Response to Rachel's Post on the Abortion Topic

“ABORTION”...this is a word that no longer holds that aspect of taboo because it has been legalized in various states but this word was once hard for me to say. I come from a traditional/ religious background and have gone to Catholic schools my whole life until I came to Colgate University. Since coming to Colgate, I would say that a handful of friends and girls that live in my neighborhood have had a baby at such a young age and are all single mothers. I got to see first hand the struggle that they have to go through everyday and how many had to sacrifice their college careers and change their plans for their future. I saw these young ladies as troopers and was completely against abortion until my best friend who is like my sister got pregnant. She is the one person that I admire and love unconditionally. She had a rough life growing up especially because she was brought over from Mexico at the age of 2 and does not have her papers, thus it is hard for her to continue an education in the United States. Since she is not legal in this country, she could receive no financial aid when seeking to go to college but her motivation was so strong that she was able to go to college while working to pay her tuition. She is the most strong willed person I have ever known, but was stomped when she found out that she was pregnant that summer before starting her senior year of college. When I first found out I was really excited, but she did not seem as thrilled. She felt that the world was caving in on her and that all her hard work in school would go to waste and she would become just another statistic, thus she resorted to abortion and surprisingly I found myself in approval with this decision. This was her body and it was her future, and nobody had the right to condemn her for her decision. Unfortunately after she underwent the procedure, she was no longer herself and fell into a huge depression. I had never seen my best friend so weak and vulnerable, and it was painful to see her in this condition especially since I was so far in Hamilton, NY and could not be there for her like I would have liked to. After some time she underwent counseling and was able to get back to her old self, and now had a stronger fire that burned from within her which motivated her to keep moving forward and fulfill her dreams of becoming a mathematician. Through this whole experience, I got to view abortion differently and am now more open towards accepting it and knowing that each woman has the power to choose over her body. Nobody should ever condemn or judge someone else for their actions, because everyone has their reasons for doing it. I find myself stronger and more educated on the issue as well because I have learned a lot through my friend’s experience and I am more open to talk about such topics. At first I though that my friend was a unique situation because I had never met anyone who had, but then as I began to talk about it to my friends they all referred me to talk to one of their friends on campus who had thought about abortion or had actually undergone the procedure. Through talking to these young women and how they were able to cope with their decision, I felt that I was able to help and support my best friend even more during her healing process and was no longer ignorant on the subject. I can now say the word “Abortion” and be able to about it freely and educate others on the subject.