I will be forever grateful for the staff that helped me and the ability to choose.
When I was 13 years old, I started dating a boy and became pregnant a few months later at the age of 14. I ended up having a seizure and went to the hospital and they told me. Luckily, they did not tell my family.
I knew about abortion from some TV shows I had watched but had never talked about it. In the state I lived in, they had a parental notification law so the abortion agency helped me get what was called a judicial bypass so I did not have to get my parent’s permission. I knew I was going to terminate the pregnancy and just wanted to get that whole experience done with and move on so I did not tell my family and was granted a judicial bypass to not have to. My boyfriend accompanied me to the clinic. I still remember the protestors. The agency staff were so caring and helpful and never made me feel bad for being a kid in this situation.
I vowed to make my experience mean something and I became a therapist to help teens either avoid or deal with the situation I experienced. In my journey, I discovered I have ADHD and that girls with ADHD have higher rates of teen pregnancy. This has helped me heal from the burden I carried about getting myself in the position to deal with an unplanned pregnancy in the first place.
My whole life has revolved around my experience. As hard as I tried to move past it, even switching schools before the rumors could start, I think about it a lot. It was the best thing to happen to me as it gave me purpose in life, but it was the worst thing because I have this sad weight that will always be there- I will always have this what if. But I know I am better off for having had the choice. I have two grown children who I dedicated my life to because I was in a position to be able to.
I will be forever grateful for the staff that helped me and the ability to choose.