In a very
personal blog post for the nonprofit organization A Is For, which is dedicated to advancing women's reproductive
rights and ending the stigma against abortion care, Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia
Wainwright on SANTA BARBARA)
shares that she chose to have an abortion in her mid-20s.
The Emmy-winning actress reveals that despite
using birth control, she was "shocked,
scared and overwhelmed" to learn she was carrying a child. However,
she explains she was never uncertain about what she had to do.
“I knew I was not ready, prepared, or willing
to be a mother at that time,” she writes. “I never once wavered in my belief that this was not the man with whom I
wanted to, or should raise a child. Simply put, I was resolute in my decision
to terminate my pregnancy, and grateful for those that tirelessly fought for my
right to make that decision about my own body, and my own life. I was relieved
that I lived in a time where I would not be shamed, confronted or harmed by
others while walking into my nurturing doctor's office for this safe and legal
procedure.”
In the
personal essay, which you can read in its entirety here, Grahn also shares that
she feels no regrets about having made the choice to give up her child. “The entirety of my short pregnancy and
abortion was a deep and transcending experience. It is my story. It is my
truth, and no one else's,” she writes. “It
belongs to me, and I cherish it. It helped me evolve as a person, and fueled my
desire to be a good mother into actual manifestation when I gave birth almost
20 years later to the love of my life, Kate. It was ultimately a profound
experience for which I have no regrets.”
(soapcentral.com)
Proud of
you, Mrs. Grahn.