i was a teenager when roe v. wade delivered a victory for women’s rights. i had friends who had illegal abortions with devastating consequences. never again did i believe we would face this battle. i myself had an abortion in 1980 and again in 1988. it was a painful choice and i live every day with questions. but i know i did what i had to in order to get my son and myself out of poverty. he has a happy, successful life which would have been much different had there been greater competition for the precious little household resources available to us. i find it interesting that brazil, a strongly catholic country with illegal abortion, has the highest abortion rate. laws will only create yet another underground network of providers, as have our drug policies. we must persevere!