Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we will be featuring real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.
My pregnancy was a complete shock to me and my fiancé. Our wedding was a month away, I had been on birth control without any problems, and I had just lost my job and decided to go back to school. My fiancé is a firefighter, and while his position seemed secure at the moment, there was no telling where that would go.
We were both in our early twenties, and while that is a perfectly acceptable time to have a child, especially in my family where no one has had a baby past 23, we still felt like this was something we weren’t ready for. What about all the things we wanted to accomplish first, like getting out of my parents’ house and finally getting our own place? We have always wanted children, but there was no way we could have provided for a baby at that point.
After weighing our options, it seemed clear terminating the pregnancy was the best choice for us. Of course, this didn’t come without its doubts, and it wasn’t until I decided to discuss this with my mother that I got exactly the comfort I was looking for. She told me that any person who can recognize that they can’t provide for a child at the moment is responsible and caring enough to be an excellent parent.
About a year later, my now-husband and I have begun talking about having a baby. This time it will be planned and we will both be fully prepared. When looking back, there is nothing we regret. Being responsible means making choices that are not always easy, but are always right. Now we are excited to start trying to conceive and know we can provide our child with everything it needs and then some.
–Submitted by Ethel* through a member clinic
My senior year of high school, I ended up pregnant. I was on the pill, and I was also taking medication for bi-polar disorder. My psychiatrist and my pharmacist neglected to tell me that the two medications essentially canceled each other out.
I considered my options, and after consulting with a physician, we determined that with the medication I was taking, and my lack of proper nutrition, it would be best to terminate the pregnancy. I was on several other prescription medications throughout the course of the year. My insurance did not, and does not, cover any form of birth control for any reason, even PMDD or migraines, nor does it cover abortion.
Women’s health should not be a topic to be debated by the politicians on Capitol Hill. It is my health—our health—that is in the hands of a biased and sexist majority. My choice, my decision, is just that… my choice. I am a responsible adult; I am a strong and independent woman. Law should not dictate what I can and cannot do with my body.
–Submitted by Maggie* through our website
*Names have been changed to protect patient privacy