All in New Jersey

Listen to this episode of the Abortion Diary to hear what it was like to get an abortion before Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure in 1973. Judi M. tells of getting pregnant after a rape at 16 and then going to an apartment for an illegal abortion. Her frightening experience led her into a career in reproductive health. Her descriptions of anti-abortion protesters reveal how little has changed since her 2nd abortion in 1978. Listen.

“At the time, I suffered a lot of trauma from being bullied, therefore I searched for attention in male companionship, as some of us do. I allowed myself to give into his manipulation, which eventually led me to becoming pregnant because I trusted myself with him. I knew I could not keep the child, because if I had, it would have suffered. Two months after that abortion, I confided in a male best friend of three years. He lured me into his garage, which led to myself being raped.” Read more.