I remember when I gave the note to my gym teacher...she was angry at me and I got angry right back and said to mind her own business.
In January 1990, when I was 18 years old, a senior in high school, I found out I was pregnant. My mother came to me and said, “I buy the tampons around here and I notice you haven’t needed any.” I had taken an over the counter test a month earlier, which was negative, and I was taking the pill that I’d gotten at Planned Parenthood, so I thought I wasn’t pregnant. Well, she was right. I must’ve missed a pill, or been on antibiotics, because I was about 10-12 weeks pregnant. The OB she sent me to assumed I would have an abortion – a nice Jewish girl from the suburbs doesn’t have a baby in high school. Well, he was right. I did decide to terminate the pregnancy. I told my boyfriend and he came with me to the clinic. It cost about $250, if I remember correctly. The pain was excruciating and it was the first time I had ever felt that alone and responsible for my own decisions. I remember when I gave the note to my gym teacher from the OB at the clinic, she was angry at me and I got angry right back and said to mind her own business. I sometimes think about how old that child would be had I not terminated the pregnancy, but I don’t regret the decision. Every choice I’ve made has led to the life I lead now, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
