April | Janet | Mariana | Saieeda

 

Saieeda

I'm a 17-year old mother and student. When I found out that I was pregnant in August of last year, I knew that I wasn't ready to have another child. I'd had several problems with the pill, and had skipped using condoms once, so now I was in this situation. I knew that an abortion was the right decision at that time, but had no idea where the money was coming from.

I had a Medical Assistance card, but my worker told me they wouldn't pay for an abortion in Pennsylvania where I live. I had just started a new job that I didn't want to lose, and was transferring to a new school in the fall. I knew that I would love my baby, but that doesn't mean that I could afford to raise her or him.

My mother had just completed a 13-month drug rehabilitation program, and was trying to get custody of myself and four siblings. In the end, my mother was able to help pay for the abortion that I needed with money that she had been required to save in rehab. The rest of the money came from the Women's Medical Fund in Philadelphia. If Medicaid had covered this abortion, my mother could have kept the savings that she needed to start over. The government that complains so much about women on welfare that keep having babies did nothing to help us.

When I started that school year I realized that I had made the right decision in not having another child. My grades had gone down with my first pregnancy, but now I had a chance to improve them. And I did! I was going to school everyday now, and getting As and Bs - I was even doing well in math (which in the past I had always failed). I started thinking about different career choices, like criminal law and journalism. I'm determined to finish school and follow through with my dreams.