My forced pregnancy

TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual assault/rape. Domestic violence. Reproductive coercion. Instances of victim blaming/shaming. Gas lighting.

Update: June 24th, 2022

I wrote this a long time ago, back when I lived in a blue state and abortion was still a right. But today is different. Roe v Wade has been overturned. I don’t know what the future holds. But I wanted to reshare this old post. I’m now married, out as queer, and living in Texas. I know, yikes. I’ve already started looking into more permanent sterilization. TJ uses they/them pronouns and I updated the post to change the gendered language to gender-neutral. Not all people who can get pregnant are women. So, please be mindful of the language you use. My life has changed a lot, and for the better. But I’m still terrified. For myself, my child, and all who are affected by the Supreme Court’s decision.

Anyway, below is the original post (with updated language, of course)

I used to be one of those “I’m pro-choice but…” people. You know, the ones that say abortion is only acceptable if the person’s health is in danger or they were raped. The type that slut shames without even realizing it. “Oh, well they should have used protection!” I was in my late teens; I thought I had all the answers.

At 19, I got together with my abusive ex; my kid’s father. I never wanted kids. All I wanted was to go to college and work. Of course, in the beginning he wasn’t abusive. He was sweet and caring. He mentioned he wanted kids. I told him no. He never wanted to use condoms and after a while I didn’t fight him about it, because it was either get beaten and have him rape me, or have him rape but not get beaten. I consider what he did rape, because there was no active consent from me. (This may sound obvious but I’ve had people tell me I wasn’t raped because I “let him do it”.)

He would lament the fact that I wasn’t getting pregnant. He thought I was infertile. He was upset. It was my fault, he said. Finally, I became pregnant. I told him that I thought it would be better to abort. That I didn’t want to bring a kid to the world knowing I would struggle to raise them. That he knew I never wanted kids. It wouldn’t be fair to the kid. Then he told me I should have been on birth control, or made him wear condoms. Never minding the fact that when I would ask him, he’d threatened to beat me or worse.
I talked to him about adoption. But he wasn’t listening. I was forced to carry to term. I had to fake being happy. After TJ was born I was diagnosed with postpartum Depression. My abuser made me feel like a failure because of it. He said I wasn’t a good enough mother because I had a hard time breast-feeding.

I finally got the courage to leave him for good when TJ was barely two months old. He retaliated by trying to have them removed from my care. He hasn’t been in our lives since, thanks to an order of protection.

I have to say this now:
I love my kid. Honestly, they are what keeps me going some days. They’re awesome and wonderful and I’ve learned (and am still learning) a lot from them. They comfort me when I’m sad, and when they tells me they’re happy I know I’m doing the best I can. I would like for them to look back at their childhood and know that I did the best I could. It’s why I’m in college. It’s why I’m doing everything I can to get out of the shelter. They amaze me every day. They have the greatest personality. If this sounds like I’m bragging, it’s because I am. My kid is just great. They’re smart and it amazes sometimes that this kid could be mine. But it took me a while to get to this point and sometimes I struggle with my feelings of resentment, not towards them but of how they got here.

I say this because most think that pregnancy is the best thing that could happen to a person. That as soon as a baby is born a person instantly connects to their child. That if you don’t bond well at first, the person is somehow lacking. They aren’t good enough. There must be something wrong with them. Indeed, if a woman wants to be child-free she is fighting her “natural instincts” because all women want kids.

During and after my experience with my abuser, I learned a lot. My views have changed a lot. I believe that abortion should remain safe and legal and on demand. Abortion shouldn’t be only for people whose lives are at risk or are survivors of rape. Abortion isn’t always a hard decision. Abortion is OK. Abortion is good and sometimes it’s the most responsible thing to do. I know now that every person faces a different situation and that every person makes the best decision they see fit. I said this in one of the earlier posts of this blog, that in my abuser’s attempts to make me into the “perfect” little housewife he created an even (bigger than I already was) feminist. Funny, how that works.

I’ve already discussed it with my boyfriend. I’ll be aborting if my BC fails. He is 100% supportive. In fact, when we were getting to know each other one of the first things I asked him were for his thoughts on abortion/reproductive rights. His response: “I’m pro-choice. It’s not my place nor do I have the right to tell any woman what to do with her body.”

No need to explain why but I will:

My current financial situation

My current living situation

My mental health

My first pregnancy had some complications

I need to stay healthy and happy for the kid I already have.

But, even if I had the money, or the house and no health problems whatsoever, I would still abort. Because I do not want any more kids. That simple; end of story.

No person should be forced to carry a pregnancy they do not want.

I should add that lots of other people who’ve been forced to carry to term don’t end up loving their kids. I honestly do not know the right words. I struggle a lot sometimes with my feelings towards my pregnancy, and I hate how my kid came to be here. I attend parenting classes. I’m aware that it’s not their fault that they’re here, and it’s not mine either. I really don’t know how to say it, I guess I’m lucky? The people who do not end up feeling a bond with their children should not be shamed either. This is a difficult topic. I set out to write how I feel, and I’m not sure it’s being communicated properly. The take away should be: we need to get rid of abortion stigma, some people want babies, others don’t. Some people end up with babies they didn’t want and end up loving them, some prople end up with babies they didn’t want and the results often end in tragedy. We need choices and our bodily autonomy. Every child born should be wanted from the get-go.

Information and resources if you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship: http://www.thehotline.org/

For info and resources on abortion:
https://abortionfunds.org/

If you’re also in Texas:

https://www.lilithfund.org/

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My forced pregnancy
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3 thoughts on “My forced pregnancy

  1. 1

    […] I think one of the reasons I’ve stopped thinking I forgive him is because I’ve realized that he raped me. When I finally left him I had a very hard time admitting I was a victim of domestic Violence. I tried to downplay the abuse. I wasn’t with him for as long as the other women in the support group had been with their abusers. He never beat me to the point where I needed to go to the hospital. In fact he very rarely left marks on me. I was in pain but he knew how to inflict the physical damage. When I was with him I didn’t know about reproductive coercion. […]

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