Graphic Design
Two young Black people speak out on
abortion in their lives.
The stories are unrelated.
The Diary, The Day, How I Dealt.
The following is an exert from the real
journal of a sistah who chose to share her experiences with us.
Names and places have been changed.
April 18, 19--, 11:07 AM
Omigod, I just came back from the bathroom. I'm pregnant. What am I going to do? I told Caroline and I asked her not to tell anyone but I don't know what I'm going to do. Under the circumstances this is not a good thing but I'm so confused. I'm sure you understand why. I just made this move away from him and now look. I've been here before and I'm still at a loss as to what I should do. Should I terminate? Go to Phoenix and start all over again as planned? Or...I don't know. Emotionally, it's been hard every time I decided to terminate. What do I have to offer a child? All the same questions and even fewer answers. I mean, I know I'm not getting any younger but do I want to be a single parent? I mean, I would be anyway because Patrick has nothing to offer me, could I do it alone? There's so many things I need to think about. Least of all, what would people think? F*ck it, I ain't no spring chicken. I'll be 24 years old next month and the way I feel about relationships is the last of my worries. Will it always be about convenience? Or should I just pay the penalty for my irresponsibility?
April 19, 19--, 1:48 PM
Today the doctor confirmed my greatest fear. I am pregnant, again. I went over to Caroline's and, as usual, she let me dump on her. Never judging me but loving me through my continual mistakes and all. I confided to her that I felt as though I was obsessing on Patrick, but she told me that it wasn't a good idea to call him until I was feeling a little more sure. I insisted. On the phone, his indifference killed me inside and, in the end, he coldly told me that I needed to grow up and start acting like a real woman. Earlier today I went to a counselor. I decided that I needed help this time since leaving my violent relationship and I knew she'd be able to help me through some things. When I entered, I realized that Natalia was Black and that changed everything for me. I was starting to trust her and depend on her experience to guide me. Natalia was so warm and, every time she hugged me, I felt that everything was going to be fine. I shared with her what I was going through and, although I could tell by her body language that she was not comfortable with the notion of termination, she did not try to sway me in any decision I was going to make and, to be honest, I really hadn't made...
Abortion: His-story
This passage relates the experience of a
brother who lived through a difficult situation
and was willing to share with our readers.
Names have been changed.
I didn't know until after I ended the relationship that she was pregnant. Julie only told me a week after we broke up. She was approximately 5 weeks. I'm personally against abortion but I do understand that the woman really has a lot to deal with. Her body, family, friends, etc. So I guess she would have a harder time dealing with it.
I was with someone else so I didn't give Julie the required attention or support she needed. Julie was 5 months pregnant when she had the abortion. It was really unexpected. Julie came to my work the day before to show me the ultrasound of our baby. It was a boy. After seeing the ultrasound it made me excited and I really wanted the baby. I guess I just didn't realize before how much I wanted the child. Since I was at work, I told her I'd call her later that evening so we could talk about the child and the future. After work I went to a friend's place. I phoned her a few times to see if we could get together and talk about it, like I had told her earlier that day, but she didn't answer the phone...
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