I had my first abortion when I was 14. I was having sex with a man much older then me, recklessly, without putting any thought at all into protection. I was fascinated with him because he was older and because I had lost my virginity to him. When I found out I was pregnant, I was in my elementary school bathroom looking at myself in the mirror. I was horrified and scared. I made the appointment without having any plan for how I was going to pay for it, I was just going to show up and beg for the procedure. Well, my plan didn’t work out the way I had hoped it would. My mother found out and things sort of unraveled, but I was able to have the abortion regardless. I cannot imagine having a baby at 14 years old. My life was a shit show at the time and the abortion allowed me to take some time to get things back on track.
I got pregnant again when I was 21. Although I was in a relationship with the guy who got me pregnant, I was not confident in our ability to raise a child happily together. In fact, the idea of being tied to another human for any reason really freaked me out (and still does, tbh). I haven’t regretted it for one second.
My third abortion was when I was 24. My partner was abusive and reacted really poorly when I told him the news. His complete lack of responsibility was exactly what I needed to remind me that having a baby with him was a really awful idea. Less than 12 hours after the procedure, he was picked up by the cops for an outstanding warrant related to a DV situation with his ex.
Abortion access is necessary. Women get strapped with the burden of having to raise children in shitty situations. Life is hard enough. The right to choose is a HUMAN right.
