Nineteen years old, alone and pregnant, Patricia Meixelsperger headed to an abortion clinic to rid herself of her unwanted child. Saying she was motivated by fear and did not know of any serious abortion consequences, she did something she regretted for the rest of her life.??
Twelve other women with similar experiences gathered at the Capitol Thursday to share their stories and hope to change public opinion about the legality of abortion. This panel was part of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, which calls attention to the thirty-first anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
\The talk of choice is a joke--women in crisis often feel that their only choice is an abortion,"" said panelist Mary Mead. ""Women deserve better than abortion.""
A lack of knowledge about the emotional, physical and spiritual consequences drove panelist Cassie Mott to seek help avaliable to those who have had abortions, yet many panelists were not able to fully cope until as many as 17 years later.
""I realized that it wasn't my insides being sucked out, but my baby,"" said one panelist who wished to remain anonymous.
Many women cited their abortion as the reason for a foray into drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. ""I spent all my time trying not to revisit what I had done,"" Meixelsperger said.
Another panelist, who wished to remain anonymous, concurred. ""I became promiscuous, drank, did drugs, everything to remain numb,"" she said.
Rosalia Bauer, a family nurse pracitioner from Beloit who attended the event, was grateful for the willingness of these women to share their stories. ""There has been a darkness about the whole abortion issue, and the flame has been lit,"" she said.
The Silent No More Awareness Campaign will culminate with a national gathering this Thursday in Washington, D.C.
