The Phone Call

“The Phone Call” by Melissa Fournier is a short narrative retelling the author’s experience in giving birth to an infant on the edge of viability and, in the face of low odds of survival and extreme neurological impairments, signed a DNR. She recounts her experience as it is compared with others’ experiences of earlier stage abortions, and how public perceptions of varying kinds of difficult parental choices can be laced with bias, even when well-meaning. This would be useful in a class about reproductive rights and abortion. It is not long enough for an entire assignment, but it could be a good example to challenge abortion stereotypes and assumptions include in a lesson on the many nuanced situations in which termination of life occurs. 





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