I had an abortion at 17 and I am so thankful.
I am 27 now and am beyond thankful for my abortion 10 years ago.
I wasn’t on birth control and didn’t use a condom. It was the summer before my senior year. My high school boyfriend and I used the never reliable pull out method. I remember one day none of my clothes fit properly and it dawned on me that I was way more bloated than usual.
Before taking a pregnancy test my boyfriend and I talked at length about what to do. He was 3 years older than me but lived at my house in his own room because his parents were shitty. We decided to keep the baby and make the best of it.
As soon as I saw the positive I was sick to my stomach and absolutely didn’t want this baby anymore. The fantasy sounded great but the reality of being 17 and pregnant terrified me.
My mom came home from work and I remember asking her to come upstairs with me so I could show her the test I took. I was crying and embarrassed. She didn’t believe it, convinced it was a false positive and made me an appointment with her OBGYN who actually delivered me and my little sister.
The OB confirmed I was 5 weeks pregnant. The nurse congratulated me- I didn’t know how to respond. After the sonogram I sat in the doctor’s office to discuss the next steps. He said I should come back for my next appointment in a month but then he asked if I wanted this baby. I shamefully told him I didn’t know. He asked if I thought about an abortion. He told me he could recommend a great women’s clinic and that physically I would be totally fine afterwards and could still have children later (I didn’t have any accurate education about abortion at the time). I immediately said that’s what I want.
Now, I live in GA and was raised Lutheran. I went to a small private school from age 3-8th grade. My mom is religious and thought it important that I be raised in the church. She never really pushed religion once I got old enough to make my own decisions and we never talked about what she thought of abortion. I assumed she believed it was murder.
I told her I wanted an abortion. She told me I had to call the women’s clinic and make the appointment. My boyfriend was pissed. I don’t think he ever forgave me for my decision even though we stayed together for about 2 years after. He refused to go with me.
My mom took me to the clinic on the day of. We passed by protestors with signs of fetuses. We had to show our IDs to a security guard to prove we were supposed to be there. There were so many other women there- the waiting room was packed. I checked in and insurance paid for about $400 worth. My mom paid for the rest. She sat in that waiting room for 8 hours while I went back, was interrogated about if I really wanted to do this, and forced to hear the heart beat. My mom helped me to the car after the procedure and after I came to, took me home and took care of me. We really never talked about it again.
I am now married to someone wonderful and we just had a baby of our own. Our son is 12 weeks old and all I can think about is how thankful I am that my life worked out this way.
I am so thankful for that older male OBGYN in GA that didn’t judge me and referred me to a safe clinic. I’m thankful there was a clinic near me. I’m thankful insurance covered part of it. I’m thankful my mom was supportive and could afford to pay for the rest of it. I had easy access to a safe abortion. It corrected a mistake that would have changed my life and gave me a better chance to succeed.
I will never stop fighting for women to have access to birth control, education, and safe abortions.
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