I’m happy with the choice I made and extra happy that when I did have a kid two years later, I did so consciously and enthusiastically.
For me, abortion wasn’t a difficult decision to make at all. I was a graduate student in a long distance relationship, and 2000 miles from my closest relative. I was in my second year of a PhD program, thoroughly overwhelmed by my coursework and barely succeeding in feeding and caring for myself. In no world was I prepared to care for another human.
My abortion was not particularly painful, and it took place in a regular exam room in a totally nondescript clinic. It was paid for by my grad student health plan. I had no complications and zero regrets.
The only thing that’s ever felt bad about my abortion is the external voices that suggested that mine was a frivolous one. I was in a committed partnership, after all, and was nearly 30, not exactly a naive young person at that point. But I’m happy with the choice I made and extra happy that when I did have a kid two years later, I did so consciously and enthusiastically. That kid is a teen now, and I’m so grateful I’ve been able to show up for him in all the ways he needs me to. I can’t imagine I’d have been able to say the same if I’d had a kid that earlier time.
