In a piece posted on Insider, a woman said that she got an abortion in her third trimester of pregnancy after she and her husband learned that their unborn daughter had “serious brain malformations.”
The byline attributes the piece to Sarah S — an editor’s note explains that the author asked to be referred to just by her first name in order to shield the identity of her family.
“Less than two months after moving, we learned our daughter had developed in utero with multiple serious brain malformations. After extensive tests and frank discussions with doctors, our decision to terminate the pregnancy was clear to us. I was 28 weeks along at this point,” Sarah wrote. “It was incredibly heartbreaking, but we had gathered enough information to know it was the most humane outcome available to us,” she continued.
She said that she participated in “a viewing” of her child after the abortion.
“The providers working in this clinic are the most compassionate, dedicated, and downright cool people I’ve ever met,” Sarah wrote. “The doctor who did my abortion gifted me a book on my last day at the clinic. The social worker guided me through a viewing of my daughter that I chose to do after the procedure, and it’s a moment I’ll be forever grateful for.”
She then went on to note that she has returned to the facility since having the abortion.
“After my procedure, I felt a strong pull back to the clinic. It’s hard to describe what it’s like to go through something like this, but the people there just understand. I’ve gone back a couple times to ask questions and visit with them,” she wrote. “I like to bring them things — handmade decor to adorn the clinic or donations for future patients. My heart bursts for them, even now, more than six months later,” she added.
“Sometimes, when no one is around, I drive to the clinic and sit in the empty parking lot for a while. I think about the trauma of losing my pregnancy and how I found the softest place to land. Inside those clinic walls is the only place I saw my daughter, and it will forever be special to me,” Sarah wrote.