In 2016, my husband and I had two wonderful boys and were eager to welcome another. My pregnancy was progressing normally until 18 weeks, when we learned that our son Dylan had a severe birth defect and a very grim prognosis.
We knew this wasn’t a life we wanted for our son, so we made the heartbreaking decision to terminate our much-wanted pregnancy. I labored for 15 hours before delivering Dylan’s body. I held him and told him about his family and why we made the choice to let him go. I sang him the lullabies that I sing to our other children before bed. All that he knew was our love.
Leaving the hospital without Dylan was the worst moment of my life so far.
I was fortunate that I received sensitive and compassionate care from my medical team and that my health insurance covered my abortion, which would have otherwise cost nearly $15,000.
An impossible situation could have been made so much worse if my insurance didn’t cover my care, which is why I’m so grateful Maine has a new law guaranteeing insurance coverage of abortion.
But now a few groups are trying to “people’s veto” the law and take away the insurance coverage mandate for abortion. If someone asks you to sign a petition to overturn the new law, please decline to sign. Insurance coverage shouldn’t be an added worry when faced with the devastation of ending a wanted pregnancy.
Erin Wolf
Falmouth
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
