In November 1863 President Abraham Lincoln reminded the people of his era that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” At that time the government of the people did not include the women of this country. In 1973 the Supreme Court of the United States gave women the right to make decisions for their own bodies. I know in no uncertain terms what life before that decision meant for a woman with an unplanned pregnancy.
Before that law existed, I was kidnapped, assaulted and raped by a serial rapist and I became pregnant. I not only had the trauma of the assault to endure, I was a single mother and the sole support of my three year old daughter. Financially I could barely keep us going. Abortion was illegal, but If you knew someone and could borrow enough money it could be arranged. There was no anesthetic, the bleeding lasted for days, but I didn’t lose a day of work. It took me three years to pay the money back, but my daughter and I had a future. This Court’s decision denying women the right to make decisions about their own bodies made reference to an 18th century jurist who never dreamed of a time a woman could make choices for her body or her future. It is not the members of this court who bear the consequences of their decision. We do. The shame and stain of that decision scars their history for always.
ELAINE MADSEN
Creative Credits
- Written by
- Elaine Madsen
- Photography
- Alissa Pagels
