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Show Sunday, September A bortion series on abortion. Names have been changed, but the stories reported all are actual cases. By ROXANNE WEBB Herald Staff Writer When does life begin? Does it begin with conception or does it start with the first heartbeat of the baby in the mother's womb? That question has been hotly debated in THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Timely issues, news, features, including family, food, fashion Today Editor's Note: This is the first story of a 18, 1983 - Page TTM, Divided by Conflict the nation's courts, legislatures and churches for at least a decade as the nation struggles with the legal, political and moral issues of abortion. Whether a zygote (a fertilized egg cell) is a person, or whether birth is requisite to being human is not a tough medical issue, but philosophy and religion have made it one of the most keenly fought political issues of the day. By 1980 over 1.5 million operations made abortion routine as it quietly took its place as the most frequently performed surgery. But routine did nothing to stifle debate e and people rallying behind either the the or (against abortion) (favoring abortion) movements, involve no neat philosophical divisions. The issue divides one atheist from another, bible scholars disagree with each other, lawmakers debate, and women are left torn, confused and frightened as they are forced to choose to give birth or seek an abortion. Controversy erupted in 1973 when the Supreme Court, determined in a case called Roe versus Wade, that constitutional right to personal privacy meant that a women could choose to have an abortion without state restrictions in the first trimester of pregancy. The court said that after a fetus reaches viability or an age where it may survive outside the womb (five to seven months), the states may prohibit an abortion unless the life or health of the mother is at stake. Complex legal rulings leave everyone confused, but women often face the issue as a painful, emotional one. Sue had an abortion about 10 years ago. At first she wanted the abortion, but now she regrets her decision and wishes there had been a mandatory waiting period before an abortion is allowed. "I was 20 at the time and I thought homes for unwed mothers were only for teenagers, so I thought I didn't have any other alternative." She was an unmarried teacher at an elementary school in California, and knew her pregnancy would mean she would lose her job. So she checked into a clinic for an abortion. At the clinic she talked with someone who told her where to go for the abortion, but she wasn't offered any alternatives nor asked if she had thought her decision through. "I think they should have a cooling-of- f period so you can make sure this is what you really want. When you're desperate, it sounds like the best alternative, but if you waited and thought it out, you might see there are other possibilities. ' ' The abortion has hurt her self image, especially living in an LDS environment where Mormons teach abortion is a great She contemplated having the baby and putting it up for adoption, but knew it would be difficult, especially with other children at home. They might think, "Is mommy going to give me away if she doesn't like me?" pro-lif- pro-choi- JF ce 0 US evil. "I have been married twice since then and have a child. As time goes by I feel more and more guilty and think I would like myself better if I had given the baby up for adoption. "The guilt I have experienced isn't worth it. Losing my job and being humiliated for a few months wasn't worth the pain and guilt I have now. "I don't watch LDS General Conference now because they always talk about abortion being wrong. I feel guilty enough already." Her hope is that other families will be stronger so children can go to their parents when difficult situations arise. She believes an abortion should not be available on demand, and her advice to those contemplating an abortion is to seek out good counseling and check other alternatives first. Barbara's experience with abortion, it sounds like the best alternative, but if you waited and thought it out, you might see there are other possibilities. When you're desperate, Losing my job and being humiliated for a few months wasn't worth the pain and guilt I have now. although not a pleasant one, was the right thing for her at the time, she says. Six years ago, after a divorce, she became pregnant by another man. She had two children, age five and six, and was seeing a psychiatrist for depression. She believed she couldn't handle the responsibility of a new baby. "I had been depressed for months and threatened suicide. I wasn't neglecting my children, but I wasn't the best mom in the world either." Barbara contemplated having the baby and putting it up for adoption, but knew it would be difficult, especially with other ; children at home. She was afraid her children would think, "Is mommy going to give me away if she doesn't like me?" After her abortion, she was numb for awhile. "It hit me later when I saw newborn babies... my throat would get tight." Two years ago she had another baby, and because her life had stabilized and her relationship with the father was better, she kept the baby. "I have no regrets over my first abortion. At the time it was the right choice. I decided to keep this baby because, although it was unplanned, it was not unwanted." She believes women should be able to choose whether or not to have an abortion, but feels too many abortions are being done as an easy way out. "Where a baby is practically living on its own, I think it's terrible. I've heard of babies being born alive and nurses having to leave them to die ... horrible." Unlike Sue's experience, Barbara received adequate information when she went to the Utah Women's Clinic in Salt Lake City. She was told about abortions and also about the alternatives. They talked with her for an hour, then made an appointment for the following week. "I don't think an abortion is for everybody, but if a baby is unwanted it will be treated unwanted," she concludes. WOmen who find themselves with an unwanted pregnancy have to face the issue head on not from the intellectual safety of a judge's bench, or the cloistered chambers of a legislative chamber or while parading a picket sign, but from the painful vantage point of experience as they live through a real trauma. 33 |
