my boyfriend went with me. we had to tell them what we were wearing and get picked up by a cab. we were driven all over el paso and juarez. completely lost we were taken into a high walled gated structure. we had to bring cash – my semester’s tuition. i gave it to a mexican man who spoke no english. i had never had a gynecological exam. i stayed in my clothes save my underpants. i was so frightened of dying i fought the anesthesia. i had the d&c awake. they gave me two large tampons to insert and took us back to el paso. once back at my home, i started to cramp and bleed profusely. no doctor would see me without a guardian present because i was under 21. i finally told my mom. i was examined but it was too late to really tell what had happened except the d&c was not complete and there was some scarring. when i did decide in my thirties to have children, my damaged cervix was “incompetent”. i did have two healthy women children after several miscarriages, with bed rest and surgical intervention. this is what life was pre-roe v. wade. we must not go back there for our future generations. that was the dark ages and they are looming in our future.