I had an abortion when I was 22. It was an incredibly easy thing for me to do. I was working in a national park and had a summer fling with a really great guy that I worked with. I know the exact night I got pregnant, and I really freaked out when I knew for sure. I called my mom and told her (we're very close) and she said she would support me in whatever I wanted to do. She would even help raise the baby if that's what I wanted. It was never really a choice for me--I already had another job lined up in another state. I wasn't in love with this man--in fact I never even told him. We lived on absoulte different sides of the country. My summer job was almost up and my mom made the appointment. for me in my home state. I remember being really anxious to get the abortion done--I hated sharing my body with this thing, I knew it was getting nourishment from me and I didn't want to share.
The night before, I was a bit scared that it was going to hurt, physically. The procedure was quick, easy and pretty painless. After it was all over, I asked if I could see it. They brought it in to me in a cup of clear liquid--it looked like a piece of uncooked white rice. I've never seen my summer fling again.
Afterwards, and to this day, I have never felt any guilt--I remember being
surprised by that. People always say it took them years to get over it; they would never do that now if they had it to do over, blah, blah, blah. I think the baby would be about 4ish now--I have no regrets. I have lived a great life so far, and wouldn't have been able to do most of the things I've done if I was a single mom. I REALLY want kids, and I'm getting married in a couple of months. If I got pregnant now, it would be a whole different story--but I'm glad I made the decision I did when I was 22.
Don't let anyone scare you. It's your choice. And even if you feel like you could never have an abortion, it's SO SO SO important to keep our right to choose.
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