i was 21 in early 1988 and recently separated from a mentally-abusive husband, whom i had foolishly married at 18 to get out of my alcoholic and abusive parent’s house (frying pan, meet fire).

i’d gotten pregnant while taking the pill – the dose of hormones i’d been given wasn’t strong enough for me – just before i moved out, according to the calendar.

i barely could feed myself on what little i made, let alone raise a child. i also knew if i had that baby, i would be chained to an abusive man for the rest of my life. the therapy i went through after that divorce only solidified my belief i made the right choice. who knows if the abuse would have escalated? i didn’t stick around to find out and i certainly wasn’t going to subject a child to it.

all these years later, i still firmly stand by my choice. i have actively fought to keep that choice alive for other women, too.

thank you for starting this campaign. i’ll be donating shortly.