Amy Rogers, a graduate student at Harvard Medical School, shares when her life changed, and why the Women’s Health Protection Act could change 25 million lives.
My husband arrived shortly after. I will never forget how happy he looked when he walked through the door. His smile quickly turned to dread as he discovered me red-faced and sobbing. , I see things differently. Now, I feel incredibly grateful that I had options, even if they were terrible. I cannot imagine being forced to wait until the fetus died inside of me, hoping it was caught before I lost my uterus or died from infection.
More bad news: the diagnosis of a severe chromosomal condition that causes devastating malformations. I asked if I could have the procedure done under anesthesia in a hospital. I was informed that even though I had two forms of health insurance, they were both federally administered and would only pay for an abortion if my life was at imminent risk. If I elected to have the procedure done under anesthesia, my out-of-pocket cost would be over $9,000. We did not have $9,000.
I am grateful that I did not have to drive 800 miles across state lines to the nearest abortion facility, alone. I am most grateful for the beautiful, healthy daughter I conceived one year later. She changed my life in all the best ways and healed my wounded and broken heart. She is here because I had a federally protected right to make my own reproductive decisions.