It Shouldn’t be Like This

I was in the middle of grieving the death of my father who had died after a very long battle with cancer when my mother suddenly died of an aneurysm. I realized I was accidentally pregnant a week or two later when my period was late. I hoped it was the stress of so much loss until I took the test. I never wanted children, never dreamed about it. Even though I was 33, I felt my own life was just beginning in a way. I was in a stable relationship with a wonderful man but my whole world had been turned upside down. He actually wanted to keep the pregnancy but I was sure of my decision. It was an emotional time. They make you wait until you are 7 weeks in my state, so even though I realized that first week, I had to wait a month and a half. I was so angry. And then when we got to the clinic, protesters were screaming in my face that I was making the worst decision. I knew it was the best decision. Yes, it was painful but I have never had even a second of regret. My only regret is that I’ve never publicly shared my abortion story for fear of shame. Most of my close friends don’t even know and it shouldn’t be like this.