SS's Story

In 2018 I was living along the rural coast of Eastern North Carolina. I had just turned 17 when my pregnancy test came back positive and i was petrified. My parents were not happy in the slightest when i told them i was pregnant and when i told them i wanted an abortion. They told me they didn’t care if i had an abortion but they wouldn't help me navigate the process or use the insurance for it (little did i know, insurance wouldn't cover it regardless.. I was saving money to buy a car and instead used nearly $800 of what I had saved up to pay for my healthcare) I had my consultation over the phone and got my appointment scheduled and was eager for the day to come. Me and my dad made the 2 hour trip to the closest clinic and then made our way through a group of anti-abortion protesters. He stayed in the truck while I made my way inside to be welcomed with smiles and greetings from the staff. While waiting almost 3.5 hours to hear my name, i remember thinking how i was the youngest person in there and the looks on the other patients faces. I was called back and given my Mifepristone. The next day I took the Misoprostol and had my abortion in the comfort of my bed in the privacy of my home. Thankfully I had no complications because I struggled to find a ride for a 2-hour journey back to the clinic for my follow-up appointment and my neglectful parents wouldn’t help.

Choosing abortion over pregnancy and childbirth was the easiest part of my decision and having friends that supported me made it much easier. The hardest part of my journey was the variety of TRAP laws ranging from mandatory biased counseling that tried to talk me out of my decision, a 3 day waiting period, lack of abortion clinics which forced me to travel 2 hours away, paying out of pocket, and the shame and stigma from the people I told that were important to me at that time in my life. In a Post-Dobbs America, its important to note how minors are disproportionately harmed by anti-abortion policies like parental consent laws, prohibiting insurance from covering abortion care, and barriers to opening/operating abortion clinics which forces people to travel outside their communities for basic healthcare. Once these policies are enacted on minors, they’re then [fought to be] expanded to adults seeking abortion care as well. Minors are the canary in the coal mine in a lot of ways when it comes to reproductive rights.