Hello, my name is Maya. I am 26 years old. I found out that I was pregnant right before my birthday. It was truly the most awful birthday I have ever had. I was taking birth control and was extremely shocked to discover that I was pregnant. I was never the kind of person who liked children much and when I saw the positive result I felt like I was going to die. I was and still am in a long term relationship but I was a college student and only worked part time. There was no way my boyfriend or I could have afforded a child. I cried a lot and sometimes felt myself just wanting to dissapear during the time I was pregnant. I also felt like I was not pregnant but that I had some form of cancer instead. This of course was not true but I felt so sick constantly and sometimes I could not think of anything but how happy I would be after it was over.
The only person who knew was my boyfriend and he was very supportive. I did not feel that I could tell any member of my family that I was considering abortion due to the fact that they are very religious. At first I was very nervous and kept trying to put it off but I could not take it any longer. The feelings of dread worsened and I knew that having an abortion would be the best thing for everyone involved. I was never really scared for the procedure itself. I was more scared of the people that I had seen before standing outside the clinic shouting things at patients and shoving posters in their faces.
When I got there, there was a line of girls standing outside. I had driven past to try and find parking and saw one of the people I was so scared would yell obscenities at me. I confidently walked past them and waited in line for the clinic to open. When it did the waiting room was overflowing with women in my same situation. The feeling the room was somber but I could not understand why. I wondered why these women weren’t as happy as I was. I waited for a very long time until it was my turn and the whole time I just wanted it to be over so I could go to work and continue my life. Afterwards in the recovery room the other girls I was with were all crying. I never cried during or after the procedure. I had briefly wondered if there was something wrong with me but the feeling was quickly replaced with an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Through the whole process everyone involved made me feel like they really were backing me up. I was surprised by that but grateful at the same time. My boyfriend helped me to pay for the procedure and afterwards was very respectful of everything that I had been going through. I had read on a website before my procedure that 90% of couples break up after an abortion. I would like to tell anyone reading this not to listen to those people. While I’m sure there are many couples who find it hard to carry on, I feel that my experience has taught me that it brings you together. I couldn’t be more happy with my decision and I know I did the right thing. I’m not sorry!
