non-viable and spontaneously aborted within what would have been just after a missed 6 week cycle. Now, I'd likely be investigated or charged for somehow causing harm to a much wanted healthy pregnancy that wasn't. My doctor, a highly regarded GP who was then chief of staff at a catholic hospital, after testing results and examination, undoubtedly knew the pregnancy was destined to fail but never said a word because, well, miracles happen and I was very excited. Sure enough, I was awakened in excruciating pain one Monday night while spouse was working night shifts and without a Kotex in the house. I'm sure DH got some strange looks at the all-night drug store at 3 A.M. It's the week I had a D&C on Tuesday morning described as "products of conception" and a tonsillectomy on Thursday. A previous tough-to-cure staph infection, not strep, that cleared after a strict 4 week rest - doctor ordered "DO NOTHING; NOT EVEN STEPS" eventually being blamed for the very early "miscarriage."

I do think it important to note Dr. F would also never prescribe "the pill" for me, not because he was catholic, but because I was a smoker. I now know of two friends who suffered blood clots. One lost a major portion of her bowel after being misdiagnosed in the ER twice and sent home. She needed to have outrageously expensive liquid IV nutrition for months and the other developed a pulmonary clot after taking birth control pills for many years following a sexual assault. Now there are so many formulations and devices, even customized combinations of hormones, that did not even exist in the early '70s. I remain red hot angry about the SCOTUS overturn of Roe v. Wade and threats to ban the abortion pill and the threats to ban contraception as well. My body; my choice!