Share Your Story or Your Mother's Story about the Challenges of Accessing Birth Control

Birth control never mentioned.  I was 5th daughter, youngest next to me was age 16.  My Mother made a comment once that every time Daddy's hung his pants on the bedpost she got pregnant, parents in their 40s when I was born.  When I was 13 she told me "girls bleed sometimes", bought me pads & a belt.  That was the extent of my sex education until I bicycled to a local library and checked out a "marriage manual" a few years later.   I was told later by sister that Mother had had numerous miscarriages.  The night before my wedding (1954) Mother told me I should read "this article" in a magazine.  Had I not read the "marriage manual" I'd not have had a clue.Went to a female GYN for my first exam prior to my marriage, she prescribed a diaphragm.  I used that  until we slipped up first child  and second which was a stillborn due to a fall.  I never told the Dr I fell; probably would these days be tried for "murder".  Continued with diaphragm until cervix had descended into the vagina too far for it to work.  Thereafter I just was lucky.  Had two more children, the last 2 were 14 mos apart.  All born between 1955 and 1959.Had severe hives around trunk from reaction to hair dye & that messed up my periods.  Went to civilian Dr who gave me birth control pills which had just come out about 1960 and later had a  D & C for uncontrolled bleeding, probably due to that reaction to the dye.  Later went to AF Dr about prolapse.  He asked me if I just didn't want it "cinched up".  Fortunately he did my hysterectomy at age 33, best thing that ever happened to me. Husband and I both agreed but I don't recall if he had to sign anything.I am 78 now with sisters in their 90s. Oldest died before I was born, next had 4 children (one when she was about 46  had retinoblastoma, cancer of eye bilateral) middle sister had 6 kids (3 after she was 40) my next sister only had 2, something "wrong" inside when she had surgery.  Probably many would not understand my pro-choice views as I worked 20 yrs for OB-Gyn Doctors.  I am pro-choice and support Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Choice.  Every person in State and US Congress shoud be required to read these sad tales by the very brave women who have shared them.

My mother in the 50's (no access to birth control) during her 7th out of 9 pregnancies, gave birth to a thalidamide baby. It was born dead without any arms. Another relative was pregnant in the first months of her marriage.  Her mother was too embarrassed because it was so soon and she didn't want people to think she had to get married.  She made her get an abortion. It must have been a shoddy operation because she had so much scar tissue, she remained barren her whole life. When I was 18, my boyfriend & I went to my father to ask his permission to marry because I was pregnant. He was outraged and told me to get rid of it, he didn't care how.  My boyfriend's mother flew me to Texas. We crossed the border into Mexico (blindfolded), it was against the law then.  I almost bled to death on the bathroom floor of our hotel room. I thought I had it bad until I heard about the Magdaline Laundries.  After centuries of not controling our own bodies, I too thank God for Planned Parenthood and the women who have fought to get us where we are today. I only wish the fight was over.   

55 years ago a family member got on the plane, went to England and had an abortion. Her NY Doctor would not give her an abortion. She had 4 children and the 5th would have been her undoing. She went to a clinic in  England, I believe, organized by her doctor and flew back to NYC. When she got home, she realized she had not had her tubes tied and again her doctor refused to do so.  So she got back on the plane for England and had her tubes tied. This was before Griswold.  She was relatively well off. Imagine how many had to go to unclean abortionists in back alleys.  Get real, America. Let's not go back to slums and airplanes to have clean abortions.   

First of all, what other drug usage requires a marriage certificate?Second, I was prescribed various hormone compounds that would be categorized in the "birth control" category.   The purpose for the prescriptions was to attempt to control "the out of control" growth of very aggressive endometriosis which was positively identified in it's early but very painful stages by a biopsy.Three years later, all hope to be able to have children was gone per my doctors.   I had been holding out for hope of a miracle cure to be discovered so that I could hopefully have a child and endured extreme pain for those three years holding onto that hope.  So, I gave in to the only reasonable option the doctors explained to me.  It was time to have a hysterectomy before the disease caused even more damage to other internal organs than it already had as it does not contain itself to only the reproductive organs once it begins reproducing itself.  Sure enough, once in surgery, the damage had consumed all my reproductive organs so the hysterectomy had to be all of my organs.  In addition, the surgery included repair and removal of the disease from other organs which has given me lifelong issues to deal with.This loss of the ability to have children left me barren and heartbroken.   That was many years ago but as I go through each stage of life, my grieving takes on a new meaning.  Now, I not only grieve that I could not have my own children but that I have no grandchildren to celebrate and enjoy.I am shocked and angry that politicians are making this a political issue and have grandeous "taling points" they use to "judge" women for using birth control drugs, if drugs is the right name to give them.In reality life, the government has no business dictating our personal medical lives.There are many reasons for women's health that these drugs need to be used.If a woman is using birth control to time her pregnancies, that should be her option and her right.Our country was founded on the principals of freedom of religion, beliefs, choices, rights, et al.  The government has no right to dictate our personal rights and lives.  Congress is far beyond its powers in claiming to try to limit our personal freedoms and rights.Congress is supposed to manage the business of the government to provide services and protect us as a nation.   It should get to work and start doing just that or go home and not get paid.I could say much more but will leave it at this.   I am personally disgusted with Congress and this is only one issue they have no right to dictate.  They should be protecting our health, not trying to limit access to maximizing our health.