I've name changed as I still feel a lot of shame on this issue. Just listened to the discussion of abortion on Woman's Hour.
I was with my exH from the age of 14, got pregnant at 15 and (very much against my will) was coerced into an abortion by my parents. I had a Very much wanted DC at 17. When DC was 14 months I found I was pregnant again; exH & I had planned a sibling for DC. Some weeks later exH changed his mind; I went to the scan on my own, baby was 13.5 weeks and I went home to tell exH that I was going ahead with pg it was too late for a surgical abortion. Eventually he convinced me that he would leave me and I would ruin dc's life and I rang family planning clinic at 16 weeks distraught to arrange termination. I went alone and was left alone until the baby was out. I desperately wanted to see the baby and know the sex, but kept silent to keep up the pretence. I completely blocked it for a few years, but as dc got older I walked my missing child to school with dc everyday too ifykwim.
Both times it was clear (I'm pretty sure) that it was not my choice. However, I still totally support the right to abortion and think that perhaps I may have been forced into an unsafe abortion if the law was different. I just feel that the "pro life" movement is nothing of the sort and I cannot begin to understand it.
Does anyone else have similar experiences?
AIBU?
...to think if abortion was illegal I may be dead
Woman1980 · 24/01/2017 11:02
Didn't want to read and run. 
for you and YANBU.
The pro life movement is a disgrace. Taking away access to legal, safe abortions isn't going to prevent desperate women from having abortions. Instead they will be forced to seek unsafe, unregulated, dangerous back street abortions. Even if they recover physically, the psychological trauma could be devastating.
Sorry that this happened OP
I hate pro-lifers with a passion
Banging about foetal rights with no consideration to the mother (as obviously she got pregnant by herself didn't she 
) and when the baby is born, they don't care if it's raised in extreme poverty or abuse as long as it's born and they win.
They then have the audacity to rage if that child is killed because the mother or father snaps which wouldn't have happened if she had aborted like she wanted to
OP.
You are absolutely right. The World Health Organisation figures are pretty unequivocal - criminalising abortion does not reduce abortion rates, it just increases maternal mortality rates. The thing that does reduce abortion rates is quick and easy legal abortion coupled to easily accessible, preferrably free or cost-price contraception, and decent sex education (which is why countries in western Europe have pretty much the lowest abortion rates worldwide, despite abortion being legal in most of them).
Can't stand pro lifers. I'm pro the life and bodily autonomy of people that are here right now.
I'm with you on this one Woman1980
Decades ago, pro lifers pushed the manager of the Sheffield clinic down the steps and she miscarried.
They are not pro anything. They dont care about children once they are born.
"I'm Pro-Life" is just a sugar-coated way of telling people you're in fact Anti-choice.
Anyone who doesn't believe in body autonomy really isn't worth listening to.
OP.
It's not something I have any experience of but Its absolutely something that shouldn't be illegal. I'm sure no women takes the decision to end a pregnancy lightly
We have an abortion clinic here in the local town and "pro lifers" often stand on the street opposite praying and have very graphic photos of what the pregnancy would look like and they offer leaflets and such like. I feel for the women going in to the clinic as it must be a tough time without that on your way in
Woman1980 . I am 
for you and wish I could go back in time and support you, especially that second time.since having DD I do not think I could have an abortion, but I am vehemently pro-choice. Pro-'life leads to endangered life, misery, lack of autonomy and misappropriation of a woman's body, mind and reproductive organs by others.
It clearly states, at every turn, that a woman is a sub-set of the human species, incapable of taking the choice. I think there is nothing wrong with women (and partners) going through an unwanted pregnancy being counselled so as to fully understand the implications of a decision to abort/adopt out/keep a baby, but there should not be the ability for others to make a decision for a woman of own sound mind.
I would like to see a good and invective free debate about abortion limits as I believe that in 'normal' circumstances access to abortion should be made as straightforward as possible to avoid women getting to later 2nd trimester before having an abortion although I recognise the many variables behind how this can happen. I also wish the UK was unequivocal about keeping one, easy to access, straightforward, safe and uncostly service for all rather than pandering to religious zealots and misogynists in devolved areas.
I am so sorry for you, OP, that you had to go through with this. I am also pro-choice. Society is never going to phase out every circumstance where a woman would want an abortion and back street abortions can often lead to the mother dying as well as the child. I do wish pro-lifers would spend more time campaigning for funding for better sex education, or lobbying to change the financial circumstances that lead many women down the abortion route. Equal pay would be a good start. Instead, they choose to demonise unhappily pregnant women.
I'm sorry OP, you have been through a lot.
I think people can't be defined as either pro life or pro choice. I'm a bit of both.
I don't believe in abortions after 12 weeks (seeing my fully formed baby at my 12 week scan changed that for me). I also think with so many people wanted to adopt babies it is a shame to terminate.
But I understand the impact on the mum must be so much more to carry the baby to term and adopt. I think that every situation is different so in some circumstances abortion is needed. It's just very difficult drawing the line.
Unfortunately this thread might turn into a bun fight (I hope not) because some of the language is already quite aggressive.
MrsGB it looks a bit like I'm rebutting the points you made without being polite enough to address you personally, sorry about that. It was just coincidence. 
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