Former Professional Volleyball Player Shares Gut-Wrenching Tale of Her Abortion

Teresa Neumann : Jun 19, 2013
David French – The Corner

A hard, sad lesson for women who think postponing motherhood by aborting their children to further their career is worth it.

In an opinion piece in the National Review, David French shares a social networking story of career advice columnist Penelope Trunk, about the abortion she elected to have during her professional volleyball career. (Photo: Penelope Trunk)

In essence, Trunk said that when she approached her mother about being 14 weeks pregnant, her mother insisted she get an abortion.

"My mom got militant," said Trunk. "She said, 'You'll destroy your career possibilities.'"

Trunk went on to say that she was shocked at how many of her friends had aborted their children, unbeknownst to her. "I had no idea how ubiquitous the procedure was," she said. "At least in my big-city, liberal Jewish world. Each of those women told me that I should keep my options open."

Describing her initial experience the first time she went in to have the procedure done, she said:

"I was on the table, in a hospital gown, screaming. The nurse asked me if I was a religious Christian. The boyfriend asked me if I was aware that my abortion would be basically illegal in seven more days."

In a panic, Trunk said she left the clinic, emotionally unable to go through with the procedure. Days later, however, she changed her mind and had the abortion. "I went to sleep with a baby," she said, "and woke up without one." (Photo: Penelope Trunk)

When Trunk got pregnant a second time, during a different career post-volleyball, she said she thought of killing herself, but had the abortion anyway.

Today, she is the mother of two and has a warning for women who assume they can't have children without sacrificing their career: "I want to tell you something. You don't need to get an abortion to have a big career. It doesn't matter whether you have kids now or later, because they will always make your career more difficult."