on my 26th birthday weekend, the man i’ve been seeing for a few months took me out to dinner and we had an incredible time, as we always did.

a week after, i found out i was pregnant with his child. seeing the positive test result made me shaky, but i knew, i’ve always known, what my course of action would be if i ever got pregnant unexpectedly. i say unexpectedly because i’ve always been cautious about birth control. i’d been on and off the same birth control pill since the age of 18 and never had a problem with it. that is, until i got pregnant. i im世界杯2022亚洲预选赛b组 tely contacted planned parenthood and set an appointment for a medical abortion for the following friday. i spent the rest of the day debating on how or even if i should even tell him. in the end i came to the conclusion i had to tell him as that was his right and also for my sake. it didn’t seem fair to me that i bear this burden by myself, as this takes two. it was probably the hardest conversation i ever had to start with anybody, as i had no idea how he would react (we never had a conversation on the topic). i could not even look at him. i told him i was pregnant and what i wanted to do. i asked if he was ok with that. he said yes. i can honestly tell how lucky i felt for having this option when it comes to my own body and life. i originally come from a catholic country, where abortion is still illegal. thousands of girls die from complications each year as a result of a botched illegal abortion. making it illegal only endangers women’s lives and do not serve as a deterrent. as for my abortion itself, i was treated with respect and never once felt judged or inferior. the staff was professional and courteous, and above all human. i ended up opting for the actual procedure and not the pill, because i thought it would be a better option for me. the procedure went smoothly. i was sedated and unconscious and opted to have the iud placed right after the procedure. i woke up with no complications and had a friend come pick me up. i took it easy for the next week or so and finally started feeling like myself again. sometimes i still have a hard time believing this actually happened to me, but i have no regrets. i cannot imagine being forced to carry on a pregnancy that i did not wish for. never let anyone tell you what you should do with your life, with your body. whatever your decision is, that is yours and yours alone.