Our consolations go out to you

I think you've done a very good thing in calling the nurse with all of your questions and staying informed ^_^

You'll be fine! it is a very safe procedure, and quite common.

I hope you feel better soon!!

I did feel anxious before my abortion but I agree with eiri, call the nurse with any questions you have, it doesn't matter how many times you do!

I hope your appointment went well! I was really nervous beforehand, too.

Going through any medical procedure is nervewracking!!

I hope you come back on here and let us know how you are.

Thanks. I'm doing just fine. I had some cramping yesterday afterward but today I took a couple of tylenol and I've been fine since then. My husband has been a real sweety, he ordered in some chinese food and ordered some pay-per-view movies.

We arrived yesterday early but there were already protesters there. I was extremely annoyed by their presence, presumptions, and gall. One of them, a fat woman in her 30s, brought her children with her, all 6 of them, and they ran toward us when we got out of the car. They were all young but it seemed like some of them should have been in school. They danced around my husband and I shouting, "mommy, mommy, don't kill me mommy. Mommy, I'm your baby, I'm your son. Mommy I'm your daughter. Mommy I'm your baby boy. Mommy I'm your baby girl. Mommy let me live. Mommy I love you already. Mommy my heart is beating so strong. Mommy you'll braid my hair one day, it's just like yours. Mommy you'll teach me to read and write. Mommy I'm going to take care of you when you get old. Mommy I'll always love you."

The oldest boy in the group, who was probably 8 or 9, ran up to my husband and said, "Dad, don't let her do it! Daddy, don't you want me? Dad, don't you love me? Dad, we'll play baseball in the backyard together, just you me. Dad, don't you want to teach me to ride a bike? Daddy I'm going to be a doctor, you'll be so proud of me. Daddy don't let her kill me. Daddy I have your eyes already. Daddy we'll watch football together."

They were very vicious little brats and they kept looking back towards the fat woman who kept smiling and encouraging them on. We finally wound around them and then were in the midst of all of the protesters before we could safely cross the street and they were even worse than the coached children.

An older fat man waved a very wrinkled $50 in my face and said, "there's more where this comes from if you don't homicide your baby. You need help with the bills, we can help you just don't go in there today. You need anything else we can get it for you just don't homicide your innocent baby."

When I continued walking an old woman, probably around the age of my grandmother, came up and began speaking very gently, "you know you don't want to kill your baby, that baby needs you honey. You're his mother."

But then when I kept walking down the sidewalk toward the crosswalk she began to get more irate and in my face. She started screaming, "you're his mommy, you're supposed to protect him from everything, from harm, from death! You're supposed to give your life for him! How can you be so selfish?! That baby didn't ask for you to spread your legs and now you're going to mu-der him because it's inconvenient for you! This life is not for your comfort and pleasure but for the Lord's! Mu-derer!!!!!"

When she screamed that, the rest of the protesters rushed around me and I was afraid that they would do something or hold me back or hurt my husband or myself. They were all screaming at once because I kept trying to walk past them and ignore them. It was very, very hard to ignore the things that they were saying and if a volunteer escort hadn't come up to help us, my husband would have lost it and gotten into a fight.

I would have never thought it was possible for someone my grandmother's age to scream such profanity at me. I'm still in shock about that. That, more than anything else, bothered me deeply. That people are so concerned about my body that they would block my path on a busy street and call me all manner of profane things. That they think it's any of their goddamn business. That they think they have the right to do it. That anyone else thinks this behavior is acceptable and that women going to a health center must tolerate it is beyond me. I still can't get over that. I'm very angry about it.

When we finally did get into the health center, the staff was so incredibly wonderful, respectful, compassionate, and answered all of my questions. I couldn't stop telling them "thank you, thank you, thank you." I said it to everyone. The front desk people, security, volunteers, doctor, nurses, secretaries, everyon. I'm thinking of sending them some baked goods from this wonderful company that sends big, packaged goodies. I couldn't be more thankful of them and for them and for what they did for me.

When we left, the disgusting protesters tried to put pamphlets into my hands and bag. They tried to talk to me about getting after abortion counseling, as if I'd ever go to them for anything, ever, after they put me through all of that. And I rather don't think I need it. I feel fine about the abortion, good in fact. And I doubt that they would be encouraged by hearing me say what a great abortion I had. I got the distinct impression that they wanted me to feel horrible about it so that they feel justified in treating me like crap before I got into the building. They'll get no justification from me.

Why do we put up with this? It was hard enough to come to this decision in the first place without walking through all of that and having no other option but to take it, walk through it. I still hear their voices and see their faces. If I ever see their faces again, I may have to slap some sense into them. It was unneccessary and beyond rude to a place where I don't think there is a word in the english language to define it. I'm still enfuriated about them, the way I was treated by them.

Holy schiit.

I read your message with a wide open mouth, shaking my head in incredulous disbelief.

I am so sorry people are the way they are; I'm so sorry you and your husband had to go through that awful mess.

I just, wow, I'm blown away with how terrible that must have been for you.

Those children!!! Their parents know not what they do. I am horrified by this.

They clearly do not care about women. And trying to "buy" you off. It makes me disgusted.

I can't imagine someone who is truly prolife who would support these tactics.

What a horror story. I hope that you continue to tell your story and post it all over the internet. I want people to know what reality is. These aren't your gentle, sensible prolifers, these are deceptive, manipulative, brainwashing, aholes.

Best of luck to you, and thanks for sharing. I'd love to know your general geographic area, if you felt comfortable telling me. You could pm me. Thanks so much for sharing.

What a horrible experience. I'm so sorry you were subjected to that! You're a much stronger person than I am - I think I would have had a panic attack with those people swarming me! And shame on that mother egging her children on for harrassing you! I couldn't imagine forcing my child to stand outside a clinic and teaching her to do such things. What mother in their right mind would put her children on that path?

I'm so glad you're feeling better - emotionally as well as physically. And I agree with .birch that, if you're comfortable with it, you should share your story with others. People should know what others are capable of.

Good luck, and I wish you and your husband the best.

That is terrible, I'm so sorry about the protestors and using their children (who probably have no idea what abortion actually is) is just disgusting.

I'm pleased the staff were good though and that the abortion went well

Wow. You never see that kind of behaviour in this country; I don't think so any way... Moo, have you ever come across it? It's crazy!

I can understand that if you feel passionate about your pro-life beliefs then you may want to feel you are doing something to help prevent abortions but those kind of tactics are simply disgraceful. It would be far more constructive to have a stand/stall outside where women could go and speak in private if they are not sure about what they are about to do.

The more I learn about pro-lifers, the less I think I am one

Not one of the women I know or have spoken to in the UK has had this kind of behaviour, it's just absurd!

Even if these people are pro-life these clinics provide birth control etc so they have no idea about what's going on. It makes me mad

We had to drive into Houston, Texas, but we live a couple of hours south of Houston.

The security officer there told me that they have been receiving a lot of complaints about this particular group of protesters. Apparently, they aren't affiliated with the other group that is regularly there quietly praying. They showed up a couple of months ago. The officer also told me that they aren't the worse protesters that they have ever experienced. He told me that they used to have it far worse than that on a daily basis in the mid and late 90s. And, he said that another one of their clinics several hours away actually have worse protesters than they do. So, apparently, it could have been far worse though I can't imagine how.

As long as they don't come within a certain number of feet from the front doors and as long as they don't physically bar a woman from entering, nothing can be done and they are free to do pretty much whatever they please.

Sometimes that happens, that patients must park across the street, and then the protestors can do a lot of damage..

Yikes.. I have seen scenes like this, it is irritating, funny, sad, and awful all at the same time.

I am so glad that the clinic staff was so good to you!

*sings 'It's a small world after all'*

I live North of Houston. PM me if you want to talk about anything.

I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of that crap walking into the clinic. The only thing I can say is forgive them, they know not what they do. You're a much stronger person than I am, I would have probably been in a fight that day.

Best of luck to you!
Peace,
Jenn

Woah.
I'm so glad you made it through and that you had the support of your husband that day.
I imagine that if it had been me...gaaah, >.<

Every time I hear about some of the tactics supposed pro-lifers use, I'm shocked and I just hope that other women out there are able to stay as strong as you did.