Billie Jean King: My abortion story shows why the Supreme Court must save Roe v. Wade
Oral arguments before the Supreme Court this week in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization mark the court's third major abortion case since 2016 - and just the latest effort to challenge the right of all women to decide whether to continue their pregnancy prior to viability. Most Americans today can't remember a time when abortion was a felony in most states, even in instances of rape or incest, but I remember all too well. My own experience obtaining a legal abortion, two years before the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, illustrates why we must never roll back our hard-won reproductive rights.
In early 1971, I became pregnant. It was unexpected. I was 27 years old and the top-ranked women's tennis player in the world. I was on the road constantly to help launch the world's first professional all-women's tour. In fact, I learned I was pregnant after almost throwing up on court during a match.
Oh dear God, I thought when the test came back positive. Now what do I do?
Telling the media I had the flu, I withdrew from a tournament, and my husband and I spent days talking. Although Larry and I were still friends and business partners, our marriage had been shaky for years. We agreed that a woman had the right to decide if and when she wanted to be pregnant. He said he would support whatever choice I made.
Ultimately, tennis was not the deciding factor. I knew that other players had returned to competition after taking time off for pregnancy and childbirth, including the champion Margaret Court. Twice. But our lives were so complicated and unpredictable that I couldn't imagine bringing up a child in such chaos.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/billie-jean-king-abortion-story-195131148.html
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