{"id":330831,"date":"2025-05-09T10:49:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T15:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=330831"},"modified":"2025-06-02T01:15:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T06:15:57","slug":"abortion-destroyed-healing-forgiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-destroyed-healing-forgiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Abortion almost destroyed her, until she found healing and forgiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Facing an unplanned pregnancy, a teen was pressured by her boyfriend and his friends to have an abortion.<\/p>\n

When 19-year-old Dora Esparza told her boyfriend of six months that she was pregnant, she suggested they tell their parents, but he told her there were \u201cother options.\u201d Esparza knew what he meant, but she had not been contemplating abortion. Esparza told Live Action News, \u201cI started thinking that if I really loved him, maybe I should consider ending the pregnancy if that\u2019s what he wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went to her boyfriend\u2019s apartment that evening. His roommate and two mutual friends who also lived in the complex were hanging out that night, and the couple revealed their unexpected news.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me it would be a big mistake if I went through with the pregnancy,\u201d Esparza said.\u00a0For what seemed like hours, the four men ticked off reasons for her to have an abortion. \u201cI was too young, in nursing school and we didn\u2019t have the financial means to support a child,” Esparza said. “They kept saying it was a bad idea, and they were convincing. It shook my self-confidence in my ability to juggle motherhood while studying nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the ultimate driving force behind Esparza’s acquiescence was seeing how much her boyfriend did not want their child. She was desperate for his love, and feared losing him if she went through with the pregnancy.<\/p>\n

The chemical abortion<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy boyfriend made the appointment at Planned Parenthood, and I went by myself,\u201d Esparza said. \u201cI had an ultrasound and was told I was eight weeks pregnant, the \u2018perfect\u2019 candidate for a chemical abortion that could be done in the privacy of my home without an invasion procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relieved she could forgo a surgical abortion, Esparza felt she\u2019d have more control over the process. And she was told by staff at Planned Parenthood that she would just experience bleeding, a bit more than her regular menstrual period. \u201cI thought it all would be so easy,” she said. “The staff watched while I swallowed the first pill. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks, what I just did. I immediately regretted my decision and told them I didn\u2019t want to go through with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But she was told that if she didn\u2019t complete the chemical abortion, her baby would be born with severe disabilities. \u201cThey scared me into thinking I\u2019d have a disabled child,\u201d Esparza said. \u201c… They effectively coerced me to complete the abortion. I just didn\u2019t think I could live with myself if I brought a disabled child into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n