Kris' Story

I had an abortion in 1998, when my second husband and I had been together for two years. I had a teenager from my first marriage, he had several; neither of us wanted to start another family in our late 30's. So I started the Pill when things got serious between us, and it was the perfect contraceptive until I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. My high BP, plus my age, and my physician recommended I stop taking the Pill. My husband and I discussed it, and he said he would have a vasectomy. Until he could schedule it, we'd use condoms and spermicide.

Three months later, I was pregnant.
,p> I'd had "morning" sickness that lasted all day long for almost the entire length of my previous pregnancy, along with other physical problems that left me sick, weak, dehydrated, and often unable to work. And that was as a healthy 20 something. I was already, at just a few weeks along, fighting constant nausea and bouts of vomiting and realizing this pregnancy, if allowed to proceed, would take place in a less-than-healthy 37-year-old body. There was no way I would go through that again.

I scheduled an abortion for the earliest possible date, and my husband drove me there. The clinic staff was professional; a counselor spoke with me for a while about whether I was sure of this decision and options open to me if I chose not to abort. The doctor spoke with me when he came in and reassured me that everything would be okay. I had opted for twilight sedation so I felt no pain at all during the abortion and only mild cramps after.

Eight years (and one vasectomy) later, and my husband and I are both convinced abortion was the right choice for us.