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She said, “I’m having an abortion . . ."

by Mike McGlone
Exchange Feature Writer

     Fifty-two percent of abortions in the U.S. are performed on women under the age of 25 according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute.  I never thought I’d be interested in those numbers until I saw an old friend the other day.  She has asked her name not to be revealed so I will call her “Lucy.”

     The last time I encountered Lucy was on her 20^th birthday over 8 months ago. Without question she was the life of the party.  Lucy was the kind of girl that did not ask for attention, she stole it.  Always smiling; always laughing.  I watched as Lucy elegantly weaved through the crowd.  She would brush a guests’ face with her hand, or stroke their hair as she passed by, all the while singing along to “The Long Way Home” by Norah Jones.  Lucy had problems like everyone else, but in that moment she was happy. 

     A lot has changed since June 2005.  On a bitter February day I saw Lucy again. We ate dinner and drank coffee as we caught up.  I told her I was trying to find a story to write about.  I needed a conflict in someone’s life to focus on.  “So, Lucy, do you have any problems I can write about?” I asked jokingly.  There was a moment of silence as she put down her glass of lemonade and looked me deeply in the eye. “I’m two months pregnant,” she said very factually.  “I’m having an abortion tomorrow.”

     Less than one year ago Lucy began courting a young man from Cape Cod. I will call him Henry.  Henry was a brawny fisherman with an attractive personality.  He played the guitar and sang songs for Lucy.  His job, though potentially dangerous, supplied him with stability and independence.

     Lucy and Henry were old friends trying to rekindle a relationship.  No matter how much they said they loved each other they still encountered the same problem that separated them years ago.  Henry is addicted to Cocaine.  His lifestyle was too much for Lucy to endure.  She called off the relationship just after the New Year.

     Upon her return to Franklin Pierce, Lucy discovered she was pregnant.  The decision to abort the pregnancy was harder than she ever thought it would be.  “I’ve been pro-choice my whole life.  But when this happens to you it’s not a matter of pro-life or pro-choice,” Lucy said the day before the procedure.  “I can only think to do what is right for me at this point in my life,” she said.  “I don’t know how I will feel about this tomorrow and that scares me.  But right now I’m doing the right thing.”

     Her emotions can no longer be hidden behind a smile and a laugh.  Everything she says the night before the abortion is a speech to herself.  She visibly battles with uncertainty and fear.  Her eyes focus on nothing as she says goodnight.  As if she were speaking to her unborn child.