Watch the full story above
In May this year, Alabama passed laws that amount to a blanket ban on abortion. The laws, which are the strictest in the United States, do not provide exemptions for rape or incest.
The changes make it a felony offence to provide an abortion to a woman at any stage of her pregnancy. Break the law and you could face up to 99 years in jail.
Though the laws are aimed at abortion providers and not pregnant women, opponents of the law like Sam Blakely are speaking out. The 25-year-old was born, raised and still lives in the southern state.
Three years ago she was sexually assaulted by a co-worker.
“I woke up the next morning. I was bleeding and I was upset and confused and, you know, I didn't really know why,” she tells Dateline.
“I didn't understand what happened. And I called my best friend and I told her what happened and she had to tell me, ‘you were raped’.”
“I knew that I was not going to be able to carry that pregnancy,” she says. “I didn't know how, but I knew that I was not going to have my rapists' child.
“I grew up in a small high school. The environment and the culture was very conservative, not a lot of speak of sexual health, sexual reproductive health, anything like that.”
Not knowing what to do, Blakely turned to Google and started to research DIY abortion methods, something she later realised was “very, very dangerous” when she saw results including herbal remedies from Asia and pills that would induce the pregnancy.
“I had no information so it was very scary,” she says.
A wait, and no regrets
Eventually, Blakely found out via friends about women’s health services. Then, after doing her own research, she visited a local abortion clinic.
She passed the protestors outside with the help of a clinic escort and once she was inside, she was told she was not far enough along the term for the procedure.
She waited 48 hours before returning.
“After my abortion I felt pain,” she explains. “Emotional pain, physical pain. I just wanted to sleep and never really wake up.
“But I didn't regret it, I will say that. There are these doctors at the judiciary committee hearing saying that 99.9 per cent of women who have abortions regret them. Not true. I regret that it had to be like that but as painful as it was I would do it again. I would have 100 per cent.”
Alabama's new laws threaten abortion practitioners with 99 year jail terms. Source: Dateline
Why Sam is speaking up
Though the topic of abortion continues to divide the US , when Alabama’s strict abortion laws passed, Sam started to share her story.
“The ‘no exceptions for rape or incest’ is so cruel in my opinion,” she says. “And it's some sort of political game or something, some sort of stunt to make the argument stronger.
“Because I would rather have died than to bring my rapists child into the world. Because I knew that he would use that child to control me, he'd try to get custody, he would make my life and that child's life a living hell. So that ban for me would have meant death.
“I said, we've got to speak out now is the time to because if there was ever a time to tell your story, now is the time.”
Support Services
Call 1800 211 028 for 24/7 telephone and online crisis counselling for anyone - women and men - in Australia who has experienced or is at risk of sexual assault, family or domestic violence.
Call 1800 737 732 for confidential information, counselling and support service. Open 24 hours to support people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse.
Call 13 11 14. Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
