I had 2 abortions in the 1970s. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend and I discussed it and decided that abortion was the best alternative for us. I was probably 8-10 weeks along both times. We decided not to involve our parents, and handled it ourselves.

In both cases, I went to a clinic called Preterm in Washington, DC. The people were wonderfully supportive, but counseled me first to be sure I was making the right decision for the right reasons. The environment was great--soothing colors, clean, and respectful staff. The doctor was very professional, and told me exactly what was happening at each step, and the nurse was very attentive. My cervix was dilated (I had some cramping) and a vacuum process was used. I remember thinking it was similar to having a tooth filled. Afterwards, I was led to a recovery room with comfortable oversized easy chairs, and given a warm blanket. There was juice and food, and I was thirsty and hungry since I had not eaten breakfast. There were about 7 or 8 other girls there at a time in recovery, and the staff kept me under observation for a while onsite, and then had me call a nurse at pre-scheduled times for several weeks to monitor us or any time I had a question or concern. The recovery experience was uneventful, with girls and women reading magazines and chatting. I felt tired the evening after the first one, but I had also had an IUD inserted (it was removed about 10 months later when questions arose about the safety of IUDs). The evening after the 2nd one, I went to a movie and was fine. It was an uneventful process both times.

I am delighted to finally have a forum where I can talk about this openly and not be attacked by anti-abortion extremists!!! That is the only thing that has kept me from discussing abortion more widely all these years (although I do openly discuss it with my friends, husband, mother, doctor, etc.). I've wanted for so many years to tell women that, at the time, abortion was one of the very best life decisions I've ever made and I have no regrets. I only wish the issue wasn't so politically charged, because I strongly believe it really should be a private choice between a woman and her doctor. I only wish abortion were more readily available and publicly funded for military women, poor women, and teens without the need to wait or get parental permission.