Whenever I hear THAT song, I think of.........

[SoCalDem]

Nov ... a week before Thanksgiving.. My roommate has called a meeting.. 5 of us convene at Shakey's in Lawrence Kansas..Someone in the place drops a nickel into the jukebox (yeh, I know I'm old)

96 Tears comes on just as she drops the bomb.. she's pregnant.. Abortion is ILLEGAL..(Kansas 1968).. Everytime I hear that song..I get that flashback.. The next 4 months of our lives were very upsetting and surreal.. 5 18 yr old catholic girls in a total panic.:(

[Rhiannon12866]

1. Mother of God! My stomach is all convulsed since I read your story

I am so sorry. Please tell me that things turned out alright for her. Or, at least, how they turned out. I am not just a voyeur. I knew many young woman, a few years later than that time. Yes, it was legal, but the choices no easier.;(

[SoCalDem]

2. It ultimately DID, but whooooooo what a time we had

She had TWO back alley abortions before it was over.. One at 3 months..and the second at FIVE MONTHS..The first in Nebraska...the second in Oklahoma.. (a dental student)

5 18 yr old girls (and the boyfriend)raised almost $1,500.00 before all was said and done......She almost bled to death..

The irony..

2 months after graduation they married, and went on to have 5 daughters..
They have been married 33 years... The child they aborted was a boy.. (Her hubby was a football player/sportscaster)

It was a very scary time to be a young woman..

[Rhiannon12866]

3. I am so sorry. The women who obtained this, legally, didn't

have a very easy time, back in the early '70s. But what you speak of is a complete nightmare. I know someone, much older than me, who had to go to Puerto Rico. She was blindfolded. BTW, she went on to have four kids, two girls and two boys. But I just cannot imagine the pain of what you describe, emotional or physical.;(

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. So sad

and if Bush is re-elected, just think how many girls will be facing that same choice again.

I'm glad it worked out for your friend, though I know it must've been harrowing.

[SoCalDem]

5. The worst was when she came back from Nebraska

We thought that "it was over", but a test at the med center showed that she was still pregnant...and we had spent all the money we had raised.. almost $600.00.. It took another 2 months to raise another almost 900.00 since she was so far along..

Our parents must have thought we lived with thieves.. We all called parents and begged for money for things that were "stolen"... We gave haircuts.. we tutored.. we begged...

Her boyfriend tried to sell his car, but it wa sin his mother's name, and he couldn't.. He was on an athletic scholarship and had very little money..

It was ..like I said.. surreal

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I am so sorry, SoCalDem

I also had a friend in a similar circumstance, though it was not illegal for her. She thought of going through with the pregnancy, since it was late, but thought that her early-term abortion would have maimed this child for life. Another nightmare. Why are we discussing this, again? I know, all too well, we must never forget. Under Bush*, women could very well regress to the few rights that they had 30 or 40 years ago. And this man has two young daughters.:shrug:

[Rhiannon12866]

6. That's exactly what I was thinking.

This will always happen, no matter how well people plan or the advances in birth control. The only thing that we must guarantee is that is legal and safe and, hopefully, rare. But, with Bush* at the helm, it could become illegal, once again. That won't change a thing, except that women would be in danger from the back alleys, once again.;(

[SoCalDem]

7. On the other hand.. every time I hear "Born to Be Wild"

I am taken back to July 1967...in a red convertible mustang...just screaming down Iowa Avenue.. it's around 2 AM and there are about 6 of us singing away... Happy Times too..

[Rhiannon12866]

9. I actually had two friends who had 1968 red Mustangs

Great cars, though they were vintage by then, LOL! Great cars, great times!:D

Thanks for bringing me home, but I am still so sorry. Life should not be like this.;(

[Dem2theMax]

10. How about a happy memory?

Whenever I hear 'Knights in White Satin' I think of the very first boy I fell in love with. He bought me that eight track tape (yes, I'm THAT old. lol) for my 17th birthday. So it's a happy memory but a sad one too. Cuz I let him get away. Found his pic on line. Along with his wife. sigh.