Lucky Girl

These women are fighting for legal abortions which they believe go into women's rights. Before the Roe v. Wade case, abortions were illegal and unsafe, and unwanted pregnancy often had harsh consequences. Source: thinkprogress.org

          Lucky Girl by Bridget Potter is a personal experience of going through an illegal abortion, and it was most likely written to recall her past feat and to appreciate the freedom people have today in United States. When the author was nineteen years old, she had sex with her boyfriend, Michael, without using a birth control such as a diaphragm. When she realized that her period was late, Potter went to a gynecologist to make sure if she was pregnant, and when her pregnancy was confirmed, she desperately tried to get an abortion because unwanted pregnancy during her time caused women to be threatened by the law. Abortion, however, was a very difficult thing to do during pre-Roe v. Wade years, because it was illegal and often unsafe. Trying to find a cheap and safe one, the author eventually flew to Puerto Rico where she got her surgery for $200. After she came back from Puerto Rico, she realized how lucky she was to get a successful abortion. In the year 1962, "nearly sixteen hundred women were admitted to just one New York City hospital for incomplete abortions" (Potter 154), and way more than 17% of all deaths pertaining to pregnancy and childbirth in United States were caused by illegal abortions. These facts comes from the accounts from gynecologists, different institutes, and studies, making the author's story very believable. This story seems to be written for the people who faced abortions before so they could appreciate how they are living in post-Roe v. Wade years where they have more women's rights and safer abortions. These women also do not have to worry about being "'poor, alone, ashamed, threatened by the law'" (Potter 148) because of unwanted pregnancy. Throughout the story, Potter uses the technique of using short sentences such as "I used the pink foam. My period was late" (Potter 147) or "He asked my age. Nineteen. He shook his head" (Potter 152) to get straight to the point. Because she used reliable facts to back her statements, I believe that Bridget Potter is indeed a lucky girl.