My late abuela. Victim of medical racism. A little backstory. After six years of my abuela passing, about two years ago, I was told by my tia that my abuela had an abortion, and there was a story as to why she did what she did.
First, my Abuelos migrated from Mexico to the U.S. in 1990 for a better life for her and her three sons. My abuela was hard-working, always selling tamales. She was a stay-at-home mom but would do anything to put food on the table for her family. Even with the little to nothing of money, they had. My abuela wanted a big family, just like she grew up with a big family in Mexico. My abuela later had three more kids here in the U.S. My abuela sadly had a miscarriage. After miscarrying, she then got pregnant again. My tias told me she was so excited to have another baby on the way. My tias would constantly go to the doctor’s appointment with my abuela since my abuela didn’t know any English.
One appointment she had, here doctor was a white male. At the time, my abuela was in her 40s. My tia said the doctor came in and looked at my tia, assuming she was pregnant, but she was 15 at the time. He looked at her with a look of disgust. The doctor then realized it was my abuela who was pregnant. After examining her, the baby was perfect, but then he started asking and making uncomfortable comments to my Abuela, and I quote, “Aren’t you too old to be pregnant?” After asking her how many kids you have, my abuela responded with six kids. He then said, “You do know Mexicans are overpopulating the U.S..” She was not the same after my Tia translated what the doctor said to my abuela.
My abuela decided on an abortion. My tias asked her why you were excited to have another kid, and she said, “I am too old to be having another child.”
After reading “Better Dead Than Pregnant,” The Colonization of Native Women’s Reproductive Health, and “No Mas Bebes.” Women in the 1970s were being forced into sterilizing procedures without knowing what they were signing for. They scared these pregnant women. It was either life or death for themselves and the child, mainly targeting immigrant women who knew little to nothing of English. This reminded me of my abuela, she was not sterilized but she let the doctor overpower her with his comments and made her think she was a problem with overpopulating.
