Courtney’s Story

I am 20 years old, I had an abortion and I’m not sorry. I had been with my boyfriend for almost three years when I became pregnant. My insurance had just switched me to generic birth control pills, and though I was taking them, I became pregnant (later my ob/gyn told me that generics only have to be 50% affective to meet FDA regulations). I attend college and work full time to support myself, though I officially lived with my parents. My relationship is not abusive, we are very much in love but I feel that we are far too immature and poorly equipped to be parents now. When I told my 25 year old boyfriend that I thought I was pregnant and wanted to abort, he was 100% supportive in whatever I chose. I began to seek out medical advice. I went to Student Health were I received a positive pregnancy test. Immediately my nurse jumped all over me about not going to my OB. The male doctor began to pressure me into adoption because it was against his religious beliefs for me to have an abortion. He gave me his telephone number so I could call him to talk about my decision. I lied to him and never did call him back. I began to panic, I wasn’t sure how far along I was because I am irregular due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and I needed to act fast. I didn’t know where to turn, I felt like I couldn’t tell my friends (who are largely conservative, though I’ve been pro-choice for as long as I remember) I soon began searching the web for help, but couldn’t find anything. Finally I found a Planned Parenthood about an hour away in a larger college town, I made an appointment and within a week I went to their office, my boyfriend was right beside me. The ladies there were less than supportive and said they could only refer me to a doctor three hours from my home, because they did not perform the procedure there. There was no way I could get there without my parents catching on. Meanwhile, I began to experience extreme and constant nausea accompanied by sharp pain in my abdomen. Desperate, I called my aunt, luckily she is very open and always told me she would be there in this type of situation, I was still a little ashamed but I knew what I had to do. She was slightly disappointed in me, but took control of the situation and found a clinic an hour from my house in a different state. She and boyfriend went with me. The staff here was so supportive and a nurse even discussed her prior abortion candidly with me. My medical abortion, performed at 8 weeks, was physically painful because I opted out of sedation. But, I was immediately relieved. After the procedure, I experienced minor cramping and felt fatigued. Other than that, I was complication free. As the would-be due date approaches, in fleeting moments, I miss my baby and wonder what (s)he would have been like, but overall, I am not sorry. I am still with my boyfriend and we are going strong. Post-Abortion isn’t what Anti-choicers make it out to be. I am happy and healthy and largely guilt-free.