In honor of the 34-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade, University of Wisconsin students listened to a testimony Wednesday of a woman forced to deal with the restrictions of abortion laws prior to 1973.
The UW chapter of the national Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom hosted a lecture by Dr. Dennis Christensen, a doctor from Madison's Abortion Clinic, to speak to students about the history of religion and abortion in the United States.
The focus of Christensen's presentation was the testimony of a woman who said she bore her daughter in 1961 because the law prohibited her from having an abortion.
"It was an extraordinarily difficult time," said the woman, who wished to remain anonymous. "It changed my life forever."
The woman even traveled to Mexico in an attempt to bypass the abortion laws in the United States, but she returned home immediately upon seeing the dangerous conditions under which the abortions were performed.
"I am thankful that my daughter is alive and well and happy," the woman said. "But each and every day I am reminded of the fact that she exists. My life would have been much different if I would have been able to [have the abortion]."
Since her daughter's birth, the woman has been active in Planned Parenthood, co-founding a program aimed at helping girls better understand how their bodies function.
"It was very frightening to be a part of Planned Parenthood at that time," the woman said. "But we need to recognize [that] a young woman's life is what's important."
A few years into the program, the group experienced strong interference from Right to Life groups, eventually leading to its termination.
Also during the presentation, Christensen presented a video documentary that chronicled the history of abortion laws and practices dating back years before the Roe v. Wade case.
The film concentrated heavily on the estimated millions of women who subjected themselves to illegal, unsafe abortions before the laws were reversed in 1973.
Christensen said exposure to the life before abortion laws holds importance today because the issue is still controversial.
"We are only one vote on the Supreme Court away from [the laws] coming back," Dr. Christensen said. "People are reluctant to talk about [the issue], but the more we talk about it, the more okay it becomes."
The SYRF organization — which expanded to UW this fall — aims to stimulate conversation about the abortion issue among students today.
"It's basically an organization to get people talking about the religious side of this and the religious freedom that's necessary to a pro-choice stance," said Sara Eskrich, student leader of the organization at UW. "It's an equity issue; it's control over your body."
Calling the event Wednesday a success, Eskrich said the group hopes to put on more campus events in the future.
