I’m in the US Air Force and was stationed in South Korea when I found out I was pregnant. I was three days late and I KNEW something was wrong because I had ALWAYS had a 28 day cycle exactly. Never late, not even once before, but this time it had been three days and nothing came. I was in a relationship with a Korean guy the same age as me (26). I was on the pill and thought I was being safe and protecting myself. Turns out I was wrong.
I had always believed abortion was something that each woman deserved the right to decide for themselves, I just always thought if I became accidentally pregnant that I would “be an adult” and have the baby. But when I found out I was pregnant, I panicked. Nothing about it felt right, or happy, like how it’s “supposed” to be. A part of me wanted to keep it, but deep down I knew it just wasn’t realistic. I knew my relationship with the father wasn’t going to last past my time in Korea, and I knew he didn’t want or see a future with me, nor I with him. And it wouldn’t be fair to bring a child into this world and their father never be around.
I felt horrible grief and shame for months after my abortion because I kept it to myself, only because of the stigma that surrounds abortion. And then six months later I found out the father had been sleeping with other women our entire relationship. That abortion allowed me to escape that relationship and to escape any connection to him for the rest of my life. And I will be forever be grateful for that. I am glad I listened to that deep feeling inside of me that told me to not have that baby. I now understand why it had to happen.
