{"id":320879,"date":"2024-10-30T10:47:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T15:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=320879"},"modified":"2024-11-01T16:05:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T21:05:59","slug":"injured-abortion-sister-died-others-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/injured-abortion-sister-died-others-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"She was injured by abortion, and her sister died from one. Now, she wants others to know the truth."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

As a single mother of three children, Nicole Atkins was in a desperate financial situation when she discovered she was pregnant. She was working, but living in a small apartment with her children, grandmother, and boyfriend, trying to save for a home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Atkins told Live Action News, \u201cWhen I went to the doctor to confirm my pregnancy, he suggested I have an abortion given my circumstances. He referred me to Southwestern Women\u2019s Options [abortion business] in Albuquerque.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, Atkins was 17 weeks pregnant, and her boyfriend was distraught at her decision to abort their child. But Atkins didn’t know of other options available to her, nor did she fully understand what she was about to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the day of her abortion, Atkins\u2019 boyfriend dropped her off at the clinic, where she was sedated during the surgery. Afterward, she and her boyfriends would never again speak about her decision to end the life of their child.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I woke up, I was coldly told to put on my clothes and to leave,\u201d Atkins said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wounded physically by abortion<\/strong><\/p>\n

At home after the abortion, Atkins began experiencing excruciating pelvic pain. She immediately went to the emergency room, but doctors couldn\u2019t find the source of her agony and sent her home.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI knew something wasn\u2019t right,” she said. “I essentially went to the ER every day complaining of pelvic pain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, Atkins saw a specialist and underwent a laparoscopy. She was told she had endometriosis as well as deep lacerations to her uterus and cervix. She would discover later that those wounds had been inflicted during her abortion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor told me that by removing my uterus, it would stop the intense pain I had been experiencing,\u201d Atkins said. \u201cBut after the [hysterectomy] surgery, I got a bad infection and had to stay in the hospital for two weeks, surviving on antibiotics and pain medication.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She felt fine for a couple of days, but then the pain started again, requiring another trip to the emergency room. Doctors determined that her ovaries needed to be removed, which catapulted Atkins into early menopause at 28 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the surgery, they found a cyst on my ovary,” Atkins said. “The whole experience I went through was devastating.\u201d <\/span>She tried to return to a normal life, going back to her daily routine, but still grappled with tremendous pelvic pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOften, I would have to leave work early and go home,\u201d Atkins said. \u201cI was told that the extreme discomfort I was feeling was from other organs touching my pelvic wall. I was put on oxycodone to help control the pain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She tried physical therapy, acupuncture, and other methods as well, with little relief.<\/span><\/p>\n

Death of sister at same business led her to learn of her own injuries<\/b><\/p>\n

During this time, Atkins\u2019 sister Keisha<\/a> underwent a late-term abortion at the same abortion facility \u2014 Southwestern Women’s Options \u2014 and Keisha died from complications of the procedure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Atkins said, \u201cI had no idea that Keisha was contemplating having an abortion at that clinic. She was six months pregnant at the time. After the surgery, she got sepsis and eventually died of cardiac arrest. They neglected to treat her adequately or she would be alive today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She helped her mother arrange for her sister\u2019s funeral to ensure both mother and child were buried together. Yet, little did Atkins know she was about to engage in a legal battle<\/a> with the abortion business responsible for the death of her sister.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we got Keisha\u2019s death certificate, it stated she died of natural causes,\u201d Atkins said. \u201cWe knew that wasn\u2019t true, but we were stonewalled by the clinic. We secured legal counsel and sued for medical malpractice and the wrongful death of my sister.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She told the attorney what she had experienced following her abortion. She had never discussed her ordeal with anyone because of the deep shame she felt. <\/span>Atkins said, \u201cI just wanted justice for my sister, but it opened the door to learning what had happened to me. The attorney had also gotten my medical records and found that my uterus had been perforated twice by the doctor who performed my abortion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The lawsuit and details about her sister\u2019s abortion were disturbing to Atkins\u2019 elderly mother, who was battling cancer and diabetes. Eventually, Keisha\u2019s case was settled<\/a>, but for Atkins\u2019 \u2014 who had also decided to sue \u2014 the case “was never resolved.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Out of heartbreak came a mission to educate women on the dangers of abortion\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

To this day, Atkins says she still struggles with pelvic pain. Records indicate that instead of committing a D&E abortion, which would have been the most common procedure at 17 weeks (second trimester), the abortionist performed an induction<\/em> abortion. The possible reason for this was even more upsetting, as Atkins learned<\/a> the abortion business had sold her baby\u2019s brain<\/a> to the University of New Mexico to be dissected and studied, without her knowledge or consent<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Atkins said, \u201cIt was like another kick to the stomach. I never knew they did those kinds of things. It was shattering to me to learn that this clinic who killed my sister profited off callously selling my baby\u2019s brain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She says she was young and na\u00efve at the time of her abortion and blindly trusted her doctors\u2019 decisions. <\/span>\u201cI wish I had educated myself before having the abortion,\u201d Atkins said. \u201cI was coerced into doing something I didn\u2019t fully grasp.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Out of the heartbreak of losing her baby and her beloved sister arose a new passion. She has shared her story on international radio shows and has spoken in front of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She wants other women to know of the devastation caused by abortion and urges them to educate themselves before making such a life-impacting decision. <\/span>She is now attending college and hopes to attain her bachelor\u2019s degree in chemistry and continue her pro-life outreach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had to wean myself off the [pain medications],\u201d Atkins said. \u201cBut I thank God every day that I\u2019m here. I\u2019m fortunate to have supportive friends who inspire me, like my friend Christina Garza, a dedicated sidewalk counselor.”<\/span><\/p>\n

She added, “If sharing my story it changes one person\u2019s mind about abortion, then that makes me happy. I want women to know their voices matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Urge Walmart, Costco, Kroger, and other major chains to resist pressure to dispense the abortion pill<\/i><\/b><\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a single mother of three children, Nicole Atkins was in a desperate financial situation when she discovered she was pregnant. She was working, but living in a small apartment with her children, grandmother, and boyfriend, trying to save for a home. Atkins told Live Action News, \u201cWhen I went to the doctor to confirm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":798,"featured_media":320880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455,9459],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nShe was injured by abortion, and her sister died from one. 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