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Madison J. McBratney
Mrs. Mary Martin
English 110
21 September 2015

The A Word
When I was a child, my mother seemed to be in a perpetual state of pregnancy. When I
was six my little sister Molly was born. Five years later, my youngest brother, Mitchel, was born.
By age eleven, I had four younger siblings. Throughout the years, my mother always seemed to
be going to one appointment or another. After so many pregnancies, it wasnt terribly surprising
that my mother was `very close to her OB doctor. Though we lived in the state of Missouri, Dr.
Nausers office was in Kansas. She ran the office with her father; Dr. Hodes. My mother never
seemed to mind driving forty-five minutes across the border to go to her practice though. It
wasnt until I was older that I learned that Dr. Nausers practice had something different about it.
Dr. Nauser delivered babies but also provided abortion services. At the time, this concept was
mind boggling to me. How could someone who saw through pregnancies be the same person
who terminated them? Dr. Nauser, prided herself on helping every woman with whatever choice
was right for her. A pregnancy was right for some women at some times but wrong for some
women at some times. While I found this to be a beautiful idea, in the early to mid 2000s not
everyone agreed.
Our country was at war. We were fighting a War on Terror, a War on Drugs, the Iraq War
and though never officially declared; a war on abortion. When the landmark Supreme Court

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decision, Roe vs. Wade, ruled in favor of abortion in 1973, the war on abortion began. N.E.H.
Hull and Peter Charles Hoffer in their book Roe v. Wade: The Abortion Rights Controversy in
American History describe the Roe v. Wade decision had infuriated lightly sleeping giant and
that giant rose up in wrath in the 1970s. Hull and Hoffer suggest that Evangel Christians had
already been dissatisfied with the current direction of Americas politics. Roe v. Wade is referred
to as a tipping point that caused this religion to fuel all of their dissatisfaction and frustration
with the government into anti-abortion propaganda.
In 1992, Planned Parenthood vs Casey was decided on by the Supreme Court. The verdict
still protected the right to have an abortion but opened up many legal loopholes that Republicans
continually exploited.
In Wendy Daviss memoir Forgetting to Be Afraid, she chronicles her own struggle with
SB 5, yet another bill that tried to take away the right to abortions. The Texas state senator
wanted to stop SB 5. The bill, in conservative Texas, would undoubtedly win. if went to vote.
All odds were against Davis and pro choice advocates. The day SB 5 was scheduled to be voted
on, Davis went to work. But when she got there she had a catheter inserted by a doctor. She was
determined to stop the anti-abortion law, no matter what. Davis was going to filibust SB 5.
Meanwhile, in the state of Kansas, the restrictions on abortion continued to tighten until
they began to choke Dr. Nauser and her practice. Ridiculously specific requirements for abortion
clinics regarding the building. The rooms abortions were performed in had to be specific
dimensions. Janitorial closet had to also be specific dimensions and there had to be a certain
number of them. There were particular numbers and locations of restrooms required. Different
types of lighting were to be installed. These type of regulations werent even required in Kansas
hospitals. The staff at the clinic all expressed frustration at these new measures. This would

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require them to completely remodel the entire clinics building structure. I was confused. Why
did the janitorial closets dimensions matter for an abortion to be performed in the clinic? Then it
all made sense. It wasnt about the room dimensions. It was about what had to be done to get
those room dimensions. Most likely already meager budgets would have to be spent to
restructure an entire building would have to be restructured in order to fit standards that could
change again at the drop of a hat. Many clinics wouldnt be able to handle this burden causing
clinics to close and less abortions to take place. This was merely a tactic from pro-life fanatics to
make getting an abortion harder.
Id like to say all of the clinics in Kansas rose to meet this challenge and overcame it
however they didnt. To think that was fanciful thinking as many Kansas clinics had to close or
stop offering abortion services. Dr. Hodes and Nausers practice wasnt about to take this route
though. They filed a lawsuit against the state regulations. This lawsuit gained quite a bit of media
attention, to the point where Dr. Hodes and Dr. Nauser were guest speakers on the Rachel
Maddow Show on MSNBC. They discussed the lawsuit and the unfairness of the new
regulations to millions of viewers. Later on in the lawsuit they went to testify in court on the
issue. Around this time was when Dr. Nauser asked my mother to testify in front of the Kansas
General Assembly. My mother was confused why they would want her, a lady whod never had
any experience with abortion to testify about abortion. However, that was exactly it. Dr. Nauser
wanted to show people that someone whod went through five pregnancies could still be pro
choice and support abortion rights. My mother declined to testify, citing that she feared for her
and her familys personal safety due to the retaliation that may come from testifying.
Dr. Nauser knew all about retaliation. Shed had people picketing in front of her house as
a child because her father performed abortions. Now the picketers were in front of her house as

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well. Her children went to school and were often told their mother was a baby killer. A friend
and colleague of Dr. Hodes and Dr. Nauser, Dr. Tiller was murdered by a pro-life extremist who
shot him in the head at Dr. Tillers Witchita church. Dr. Tillers practice was then closed.
Retaliation and hatred towards pro-choice advocates certainly wasnt a new concept but had
definitely intensified in and become more frequent and severe. In her memoir, Wendy Davis
chronicles, despite holding a government position was targeted with death threats and picketing
during her campaign for governor following her famous filibuster. Pro choice hate is an issue
even among young adults. Sometimes it was because I made a pro choice remark or argument.
However, even having a book about the Roe v. Wade with me at school was enough to warrant
harassment from some of my peers. There were the usual cries of baby killer and murderer but
also accusations that the only reason I could possibly be pro choice was because I was a slut
who needed abortion for birth control or had gotten an abortion in the past. Even my more tactful
peers still give me slightly horrified stares when I mention abortion. Society knows abortion
happens but it is not an acceptable thing to talk about. Even pro choice advocates seem to cringe
when the topic is brought up. If abortion is legal according to the Supreme Court of the United
States, why is it such a taboo and socially unacceptable thing to talk about or have done?
TED Talks are considered some of the most progressive and innovative speeches given
by some of the best and most unique speakers. TED has created a spin off of TED Talks called
TEDWomen. TEDWomen was a special series of TED Talks focused solely on women's and
gender issues. This new series focused on many critical womens issues such as access to
contraception, feminist theory and workplace equality. However, TED refused to cover one of
the most critical issues for women; abortion. The president of pro-choice group NARAL wrote to
TED to see if the exclusion of abortion was simply a coincidence. It turns out it wasnt. Kelly

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Stoetzel, the director of TED Content stated; Abortion is more of a topical issue we wouldnt
take a position on, any more than wed take a position on a state tax bill, Stoetzel said,
explaining that it simply doesnt fit into TEDs focus on wider issues of justice, inequality and
human rights. Which was an interesting comment as TED did choose to cover contraceptive
access and the wage gap; both very partisan and politically charged issues. Even an organization
that was supposed to be the most forward and progressive of its time couldnt bear themselves to
say abortion. Abortion has been demoted by society to something that cant be spoken of.
Abortion has become a bad word; the A word. Despite its legality, society continued to attach a
negative connotation to abortion.
At this point there was only three offices in the state of Kansas that offered abortions
services. All three practices were now located in one area of the state; the Overland Park area.
Now, with the new regulations there was the potential that that there would be no abortion clinics
in the state of Kansas. For a period of time it looked as if Kansas would be the first state in the
United States to have an unconstitutional ban on abortion since Roe v. Wade.
Dr. Hodes and Dr. Nausers lawsuit was won and the regulations didnt go into place.
Their practice, along with two others, survived the measures. Three abortion centers remained
open in Kansas.This shouldve been a victory for pro choice, and it was, but there was still
always the looming threat that new regulations would be passed.
Just a year ago, another set of regulations was put forth by the state. These regulations
required all abortion clinics in the state to post pro-life information on their website. This
information was extremely biased and slanted towards a pro-life agenda. Some of it wasnt even
true. CBS News highlights part of the objectionable content that would be required to go on all
websites. This required information states that a fetus can feel pain at twenty weeks. However,

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according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists there is no legitimate
scientific evidence that this is true. This law was meant to try to influence something that should
be a womens choice. Dr. Hodes and Dr. Nauser filed another lawsuit against the state of Kansas.
The battle for the right to an abortion is never over.

Works Cited
May, Kate T. "Be Pro-voice: Aspen Baker Flips the Conversation on Abortion at TEDWomen
2015." TED Blog. TEDWomen, 29 May 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
"The Rachel Maddow Show for June 30, 2011." NBC News. NBC, 30 June 2011. Web. 27 Sept.
2015.
Hanna, John. "Judge Puts Part of New Kansas Abortion Law on Hold." CBS News. CBS, 28 June
2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.

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Davis, Wendy. Forgetting to Be Afraid. N.p.: Blue Rider, 2014. Print.
Hull, N.E.H., and Peter Charles Hoffer. Roe v. Wade: The Abortion Rights Controversy in
American History. N.p.: University of Kansas, 2001. Print.
Interview with Dr. Traci Nauser, MD