Angel’s story takes place thirty-six years ago. At this time, abortion was not talked about as it is now and not the abortion pill was not yet advertised to women the way it is today. However, chemical abortions were on the rise. In Angel’s case, they were even used without the consent of the mother.
Angel’s Story
Angel* was the oldest child in her family with two brothers, and they walked to the Catholic school paid for by their wealthy uncle.
Her parents were strict and would not allow her to drive. Through friends she began to get rides and experience some freedom. She met her first boyfriend at a local arcade and kept their relationship a secret. “I found out I was late one month with my period and freaked out!” she shares.
Angel was 16 and her boyfriend was 18. They decided that they would get married and raise their baby. Together they told his mother the news and she was supportive. “I asked my mother as well. She told me that I was grounded and never to see him again,” she says. Two weeks later Angel and her boyfriend ran away and began to rent a shed. Her boyfriend’s mother helped them travel to another state to get married, and his grandfather bought them a mobile home. Things were going well, and they were looking forward to meeting their child.
Angel’s Mom Intervenes
“At three months, my mother decided to stop by where we lived and said she was sorry and wanted to help me with the doctor bills. I decided to take her up on it since she was going to be the grandmother,” Angel shares. At the doctor’s appointment, Angel was informed by the physician that her pregnancy tests were false positives. The doctor said her missed period was due to irregularity because of her young age. She was given some pills to help her “start her period back” with the explanation that all would be back to normal in a couple of days.
When Angel arrived home, she gave the news to her new husband, and they both were disappointed. Within three days, Angel began to bleed heavily and feel very sick to her stomach. “I figured I wasn’t really pregnant after all.” The symptoms continued to increase and she called the doctor. “The nurse said I wasn’t pregnant and since it had been a while since my period it may be a little heavier than normal, but it would be fine,” Angel explains.
The next day Angel’s bleeding was so heavy and pain so severe that she called for help. Her mother-in-law arrived to find Angel passed out and covered in blood. She was taken to the emergency room where she was told that she had a miscarriage and would need a DNC. “No one explained anything to me. They didn’t tell me why I had a miscarriage, why the doctor told me I wasn’t pregnant, what a DNC was…just nothing,” Angel says. Her only information was that her baby was a little girl.
The Truth
“Now that all these years have gone by, I’ve learned what happened to my daughter,” she says. “It wasn’t a miscarriage as I believed, but I was tricked into a chemical abortion”. Angel has now struggled to forgive herself for her naivety in the situation knowing that she could have a daughter alive with her today. “But one thing I do know for sure is when I go to heaven, there will be a little girl coming to greet me!”
Here to Help
Our society has progressed beyond a doctor being allowed to deceive a woman into an abortion. However, women still receive much pressure to abort. In Angel’s story, her mother was so adamant in her stance against carrying the pregnancy to term that she was willing to cause damage to her relationship with her own daughter.
Today, the abortion pill is much more accessible (see our previous blog post). Women are faced with the decision and are still being pressured by significant influences in their lives. At the Pregnancy Care Center of Rincon, we are available for any woman facing a crisis pregnancy to come and receive the help and support that is needed to make her pregnancy decision.
Please be aware that coercion for abortion is illegal. If you are being pressured to have an abortion against your will, seek help immediately.
*name changed for privacy.