Comments on: Two Losses

By: Mrs. B. Roth

Mrs. B. Roth — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:09:44 +0000

Sorry to keep commenting, I'm just fascinated by your life and brilliant writing style. I confess, not only did I vote for Bush that year, but I'm definitely not an abortion supporter. HOWEVER, I desperately regretted my vote shortly thereafter AND reading your story and the comments here has really made me pause to consider how abortion is not the quick and easy escape, and how perhaps Congress is not qualified to make such a personal choice for families.

Again, your brutal honesty is so appreciated.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:28:00 +0000

We were in the true depths of infertility at that time and I recall feeling our own losses at that time ... but with a horizon of hope that perhaps this next generation can do things a little bit better. I still draw breath on that hope. Especially this time around.

By: Guilty Secret

Guilty Secret — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:31:00 +0000

I remember that day too with such clarity. It was a sad, sad day, even here in UK. I'm sorry it was particularly bad for you.

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:42:00 +0000

Wow. You took me back to the time I had my abortion. One day I should write the story. It's kind of fuzzy in my memory now, but it was kind of an assembly-line clinic, like listeningmoth says.

You also took me back to the last election. I was so disappointed, and so concerned. Things have definitely gotten more difficult in this country since then.

By: Almost American

Almost American — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:12:00 +0000

As Maddy said, x - because I have too many words to write here and although there are similarities this is your story not mine.

By: Stagnant Artist

Stagnant Artist — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:52:00 +0000

this post was beautiful. it was so well written and makes me envious in your ability to take an emotional time and make it clean and poetic. I remember my time waiting in that line and seeing who was around me. I was alone. Luckily, i didn't have these two events collide. When Bush was re-elected, I just went to the Canadian website to see how i could move. I am getting ready to look at that site again, so it better work out. That or this country is going to abort me as a citizen.

By: Maddy

Maddy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:05:00 +0000

By: listeningmoth

listeningmoth — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:30:00 +0000

I'm so glad you wrote this. I'm so sorry. I have had to make that same decision. I had to go to a bare bones assembly-line type clinic and the only pain relief I had was ibuprofen and the nurse's hand.

I can remember all the women who were in line with me. We all told our diverse stories. There was a fearful college student who I could tell just wanted a teddy bear. There was a married mother of four whose husband was about to leave for 2 years of military service. There was a woman who felt to old to go through the physical demands of pregnancy. And there was me, just reconciling with my estranged husband after a brief terrifying relationship with the very mentally ill man who was the baby's father. I will never forget it, but I'll also never regret it. Even now I'm in a cold sweat wondering what I would have done and what my life would be now had I not had that option.

Believe it or not, I know what I was doing on that same day you wrote about. On election day 4 yrs. ago I had the ultrasound that told me I was pregnant with a girl. I was so excited. We had overcome fertility problems and pregnancy losses and we were past that iffy first trimester. It was so happy.

Then the attending physician (not our normal one, thank god) came in and told me there was something unusual about my daughter's kidneys. And before we knew what was happening, he had painted us a mural...years of prophylactic antibiotics followed by surgeries when she's about 4 and even then, who knows about our baby's kidney health once she's middle-aged. He was wearing a BUSH/CHENEY sticker on his jacket. I remember watching the doctor's mouth moving and thinking "you're a prick and you're so wrong and my baby's fine and Bush will be out on his ass, you'll see."

Then Bush won. And I started to cave in thinking about what was in store for our baby...tests and surgeries. I just crumpled when I got those election results...

Soon after, our regular doctor came back from Sri Lanka. And he told me to love my baby and not to worry. Gotta love a good doctor. As it turned out, the prick doctor was wrong. My daughter is fine, her pee-pee factory rocks it.

By: Ariane

Ariane — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:07:00 +0000

That brings tears to my eyes, for you, for the echoes in my life, and for everyone who's life has been affected by GWB and his reign.

Let's hope there's healing for everyone.

By: Angela

Angela — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:36:00 +0000

((HUGS))...thank you for sharing your story. It takes an awful lot of courage to do that.