It was about ten pm on another lazy Sunday morning. Kate trudged slowly out of the toilet holding a strip that was nearly as pink as her own face.
“This can’t be,” she thought to herself. ‘Sure, they had occasionally been careless in the heat of the moment but he always pulled out on time, or so he said,’ thought Kate. She was 14 years old, a sophomore at Middleston High in South Carolina. She and her boyfriend, Kyle who was two years older than her, had been going out for over a year now and Kate was convinced that he was ‘The One’.

She knew that telling her parents was out of the question. Hailing from a conservative Catholic home, they would probably go ballistic.. As it was, they took ages to accept the act that Kate had a steady boyfriend, let alone one that was sexually active with her. Hesitantly, she picked up her phone and punched speed dial one. The phone seemed to ring for ages before she heard a familiar grunt on the other end. “Kyle, I’ve got something to tell you. You better sit down for this one” “Chill baby, its not like you’re pregnant or something,” came the amused reply. A long silence ensued and Kate could here Kyle hyperventilating on the other end. “You must be joking girl,” The deafening silence on the other end though said it all.

In a deserted alley not too far away…. “Stop screaming bitch or I’ll kill you right now… you belong to me tonight….” Those words kept ringing in Lisa’s battered head as her legs were in stirrups on the hospital bed while the nurse examined her. She had been in Middleston Hospital many times before as she frequently volunteered at the hospital’s children’s burn unit. She could still recall the stench of his foul, beer stained breath as he mounted her. Her head smarted as he pulled it back when he mercilessly penetrated her over and over, ignoring her screams of pain, panic and powerlessness. Her innocence had been snatched from her at the tender age of thirteen. Her blood stained thighs and her bruised face told the sad tale. She had been brutally raped. But as luck would have it more was in store for this poor child. A missed period and a urine test later confirmed her worst suspicions.

In the Chocolate Bar, just a stones throw from the hospital, a young couple sat in silence sipping their drinks unable to make eye contact. Finally Kyle spoke out “I’m not ready for this Kate. I can barely support myself let alone a baby. Besides, I’ve got a scholarship to maintain. If Coach finds out, I’m off the football team for good. Harvard won’t give me a second look. Legally, this is statutory rape,”…. “But Kyle, don’t you love me? We could have this baby together. It won’t be easy but it’s possible,” “Of course I love you baby. It’s just that…. Well, are you sure its mine…?” “You bastard!! How could you even say that? I hate you,” cried Kate as she ran out of the place tears spilling down her already puffy cheeks. After awhile, she turned around, hoping to see Kyle chasing after her desperately. He was nowhere in sight. She stood there for 10 minutes waiting but to no avail.

Back in the hospital, Lisa was scheduled to speak to a counselor on what had to be done next. She was terrified. It wasn’t too long ago when her mum explained the birds and the bees to her but here she was, a mother to be.
The counselor, a friendly looking medical officer who went by the name Dr. Ann assured her that she was in the best of hands and not to worry. She went through the details of conception which was excruciatingly difficult for Lisa, and then moved on to her options. She could either keep the baby or have an induced abortion. After hours of careful deliberation, covering topics such as Lisa’s own health, her capabilities as a mother and her future, Lisa, with the blessing of her parents decided to pursue an abortion.

“Get the hell out of my house,” bellowed Kate’s father. The guilt was eating at her, she just had to let them know. A devout Roman Catholic himself, he couldn’t believe that the apple could have fallen so far from the tree in his daughter.. “D… D… Dad, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “How dare you engage in such filth under my roof? You disgust me,” he shouted and then shoved Kate out the door. Lucky for Kate, her mother was more understanding. She drove her to her grandmother’s for the present time.

Fast forward one week, Kate found herself in Middleston Hospital. As Kate sat there in that cold hospital waiting room, she realized that if she went through with this abortion, it could spell the end of her relationship with her father. Amidst all her thoughts, she noticed a sweet looking girl in a wheelchair staring at her. She realized that she could use the company.
“What are you in here for,” ventured Kate. “Err... I had an accident… I got knocked down by a car…,” Tears were already welling in Lisa’s eyes. The clipboard at the side of her wheelchair caught Kate’s attention. The word ABORTION jumped out at her. Lisa caught her staring and started sobbing. Painfully, they exchanged tales and found a strange sort of comfort in each other.

Shortly after watching Lisa being wheeled into the operation theater, Kate heard her name being called. She stepped into the surgeon’s office only to find Kyle and her mother in there with him. He reached out and gave her a long hug.” Baby, let’s think about this ok.”

It’s been 5 years since that very day… Lisa, now 18 years old and class valedictorian is a vocal spokeswoman for the pro-choice motion, stating that women, especially those whom have been raped or subjugated to incest should be allowed to abort the fetus within the first two trimesters. She adds though, that she will always feel like a part of her has been lost forever after her abortion and not a day passes that she doesn’t think of her lost child. That being said though, she feels that life would have been a lot worse for her and the child should she have gone through with the pregnancy. Kate is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina whereas Kyle’s fulfilled his lifelong wish of studying business at Harvard. Their four year old daughter is currently being taken care of by both her parents and her in-laws until the couple get married in the near future.

My dear YN members, my story is a work of fiction based on many real life situations that occur around the world relating to adolescent pregnancies and possibly the subsequent abortions. I have tried to pack a few themes into this story such as the choices available for a pregnant woman, the view of religion on the matter and the ripple effect that could come with this issue.

If I have succeeded in getting you to look at this social occurrence of abortion at a more personal and easier to identify with level and given it a more human dimension as opposed at a statistical standpoint then my work here today is done. Thank you very much for your time and have a nice day.

stong tale, definately relateable, continue on with it, I think you'll get through to a lot of people!