As a single mother of three children, Nicole Atkins was in a desperate financial situation when she discovered she was pregnant. She was working, but living in a small apartment with her children, grandmother, and boyfriend, trying to save for a home.
Atkins told Live Action News, “When I went to the doctor to confirm my pregnancy, he suggested I have an abortion given my circumstances. He referred me to Southwestern Women’s Options [abortion business] in Albuquerque.”
At the time, Atkins was 17 weeks pregnant, and her boyfriend was distraught at her decision to abort their child. But Atkins didn’t know of other options available to her, nor did she fully understand what she was about to do.
On the day of her abortion, Atkins’ boyfriend dropped her off at the clinic, where she was sedated during the surgery. Afterward, she and her boyfriends would never again speak about her decision to end the life of their child.
“When I woke up, I was coldly told to put on my clothes and to leave,” Atkins said.
Wounded physically by abortion
At home after the abortion, Atkins began experiencing excruciating pelvic pain. She immediately went to the emergency room, but doctors couldn’t find the source of her agony and sent her home. “I knew something wasn’t right,” she said. “I essentially went to the ER every day complaining of pelvic pain.”
Finally, Atkins saw a specialist and underwent a laparoscopy. She was told she had endometriosis as well as deep lacerations to her uterus and cervix. She would discover later that those wounds had been inflicted during her abortion.
“The doctor told me that by removing my uterus, it would stop the intense pain I had been experiencing,” Atkins said. “But after the [hysterectomy] surgery, I got a bad infection and had to stay in the hospital for two weeks, surviving on antibiotics and pain medication.”
She felt fine for a couple of days, but then the pain started again, requiring another trip to the emergency room. Doctors determined that her ovaries needed to be removed, which catapulted Atkins into early menopause at 28 years old.
“During the surgery, they found a cyst on my ovary,” Atkins said. “The whole experience I went through was devastating.” She tried to return to a normal life, going back to her daily routine, but still grappled with tremendous pelvic pain.
“Often, I would have to leave work early and go home,” Atkins said. “I was told that the extreme discomfort I was feeling was from other organs touching my pelvic wall. I was put on oxycodone to help control the pain.”
She tried physical therapy, acupuncture, and other methods as well, with little relief.
Death of sister at same business led her to learn of her own injuries
During this time, Atkins’ sister Keisha underwent a late-term abortion at the same abortion facility — Southwestern Women’s Options — and Keisha died from complications of the procedure.
Atkins said, “I had no idea that Keisha was contemplating having an abortion at that clinic. She was six months pregnant at the time. After the surgery, she got sepsis and eventually died of cardiac arrest. They neglected to treat her adequately or she would be alive today.”
She helped her mother arrange for her sister’s funeral to ensure both mother and child were buried together. Yet, little did Atkins know she was about to engage in a legal battle with the abortion business responsible for the death of her sister.
“When we got Keisha’s death certificate, it stated she died of natural causes,” Atkins said. “We knew that wasn’t true, but we were stonewalled by the clinic. We secured legal counsel and sued for medical malpractice and the wrongful death of my sister.”
She told the attorney what she had experienced following her abortion. She had never discussed her ordeal with anyone because of the deep shame she felt. Atkins said, “I just wanted justice for my sister, but it opened the door to learning what had happened to me. The attorney had also gotten my medical records and found that my uterus had been perforated twice by the doctor who performed my abortion.”
The lawsuit and details about her sister’s abortion were disturbing to Atkins’ elderly mother, who was battling cancer and diabetes. Eventually, Keisha’s case was settled, but for Atkins’ — who had also decided to sue — the case “was never resolved.”
Out of heartbreak came a mission to educate women on the dangers of abortion
To this day, Atkins says she still struggles with pelvic pain. Records indicate that instead of committing a D&E abortion, which would have been the most common procedure at 17 weeks (second trimester), the abortionist performed an induction abortion. The possible reason for this was even more upsetting, as Atkins learned the abortion business had sold her baby’s brain to the University of New Mexico to be dissected and studied, without her knowledge or consent.
Atkins said, “It was like another kick to the stomach. I never knew they did those kinds of things. It was shattering to me to learn that this clinic who killed my sister profited off callously selling my baby’s brain.”
She says she was young and naïve at the time of her abortion and blindly trusted her doctors’ decisions. “I wish I had educated myself before having the abortion,” Atkins said. “I was coerced into doing something I didn’t fully grasp.”
Out of the heartbreak of losing her baby and her beloved sister arose a new passion. She has shared her story on international radio shows and has spoken in front of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
She wants other women to know of the devastation caused by abortion and urges them to educate themselves before making such a life-impacting decision. She is now attending college and hopes to attain her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and continue her pro-life outreach.
“I had to wean myself off the [pain medications],” Atkins said. “But I thank God every day that I’m here. I’m fortunate to have supportive friends who inspire me, like my friend Christina Garza, a dedicated sidewalk counselor.”
She added, “If sharing my story it changes one person’s mind about abortion, then that makes me happy. I want women to know their voices matter.”
