The Abortion Clinic Offered to Kill My 28-Week-Old Baby in an Abortion for $11,400 No Questions Asked

I was 28 weeks pregnant when I walked into the small, windowless waiting room of the Washington Surgi-Clinic for my abortion appointment. I filled out the paperwork and gave the front desk nurse $11,400 in cash. I asked if it was strange that I was paying in cash. He said no. I sat next to another girl.

I got nervous. But not because I was there for the abortion. I hid. It was January 2022, and I agreed to partner with Live Action on secretly recording my visit to this clinic in Washington in hopes of showing people the true nature of late-term abortion. Live Action investigated the Washington– Surgi clinic new and discovered some scary truths. But the public remains largely unaware of the realities of late-term abortion clinics. I hope to help change that. There is a wide gulf between the rhetoric of pro-choice activists – who argue that women choose abortion with full knowledge and autonomy – and what I experienced that day.

About half an hour before the nurse called me. He drew blood, recorded my vitals, and checked on my daughter Ruby with an ultrasound. He explained that abortion is a three-day process: two days for dilation and the third day for extraction. He assured me Ruby will not feel pain before he passes away.

I felt Ruby turn and stretch, and her movements made me cry. I was surprised by my emotional reaction. I expected to be angry, but my heart broke. I pictured her little face. Of course, I knew I wouldn’t do anything to endanger him. But I also know that I am in the presence of people who, if I ask them, will willingly and quite literally tear my little girl apart. Although I knew she was safe with me, the panic in the room made me feel like I needed to protect her.

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Crying, I told the nurse that I felt stupid, and that I should have made a decision sooner. He reassured. “Yes, I know, it’s very difficult. You can talk to us. We are here to help in any way we can.” But he didn’t ask why I wanted an abortion, if I was sure it was the right decision, or if I knew of or was interested in any other options.

I returned to the waiting room, sadness enveloping me. I reminded myself that Ruby and I were leaving soon, that she was safe and that we would both be fine. But that mantra offered no solace for the women sitting around me. Some seem calm. Others are crying. A woman complained of feeling unwell. We were sitting in silence, but I wanted to turn to them and ask “Why are you here? How can I help?”

Before Ruby, I gave birth to three children. With each pregnancy, a medical professional asked me to screen for domestic violence and mental health issues as a safety protocol. In contrast, although I cried repeatedly during the hours-long appointment to abort my healthy 28-week-old baby, no one checked me for compulsions or psychological issues.

No one asked about Ruby’s medical history or health status, either. This disinterest makes sense; after all, the Washington-The Surgi clinic performs abortions up to the third trimester for any reason. It is legal and easy to accept. In fact, the nurses repeatedly assured me that there was nothing wrong or even strange about me, a healthy woman, miscarrying my healthy child at seven months.

After another hour of sitting in the waiting room, a second nurse called me back. He discussed some possible complications. He warned about premature birth, calling it “spontaneous abortion.” I asked what I would have done if that had happened in my hotel room that night. “It doesn’t happen often. But if this happens, don’t panic. [The doctor] can come and help you take care of it, or we can just tell you what to do with the debris,” he said.

The nurse started giving me drugs before the first dilation. The list includes acetaminophen, an antibiotic, and Xanax. “They’re just there to relax you,” he said with a smile.

I asked if it was possible to talk to the doctor who performs the abortion before taking the drugs, but he said that’s not how it works. According to him, the doctor wouldn’t see me until it was time to start dilating, by which time the drugs would need to be in my system.

Considering my options, I asked whether or not Xanax would affect my mental clarity, to which he replied “No, it shouldn’t.” I repeated that I would prefer to speak to the doctor first, but he was unmoved. So, I told the staff that I had changed my mind. They returned the cash I paid (minus ultrasound fees), and I left.

As I left the waiting room, my mind returned to the women around me. I feel like I’ve abandoned them and their children in the uncertain hope that this secret work will protect more women and children in the future. This is an abysmal calculus. I keep thinking of those who stayed in that waiting room after I left, and of all the women and children who have entered it since then.

LifeNews.com Note: Monica Snyder is the executive director of Secular Pro-Life, an organization that uses non-religious arguments to promote a pro-life perspective. Snyder worked as an investigator for the human rights organization, Live Action, to investigate the Washington-Surgi Abortion Clinic to expose their late-term abortion practices. He also serves as the Executive Director of Secular Pro-Life.