In the summer of 1972, the year before Roe v. Wade made abortion legal nationwide, Elaine Fichter was 16 years old and eight weeks pregnant.

Fichter lived in Washington state where abortion was already legal, and she made the choice to terminate her pregnancy.

Fifty years later, Fichter’s grandchild, RadioActive’s Natalie Lahr, explores how her grandmother’s decision impacted both of their futures.

Content note: This story discusses the process of getting an abortion in some detail. It also references parental abuse. Please take care when listening.

Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/at-16-my-grandma-had-an-abortion-at-18-i-m-telling-her-story

[RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW's radio journalism and audio storytelling program for young people. This story was entirely youth-produced, from the writing to the audio editing.]