Thread by @thekategaffney

My college friend's father is a staunchly Catholic man who was also an OBGYN. He refused to abort any children for the first 3 years of his practice (1/)

He moved his practice in year 4 and worked in downtown Chicago. His patient base changed from rich and mostly white to more diverse ethnically and financially. (/2)

On the 2nd week of his new location, an 11 year old black child was wheeled into the ER with severe cramps and what looked like a distended belly. (/3)

She was sobbing and asking for her mama. The child was dropped off at the hospital by an unknown male. My friend's father started pressing on her abdomen. He stopped when he realized. (/5)

This 11 year old child was pregnant. And going into labor. (/5)

As the 11 year old child wailed for her mother, she had to push through contractions and was given a stuffed teddy bear to calm her down as she was about to become a mother. (/6)

She did not fit into normal stirrups (they had to create a makeshift bed adjuster for this baby to have her baby) making it extra painful. She also did not get proper pre natal care (couldn't afford it) so she got very, very sick after giving birth. (/7)

No one ended up coming for her except when her mother grabbed the newborn from NICU and said it was time for them to go. My friend's father asked about the father (if he wanted to sign the papers, etc.) And the 11 year old new mother's mother said no. (/8)

The reason why? The father was the 11 year old child's 45 year old uncle (/9)

My friend's father (whose belief system forbade him from offering abortions) immediately started offering that care after delivering that baby's baby and hearing her wail for her mama. (/10)

Abortion isn't about YOU or YOUR beliefs. Abortion isn't a personal attack. But a repeatedly raped 11 year old girl became a mother to her uncle's child that day. (/10)

Today is devastating. Women will die. Doctors who want to help will lose their licenses. And more children will be born into families that cannot support their mental, physical, and financial needs. #RoeVsWade was bigger than "birth control for lazy ppl." (/11)

#RoeVWade was about a women's right to choose what she would do with her own body. And now even that has become white noise.(/end)