A Story about an Abortion in India

“What have I done?” Julule screams.

Julule is kneeled down in the dirt of her backyard, crouched over her blood stained hands. Scared. Too afraid to call her depressed husband. All she can do is cry and remember what the doctor promised.

Julule and her husband Shamaul had sat in the cramped waiting room overwhelmed with joy and hope. Shamaul had performed all of India’s standard rituals and had prayed for a healthy baby. The waiting room was crowded with pregnant women, but Julule was next after already waiting for over an hour. Before she knew it she was in the doctor’s office which was merely a room, practically bare except for a bed, chair and a strange looking machine.

It was obvious from when the doctor introduced himself that he was blunt and to the point, which was typical of India’s pediatricians. He simply introduced himself as doctor Kevorkian and immediately began the procedure, like a secret agent on a mission. Doctor Kevorkian prepared the machine while Julule tried to relax on the bed, which she found rather hard to do with her heart racing faster than Ian Thorpe in the fifty-meter freestyle. Once Julule seemed a bit more relaxed the doctor applied the conductive gel and began scanning.

After what seemed to be an eternity to Julule doctor Kevorkian said in an emotionless tone, “It’s a healthy baby girl.”

Instantly Julule broke into tears and sobbed the words “Oh, no. It’s just not fair! Now Shamaul is going to force me to abort her.”

This last remark seemed to impress doctor Kevorkian who was only thinking about the money, but he did his best to hide his priority. In a very cold voice he asked, “Would you like to keep her or do you want a dose of opium to abort the pregnancy?”

“What do you mean would I like to keep her? Of course I want to keep her. But, but… my husband,” Julule cut out in the middle of the sentence as if too weak to continue. As if she just regained her strength she whispered, “No, I’ll try to convince him.”

“Okay, suit yourself,” replied doctor Kevorkian in a surprised tone, “It is unheard of for wives to disagree with their husbands in these parts of India!”

Julule stormed out the office without even saying a word. She carried a very disappointed look on her face, and prepared for the bombardment of questions, and orders that awaited her from her husband.