I am not a perfect human. None of us are. There are a lot of choices that I’ve made in my life that I look back on today and cringe. Having an abortion is not one of those choices. Honestly, talking about it feels strange, because it was such a small blip on the timeline of my life.
As soon as I found out I was pregnant there was no question in my mind that I was not ready to raise a child. I had very little financial stability, my jobs took me all over the US and I was in a relationship that was rapidly crumbling. That is not a healthy space in which to bring a child into the world.
The two weeks between finding out I was pregnant and going into the clinic for my abortion were hard. I was physically tired and sick all the time. There were moments of guilt and sadness; of course, knowing you have the opportunity to bring life into the world is an indescribable feeling. However, the times that I laid there just wanting to get that parasite out of me as fast a possible were far greater.
After it was over, the only way I can describe how I felt is relief. Waves and waves of it. I am lucky that I got a second chance and a fresh start because I know many women do not. This is not a sob story. Nothing about my experience was extreme or horrible. I am a responsible, 25-year-old woman who made a series of choices regarding MY body and MY future. I do not lose sleep over it and I do not regret it and I wish the same for all women.