This is a parallel posting to Dr Spudman's piece on abortion. It started as a comment and just became too long despite editing.

 I've been away letting the magicians work to keep my bits together well enough to stick around for a while.   I thought I'd drop in for a few seconds and, of course, went to Spudman's blog.

 40-50 years ago German measles (rubella) was rampant at the children's hospital where I worked. I was a young married woman with one child and wanting another. One day the ward was filled with infants who had been infected with rubella or were suffering the consequences of the birth defects it caused: Cataracts or glaucoma
•Heart defects
•Hearing impairment
•Growth retardation
•Small head
•Mental retardation

Life was not so neat in those days. There was not yet a rubella vaccine, no way to do titers to see if moms were carriers, nothing much to do except wait and hope the fates were kind. And after giving mouth to mouth to two of the infants whose hearts had stopped, I heard the Chief Resident Bob come up behind me, lean down and whisper in my ear:"Patie are you pregnant?"  I felt the blood drain from my face because my husband and I had been trying for another child and I was in the middle of missing my first menstrual cycle and hoping I would not miscarry again.  I looked up at him, my hand covering my mouth, tears pooling. "I don't know...I'm two weeks late. OMG what do I do?"

  Without batting an eye, he said "Get an abortion".  I plopped down on the nearest stool in a state of shock. I knew about the 'committee' made up of white haired old farts who decided if you were sane enough to continue the pregnancy.Chief  Resident Bob whispered: "Don't worry, I'll come testify and we'll get  others to testify that having the baby will impair your mental stability so the abortion can be performed."  I thought my heart would drop out of my chest it was beating so hard.

"Bob, I don't want to be known as crazy! I'll lose my job! Is there any other option?"  Bob pointed out what I knew too well; the local dirty shaman, Mexico or Europe.   Then he  reminded me that if I were not to choose the route he suggested, I could be arrested for committing a crime. Flashes of the young hispanic woman handcuffed to a hospital bedrail after she came in for a botched back alley abortion knoced at the back of my head.  A deputy kept guard over this slip of a woman who was now charged with murder. I was shaking so badly I had to go home. I NEVER thought this was anything I'd discuss with my husband.

The next day I told Chief Bob that I'd go before the committee and trust I'd not lose my job (no ADA policy then).  Two days beforeI was  due to appear before the committee, my menses began to flow and I began negotiating a transfer to another unit.  That day I became a feminist.