My experience pre-Roe v. Wade, before abortion was legal in New York State

I was a 16-year-old senior at Ithaca High School in Ithaca, NY in 1968-69. A classmate got pregnant and was in no position to raise a child nor to carry her pregnancy to term. A close friend of mine told me about the situation and I decided to do what I could to help. I confided in my favorite teacher. Luckily his brother was a physician and had some connections to help my classmate. My teacher did whatever needed to be done to help her terminate her pregnancy.

That confidential conversation with my teacher was the last time I spoke of the situation until recently. When it became obvious to me that Roe v Wade would be overturned in 2022, I joined a group of women in Ithaca called End Abortion Stigma. Many members of the group had illegal abortions pre Roe v Wade and speak publicly about their experiences to enlighten people about the necessity of preserving safe and legal abortion. That led me to share with them the experience I had as a high school student. It was then that I realized what an incredible risk my teacher and his brother took to trust three teen-age girls to keep our mouths shut!

We all honored his trust and none of us, including the teacher and his brother, suffered any consequences for our actions. We felt good about having been able to help our classmate and I still do. My classmate and I could never talk about her abortion. Although she is no longer alive, I have no doubt that my classmate was grateful for what we did to help her. My trusting teacher and his brother are no longer alive today either.

I wish I could say thank you to them.