CAT HADLEY

When Cat, 18,  arrived at the ER she never thought she’d leave with the knowledge that she was pregnant. Sick and disoriented, Cat was very sure in her decision to arrange an abortion as soon as possible. That was her only option and she was unwavering. 

Cat missed the deadline for an abortion. She was forced by state law to keep her pregnancy.

Cat never really accepted the situation; she just existed through it. She knew she wanted to give the baby up for adoption but when she gave birth the hospital staff encouraged her to take the baby home. After two weeks of extreme postpartum hallucinations, Cat found the courage to stick to her original decision and she surrendered the baby to the hospital for adoption. Looking back, she knows she still needed that abortion. 

That was in 2007.