{"id":271434,"date":"2022-07-04T09:44:39","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T14:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=271434"},"modified":"2022-07-01T12:25:05","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T17:25:05","slug":"pressured-abortion-guilt-regret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abortion-guilt-regret\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressured into abortion, mom faces a lifetime of guilt and regret"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As a cardiology nurse and a loving mother to toddler and stepson, Doreen Reese (not her real name<\/em>) enjoyed caring for others. Married to a prominent neurologist, she and her husband chose careers in health care where they could help better lives. But little did Reese realize that one day, she would be faced with choosing abortion, or that she would struggle with a lifetime of guilt and regret.<\/p>\n

Pressured into abortion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fourteen weeks pregnant with her second child, Reese started experiencing severe symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. She could barely get out of bed each day, and was losing weight. Concerned, her husband encouraged her to visit her OB\/GYN, who was also a friend of Reese\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Reese told Live Action News, \u201cI was not eating well at all. My husband would go out and buy gourmet food to entice me to eat, but nothing was appealing. I felt like I was just lying in my bed all day, listless. My first pregnancy was normal without any complications, so I didn\u2019t know why I was having so much trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor performed a pelvic exam and ran blood tests, after which she vaguely told Reese \u201cthe numbers didn\u2019t look good,” and that she suspected her baby wasn\u2019t healthy. She advised Reese to terminate the pregnancy. Reese was stunned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was raised in a Catholic family that was against abortion,\u201d Reese said. \u201cMy grandmother was from Poland, and she birthed 10 children. I just couldn\u2019t imagine aborting my baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: Mom of daughter with spina bifida pressured to abort before confirmed diagnosis<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But Reese\u2019s husband worked long hours, and was rarely home. He pressured Reese to end the pregnancy. Her physician tried to reason with her, telling her she already had a daughter and a stepson to raise. She further added that by undergoing an abortion, she would be healthy again, free from the nausea and vomiting.<\/p>\n

Betrayal, regret, and guilt<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reese felt betrayed by the absence of her husband during such a critical time, and she grappled with the fear that her baby would be born with physical ailments, requiring a lot of medical attention. Heartbroken, she agreed to the abortion.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the abortion was so many years ago, the day is etched forever on my mind,” she said. “I still remember the details of that day, the way the room looked, how scared I was. But mostly, I remember waking up in a lot of pain and feeling very depressed. I was bleeding heavily, so the doctor kept me overnight in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Afterward, Reese derided herself for not getting a second opinion and accepting the diagnosis without question. She was angry and resentful toward her husband, who she felt abandoned her at a time when she needed him the most.<\/p>\n