I was 24, just finished college and starting my career. I came from a poor, abusive family and had just gotten out of an abusive relationship. I worked so very hard to get my degree and land a great job. I was on birth control, in a committed relationship, and my partner and I were using condoms. I fell pregnant anyway. When I told my boyfriend, he sort of shrugged and reminded me that he was planning on moving a few hours away to go to school and that I needed to “figure it out.” I was heartbroken. My boyfriend was discarding me, and I was left to deal with the situation alone. I felt so abandoned and backed into a corner, like I had no choice. I had just started a job that was going to demand long hours and hard work, and there was no way I could take leave just a few months later. I had no partner to rely on. I had no family and no close friends that could be a support system, and I definitely didn’t have money to pay for daycare or a nanny while I worked. I was barely paying the bills as it was. I knew I couldn’t provide a safe and secure life for another human, so I knew the responsible choice was to have an abortion. My ex-boyfriend and I drove to an abortion-friendly state, and afterwards while I cried in the hotel room, he went out and gambled.
