Mari Withicombe - memories of abortion rights activism in Wales

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Transcript:
Okay so I’m from Norway I came to Cardiff to go to university back in 1966 and I’ve lived here ever since. In my course in college there were only six women, the rest were men it was a very male dominated course. It was at the time when the birth control pill was becoming available and the attitude to having sex was changing. My background, my mother was very religious and very strict but she had already spent time with me to say that she wouldn’t be judgmental whatever I did but that the most important thing was to have birth control. She was very specific about this and talked about it a number of times. It was only many, many years later that I found out that my aunt, her sister, had had an illegal abortion which had been horrific all those years ago. So in my relationship with my boyfriend I was very specific that we were not taking any chances to become pregnant. I knew that I would have to leave my course and I would have to go back home and it would be absolutely tragic if I got pregnant. And then the Abortion Act came about probably about the same time that I had had a steady boyfriend for some time and so I thought that perhaps I could go to my GP and get the pill which I attempted. It was an elderly female doctor and I picked a female doctor thinking that would make it less difficult. I thought it was quite traumatic doing all this, she was absolutely horrific she just laughed in my face and said ‘it’s not meant for people like you, you have to be married”. All that sort of set off trying to build up a network for women who were in a similar position because obviously there were more. And finding out, I can’t remember the dates of these, but the family planning clinic became an option although I’m sure they had different people on separate days it was all a bit stigmatized. Then I don’t know I felt, I got quite angry really and then there was still the possibility that you might get pregnant even if you had ways of trying to avoid it. And there was an absolute network of women some who I’ve been in touch with ever since and some I’ve no idea what happened to, who were trying to establish how you go about it if you wanted to have an abortion. And there were specific doctors. We all told each other we would be supportive and I can remember thinking it’s like you, you would go on your own and it would generally be a male doctor and they have the power over you telling you whether you could have an abortion. I know at least two people who did that so I think it’s just such an important thing and I’ve heard that people have campaigned from then until now there is very little change. Which is why I agreed to do this interview because I think it’s really important that we keep campaigning and try change the way things are. I also even think the doctors that… changed you register with a doctor. Thinking back on this specific doctor who was supposed to be helpful, I’m just wondering what his motives were because I can remember what he was like but that’s just me perhaps jumping to conclusions. And I also have some knowledge of younger people who have wanted to choose to have an abortion in Cardiff very recently who have felt that the medical profession have been unsupportive, have questioned their decisions too many times and had them wait longer than seems sympathetic - and have to go to the same places the people go who want to have a baby. It’s all still quite traumatic and that’s it really.