I’m not sorry.

I was an irresponsible, undisciplined and wild young woman. I didn’t get to class on time, I didn’t make it home before curfew, I didn’t get good grades. I didn’t have a plan for the future. I DID have a lot of fun, a lot of friends. I was brought up in a secular household. My mother was an amazing, dedicated and fun parent, and my father did the best he could with the coping skills he had, and his chronic illnesses. I always knew that remaining child-free was an option. So when I became pregnant, there was no question that it was the right thing for me at that time. I understood the sadness of the situation – the lost potential. That I would never know this potential person. But the necessity to maintain my life trajectory without completely complicating my entire future, and in the interest of not destroying two lives, I knew that abortion was the right answer. I have, on occasion, done the math to figure out how old that child(ren) would be at certain milestones along my journey; I have checked in with my psyche – to check if I have regret, to reassess my choices. I can say I have never regretted it. I remain child free, at 51. My life is a good one; I have a happy marriage to a wonderful person; I am able to socialize, sleep in, vacation. I have enough money, time, energy. I have some health issues that have been serious enough that I have been unable to work for extended periods of time, and have been able to manage my health issues WELL – all because I do not have children. Yes, there are trade offs in everyone’s life. There are things and joys I will not experience because I chose to abort. But the same trade off is true of those who do choose to be parents. We really do not get “it all.” I am happy, content and unconflicted with my CHOICES. It is of vital necessity that parenthood, and the choice not to be a parent, be options for all women.