Latycia's Story

When I was sixteen years old I found out I was pregnant. My boyfriend was much older than I. He was 22 and I was 16 at the time. He was wonderful about it, he offered to marry me, take care of the baby, or pay for an abortion. He said it was totally up to me.

When I couldn't decide right away he started pushing for the abortion. I agreed and I went 4 hours away from home to Atlanta, Ga. to have it. Up until then our relationship had been wonderful, but shortly after things soured. We started fighting and he would throw the abortion in my face, we always thought about it, and neither one of us wanted to talk about it. He became extremely abusive. He started yelling, hitting, and beating me up, even in public. We stayed together for two years after the abortion and I just tried not to remember the abortion. Now I realize that bringing a child into an abuse home was worse than having the abortion.

I still have moments that I regret it because I'm 19 now and could emotionally and financially support a child. But in the long run, staying in that situation, or having a tie to it forever(a baby) was the worse thing for me to do.

Latycia
December 1998

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Violence against women is the world's most pervasive form of human rights abuse says a 1997 United Nations report. From genital mutilation in Africa and dowry killings in India to domestic violence in the US, millions of women from every class and in every country live under the threat of physical abuse. More than 60 million women, who should be alive today, are "missing" because of violence associated with gender discrimination.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE