Corliss:         I believe in a woman's right to make her own decision when and if to have a child.

     At forty three,  I became pregnant for the first time.  It was unexpected.  I had been praying incessantly for help; wordless prayers.  I was on a test drug for Arrhythmia, a condition that occurred due to being hypothyroid and not having it treated soon enough.  To use the drug I had to sign an agreement not to become pregnant.  I immediately informed my cardiologist of my pregnancy.  Concerned how the medication would affect the health of the child, he advised me to abort.

      I feared bringing a child into this world.  Our health, age and finances were such to bring fear even to the stalwart.  I weighed the issues and believed an abortion was the right decision; a voice came to me from within and without, saying 'That Can Change'.  I knew this to refer to our economic situation.  This  brought home to me the finality of an abortion and my heart sank into an abyss of doubts.  I went to Ira and bore my soul.  He told me he wanted the child.    Until this time he stayed completely silent, allowing me to make my decision.  It was a difficult choice, yet I would not have known it was the right decision if I had not been allowed to make it myself.

Commentary from exhibition at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California.