I was a few months into my freshman year playing Division I college basketball. My period was two weeks late and my body felt really off. I took four tests and sure enough, they were all positive. I was with someone at the time that I am not longer with, but I was very supported in whatever decision I chose to make. I ended up going through with the abortion, but by the time I was able to secure an appointment, finish the paperwork, and have the funds to pay for it, I was pushing 8 weeks. The 6 week ban on abortion is really difficult for me to fathom. It’s hard to imagine that if I attended college in Texas I would have needed to get on an airplane and fly to a different state in order to receive a safe and healthy abortion. Not to add, this was in the middle of our season. I can’t imagine how my situation would have been if I was in a different state with little to no abortion access.
I have wanted to become a mother for as long as I can remember, but being an 18 year-old athlete in college was not the time nor place for that to begin for me. The decision to have an abortion was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I know it was the right one. I eventually want to publicize my story and use it to teach and educate others on abortion and reproductive rights, but I am not ready to do so right now. (This story can be published, just no name, please!) I am grateful for the support and love I received throughout the entire process, and I learned so much about myself, as well as American politics when it comes to abortion. #ShoutYourAbortion
