I Had One Abortion In Florida Before The Fall of Roe v. Wade & One After

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Florida’s near-total abortion ban went into effect on May 1. It prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many people know they’re pregnant, and it’s one of the most extreme abortion bans across the United States. While there are exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and a threat to the life of the mother, the laws are still incredibly vague, which in turn puts people’s lives at risk. “We’re forcing pregnancy on the people who don’t want to be pregnant, and we’re forcing situations on people that they shouldn’t have to go through,” says Gabby, 28, a resident of Florida who spoke with Refinery29 about her experience having two abortions in the state — including one after the ban.

Florida Amendment 4 aka the Right to Abortion Initiative (2024) is on the ballot this election cycle. Voting yes to the amendment would add the language “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider,” to the Florida Constitution’s Declaration of Rights, and effectively undo the state’s six-week ban.

Currently, 13 states in the US have a total abortion ban, and eight states ban abortion at or before 18 weeks’ gestation. Even with exceptions, the language of these laws can be vague, leading to delayed care and life-threatening outcomes. Recently, it was reported by ProPublica that two women from Georgia — Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller — died after the state’s abortion ban allegedly prevented them from accessing lifesaving healthcare. Their deaths were preventable and a post-Roe world allowed them to happen.

One of the most consequential elections of our lifetime is less than a month away, and abortion access is an issue at the very front and center. Come November, measures to expand or protect abortion will be on the ballot in 10 states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota.

Until Election Day, Refinery29 will be running real, powerful stories about abortion experiences in states where abortion is on the ballot or currently restricted. Here, Gabby tells the story of the two abortions she had in Florida — one before the fall of Roe, one after — and what’s at stake for Florida citizens this election.

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Name: Gabby
Age: 28
Location: Florida
Pronouns: she/they

I’ve had two abortions. With my first abortion, in 2016, I was 19 years old. I found out that I was pregnant pretty quickly because I had a condition that is called hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. I was born and raised in the south and my family is very traditional, so abortion was not something that was ever spoken of when I was growing up. I was very confused when I was pregnant — I was young and very alone.

Because of the hyperemesis gravidarum, I was in and out of the hospital pretty much every day. I couldn’t keep food down, I couldn’t keep fluids down, and I was dehydrated. My kidneys were going into renal failure and my body was shutting down. The medication I needed was $500, and that’s with insurance. I didn’t have $500 lying around, and that was only for a 30-day supply. I couldn’t work because I was in and out of the hospital. This is when things started to come up in my head, like, Maybe I should think about an abortion. I grew up southern Baptist and generational Catholic, so we didn’t have the sex education talk when I was growing up. It was more of: Don’t have sex and don’t come home pregnant because you know better.

There was one specific night, it was three o’clock in the morning and I had thrown up all night. I remember crying on my bathroom floor. I lived in my grandparents’ in-law suite, so I left my house and I ended up walking over to my grandma’s house. She was asleep on the couch and I said to her, “Nana, I want to have an abortion.” And my very Catholic grandmother looked at me, and said, “Honey, that’s okay.” It really took me by surprise because she was, quite literally, the last person who I thought would be okay with something like that. When she said, “I’ll do whatever you need me to do to support you,” it felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

She said when she was growing up, the Jane movement was happening. [Editor’s note: The Janes were a collective who drove people to their abortion appointments from 1968 to 1973, pre Roe v. Wade, risking arrest.] My grandma was a driver for people seeking abortion care. She would drive people from her hometown up to New York. It really struck me because of all the people [I knew], I did not expect to have my grandmother’s support, and she ended up being my biggest supporter of my abortion. If she wasn’t there, I don’t know what I would’ve done.

I had to do a lot of research to find a clinic. I googled “abortion clinics near me” and unfortunately, I did call a few pregnancy crisis centers [Editor’s note: Pregnancy crisis centers pose as abortion clinics and use scare tactics to dissuade people from getting abortions]. I was desperate. I was calling anybody and anyone that would answer the phone. I was calling people at one, two, three o’clock in the morning trying to get answers and help. I think I called probably 35 places, and of those 35 places, only three were abortion clinics. Eventually, I found a place in my hometown. It was a building that sat in the middle of a lot and it had a chain-link fence around it with razor wire at the top, and you had to be buzzed in.

I had to wait an additional four days to be able to get my care because they didn’t do surgical abortions at the clinic I went to. I ended up having to wait for availability at another clinic in Tampa, which was an hour and a half drive. My grandma came with me. The clinic had protesters outside. I had people screaming in my face.

There was a man that actually spit on me and sprayed me with holy water who told me I deserve to die. It was hurtful. I grew up in the church. How can someone tell me how God feels toward me when you don’t even know what I’m going through right now? We went inside, I had my procedure, and I went home the same day. I didn’t have a long recovery period. I was 13 weeks and four days along. I don’t want to say it was a sad experience, but it was a good learning experience.

Without access to care [at 19], I probably would have died. And now, if something went wrong [like a miscarriage], I probably would have gone to jail.

GABBY

I’m a single mom — I have a child. My child has autism. He’s a great kid and he’s super smart, and I love him to death. I was glad I was able to have my abortion when I did, because I wouldn’t have my son that I have now. My abortion allowed me to become a parent when I was ready to become a parent.

I had my second abortion this year in April. I want to have more children [in the future], but I did not want any other kids [at the time]. I pretty much knew immediately I was pregnant. I’m very diligent with tracking my cycle, especially with all of the [abortion] bans. I had gotten an alert on my phone telling me my period would start within the next few days, and my period normally starts before I even get the alert. I didn’t get my period that day so I went to Walmart and got a Clear Blue test, and it was positive.

Because of the restrictions in Florida, if I didn’t pay attention to my own personal health, I could’ve ended up in a situation where I would’ve had to travel to North Carolina or Virginia. It was so early on in my pregnancy that the doctor had to come in and redo my ultrasound because the ultrasound technician was like, ”I don’t think I see anything.” I was between four and five weeks pregnant.

Florida calls for a 24-hour waiting period, which means that pregnant women have to wait 24 hours after their initial medical consultation to receive abortion care. I was scared. What if I measured up to six weeks and one day? Fortunately, I was [under six weeks] because I did catch it early enough. The next day I went back to the doctor and did my procedure. There was no tragic story with my second one.

I was able to get funding for my second abortion. With my first abortion, I didn’t know funding existed, so I paid for the total cost of the procedure, around $1,300, which is a lot for a 19-year-old. I did have some money saved and I also worked at the time, so I was able to pay. This time, though, I was a single mom. I didn’t have that extra money. I also could not afford another child. I knew I could get funding through organizations because of my job [working in abortion care]. I was able to reach out to our in-house patient navigators that we have now and receive funding from the Florida Access Network, the National Abortion Federation, and the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP). I received a total of $745, and it covered my abortion.

Without access to care [at 19], I probably would have died. And now, if something went wrong [like a miscarriage], I probably would have gone to jail. People are taking unsafe measures to access care, because their state legislators have decided that they know better than doctors, or they know better than the people who are trying to access this care. It’s super important that people get out there and vote. Nobody should have to travel thousands of miles for a simple medical procedure. You don’t have to have a tragic story to feel like your abortion matters. Not wanting children or just wanting to have an abortion because you’re not ready to be a parent is reason enough, and it’s no one’s business.

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This article was originally published on refinery29.com.

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