Dani’s Decision took place in 1971, Mississippi, two years before the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. These were the options available to women with an unwanted pregnancy:

Scales of JusticeMississippi did not permit legal abortions. Women with financial means could travel to other states for the procedure.

Women without financial means that wished to end the pregnancy often went to unsafe and unsanitary places such as the back-alley location Dani visited.

If a woman was the victim of rape or incest, she could petition the court for a legal abortion. This meant convincing a judge that the sex was not consensual.

The woman could give birth and keep the child. It could be claimed as her own or passed off as her mother’s child.

The woman could give birth and put the child up for adoption or place it into foster care.

I read that it is impossible to stop all abortions; it is only possible to stop legal abortions. What do you think of that statement?

What option do you think Dani should have taken?

Read More:

The Inspiration

Reader Assumptions

Reaction to Dani’s Pregnancy

Options in 1971 Mississippi