point. Even when abortion is legal, any hospital or doctor can create barriers to access. Medications may not be available, doctors may be relatively scarce and booked up, hospitals may be hostile to abortion. Making abortion legal is the beginning, not the end, of access.

The reason for the ultrasound requirement has nothing to do with the science of gestation and everything to do with the inflicting of guilt and imposition of barriers. The antis will come up with anything and everything they can think of to delay the moment when the woman is on the table or receiving the medications. I can’t think of another procedure that requires this kind of delay. You don’t even have to get a second opinion to get chemotherapy. It’s not medicine, it’s war on women.

MA, I’m thinking of you and hoping all goes well. *hugs*

By: Av0gadro

Av0gadro — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:05:40 +0000

I know some people are enormously sentimental about the early ultrasounds where you can first see the heartbeat, but my family is a little more pragmatic. I have a niece whose fetal nickname was “The Prawn” and a nephew who was Skeletor (that was the 20 week ultrasound). I have never seen an ultrasound where the fetus looked cuddly, even when it was my own very wanted children.

By: Ms. M

Ms. M — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:40:51 +0000

I remember my very first ultrasound when I was pg with my oldest. My dr. was into checking for ectopic pg along with the positive pg test. She had a run of patients with them and was being extra careful.

Anyway, I look at the screen and I’m like WTF is that? A dot? I have freckles bigger than that! Later on I got a twitching lima bean (for real, that’s exactly what it looked like, size and everything).

I think back to that those ultrasounds every time someone gets on their high horse about forcing women to view an ultrasound before abortion. WTF? Some woman is supposed to feel bad about ejecting a blob she does not want in her body and definitely doesn’t want it turning into a real live child she needs to care for.

By: FourInchHeels

FourInchHeels — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:34:03 +0000

I don’t know very much about this process, but can’t come up with the reason they would need so desperately to reach you that they want THREE alternative people. Can you explain?