Via an entry on Trish Wilson's blog, I was linked to an eloquent entry by Kameron Hurley over at Brutal Women about what kinds of things can go through a woman's head when she comes to believe that, despite using birth control, she might be pregnant.

Beyond that, it's a reminder of the costs, physical, emotional, and monetary, women must pay when faced with an unwanted pregnancy, and a tribute to the need to be in charge of your own life and your own body. It's one of many stories women have started to tell about their experiences, stories well worth reading to preserve the human face of the potential mothers when abortion comes up as a political issue. It's only by dehumanizing or trivializing the sacrifices of the grown women that many anti-abortion activists can put so much fire into their arguments. 77% of the anti-abortion crowd is male, I was informed today, and of the women taking that stance, many seem to be doing so only because they cannot envision it happening to them, or to a loved one. When it does happen to them, many avail themselves of the opportunity to preserve their futures anyway. Sometimes the experience strips away enough of the anti-abortion myths that the woman involved changes sides. Other times, the women go back to their protests to preserve their social status as soon as the abortion is completed, their privacy protected by the very people they are attacking. These aren't bizarre outliers — almost a quarter of those seeking abortions were previously opposed to them.

Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid are currently pushing the Putting Prevention First Act (and an associated First Amendment) that strikes me as the best way to cut down on the number of abortions: providing women with the tools to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. I hope it gathers support. The numbers tell us that even those women that take anti-abortion stances feel the need to control their procreation.

The rest are simply less confused about it.