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'I'd do it again': Zephyrhills woman who had abortion at 19 fears impact of proposed 6-week ban on young women

Sarrah Vesselov says a 6-week ban would have prevented her abortion as a teen.

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Right now, abortion restrictions are at the center of public debate in the state as the Florida legislature is expected to pass a bill banning abortions as early as six weeks.

For one Zephyrhills woman, the issue of abortion is personal.

Sarrah Vesselov, now 45, found out she was pregnant at 19 years old.

Describing that moment she said, "Panic, just panic, because it knew it wasn't the right time, I couldn't possibly be a mother at that point."

Vesselov made the difficult decision to get an abortion. She said while she has been shamed for her decision, she doesn't regret it and knows it was the right thing for her.

Faced with a pregnancy at 19, "I'd do it again," said Vesselov. "I wouldn't change a thing."

Since her abortion, Vesselov said she graduated from college, became a director of design at a software company, got married and had two boys and now started her own board game cafe business. 

She said her life path would have been much more difficult had she been forced to go through her pregnancy. 

"If I was to be honest with myself with where I'd be, I don't imagine I would have ever finished college."

She said a six-week abortion ban in Florida would have prevented her from making that decision. Now, she worries for the young women who won't have the same options she did. 

"Why the barriers? It seems to be intended to cause delay and put everything possible in place so it doesn't happen," Vesselov said. 

Many in favor of a six-week ban, including the senate bill's sponsor Erin Grall (R-District 54) say that's true: preventing abortions is the ultimate goal.

"The goal of this bill is to say, where there is life, we will protect it," Grall said during a hearing on SB 300. 

With strong convictions from those fighting to protect life, and those fighting to protect a woman's right to choose, there now seems little room for common ground.

 

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