The woman who had come in to have that abortion at fifteen weeks had three other children under the age of four. She could not afford another child without compromising the care of the ones she already had. Did coming to the clinic make her a terrible mother, or a responsible one?
I myself have not had an abortion. I always believed myself to be pro-choice. Then, I got pregnant with my third child, and at seven weeks, began spotting heavily. The thought of losing that pregnancy was devastating to me at that time; in my mind this was already a baby. However, had I been a college sophomore with a seven-week pregnancy, I would have sought out an abortion. Where we draw the line shifts—not just between those who are pro-life and pro-choice, but in each individual woman, depending on her current circumstances.
Laws are black and white. The lives of women are a thousand shades of gray.
So can we solve the abortion debate without legislation? Let’s begin with the principle that nobody wants to have an abortion; that it’s a last resort. If we assume that the pro-life camp wants to reduce or eliminate procedures, and that the pro-choice camp wants women to be able to make decisions about their own reproductive health, perhaps the place to start is before the pregnancy—with contraception. In the United States, in 2015 there were 57 teenage births per 1000. In Canada it was 28 per 1000. In France, 25. In Switzerland, 8. The difference is that those other countries actively promote contraception without judgment. This isn’t the case in the United States, because of religious beliefs that favor procreation; however, if the endgame is to reduce abortions, promoting contraception would be the easiest solution.
If the greatest number of women choosing abortions do so because of economic issues, then this, too, is an area to consider. If pro-life advocates could prevent abortions by raising taxes and volunteering to adopt, would they? If pro-choice advocates believe women should be able to make a decision without external pressure, would they give up some of their income so that women who are financially strapped but want to continue their pregnancies can?
To that end, it’s worth asking what would happen if we made social services more readily available to pregnant women. Increasing the minimum wage would give women the financial security to raise a baby, if they so choose. Government-funded daycare would eliminate the threat of losing their jobs. Universal healthcare would allow women to believe they could financially afford not just the birth of a child, but its continued existence.
There are other avenues to explore, too, that might reduce the number of women who end up having to terminate. Employers who drive away pregnant women should be penalized. Guaranteed prenatal care at no charge might encourage women to carry to term, and could be set up through a network of adoptive parents who foot the bill in return.
Honestly, I do not believe we, as a society, will ever agree on this issue. The stakes are too high, and both sides operate from places of unshakable belief. But I do think that the first step is to talk to each other—and more important, to listen. We may not see eye to eye, but we can respect each other’s opinions and find the truth in them. Perhaps in those honest conversations, instead of demonizing each other, we might see each other as imperfect humans, doing our best.
—JODI PICOULT
MARCH 2018
For Jennifer Hershey and Susan Corcoran
If you’re lucky, you wind up with colleagues you love.
If you’re luckier, they feel like sisters.
XOX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There were multiple professionals in women’s reproductive health and medicine who shared their expertise with me: Linda Griebsch; Julie Johnston, MD; Liz Janiak; Souci Rollins; Susan Yannow; Rebecca Thompson, MD; Margot Cullen, MD. David Toub, MD, gets a special shout-out because he was willing to Skype with me while he was ironing pants on a Saturday night, when I had a question that couldn’t wait.
For showing me the other side: Paul and Erin Manghera.
For their legal brilliance: Maureen McBrien-Benjamin and Jennifer Sargent.
For helping me understand the role of the hostage negotiator: John Grassel and Frank Moran.
For teaching me how to tie a tourniquet and put in a chest tube, just in case this current career doesn’t work out: Shannon Whyte, RN; Sam Provenza; Josh Mancini, MD.
For spirited discussion, and/or for allowing me to steal pieces of their lives: Samantha van Leer, Kyle Tramonte, Abigail Baird, Frankie Ramos, Chelsea Boyd, Steve Alspach, Ellen Sands, Barb Kline-Schoder.
For reading early drafts, back when there were still sixteen main characters: Laura Gross, Jane Picoult, Elyssa Samsel.
For the sensitivity read, spot-on suggestions, and for just being an awesome writer who lets me gripe via text about how hard this job is: Nic Stone.
For being the best in the business: Gina Centrello, Kara Welsh, Kim Hovey, Debbie Aroff, Sanyu Dillon, Rachel Kind, Denise Cronin, Scott Shannon, Matthew Schwartz, Erin Kane, Theresa Zoro, Paolo Pepe, Christine Mykityshyn, Stephanie Reddaway, Susan Corcoran, and Jennifer Hershey. I would not be nearly as willing to walk through fire if you all weren’t at my side.
To the employees of the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the Jackson Women’s Health Organization in Jackson, Mississippi, and others who walk the walk: Gloria Gray, Diane Dervis, “Miss Betty,” and Tara; Alesia, Mamie, Renetah, Francia, Tina, Chad, Alfreda, and Jessica.
A giant thank-you to Willie Parker, MD, who educates, inspires, and ministers to those who need it the most. I’m honored to call you a friend, and I’m awfully glad women have you in their corner.
Finally, I am grateful to the 151 women who were willing to tell me about their abortions: Joan Mogul Garrity, Jolene Stark, E. Johnson, “M,” Christine Benjamin, Megan Tilley, Susan (UK), Laura Kelley, Sarah S., Leanne Garifales, Dena, Natasha Sinel, Emma, Jennifer Felix, JLR, Roberta Wasmer, Nina, Eileen, Nancy Emerson, Laura Rooney, Heather C., Jennifer Klemmetson, Alie, Amanda Clark, Heidi, Lorraine Dudley, Brooke, Shirley Vasta, Lisa Larson, Cynthia Brooks, Melissa M., Tori, Kara Clark, Sonia Sharma, Andrea Lutz, Claire, Alison M., Rae S., Megan, Melissa Stander, and the dozens who did not want to be named. It is my hope that as more stories like this are told, fewer women will have to remain anonymous.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following materials were useful to me in the writing of this novel:
Baird, Abigail, Christy Barrow, and Molly Richard. “Juvenile NeuroLaw: When It’s Good It Is Very Good Indeed, and When It’s Bad It’s Horrid.” Journal of Health Care Law and Policy 15 (2012).
Camosy, Charles C. Beyond the Abortion Wars: A Way Forward for a New Generation. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2015.
Cohen, David S., and Krysten Connon. Living in the Crosshairs: The Untold Stories of Anti-Abortion Terrorism. Oxford University Press, 2015.
Eichenwald, Kurt. “America’s Abortion Wars (and How to End Them).” Newsweek, December 25, 2015.
Fernbach, Philip, and Steven Sloman. “Why We Believe Obvious Untruths.” Sunday Review, New York Times, March 3, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/opinion/sunday/why-we-believe-obvious-untruths.html.
Gilligan, Carol, and Mary Field Belenky. “A Naturalistic Study of Abortion Decisions.” New Directions for Child Development 7 (1980).
Graham, Ruth. “A New Front in the War over Reproductive Rights: ‘Abortion-Pill Reversal.’ ” New York Times Magazine, July 18, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/magazine/a-new-front-in-the-war-over-reproductive-rights.html.
Johnson, Abby. Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line. Tyndale, 2010.
Knapton, Sarah. “Bright Flash of Light Marks Incredible Moment Life Begins When Sperm Meets Egg.” Telegraph, April 26, 2016. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/04/26/bright-flash-of-light-marks-incredible-moment-life-begins-when-s/.