i never expected i would have an abortion. i supported it being a legal procure, but out of a sense of ethics and feminism, not because i expected to need one.

i was 30 years old and had two children — a 3 year old and a 4 month old — when my husband failed to pull out and put on a condom. i had not gotten an iud after the birth of our second child because he said he would get a vasectomy, but he delayed. a few weeks later i got a positive pregnancy test.

we were both upset. we hadn’t planned on a third but if our youngest daughter had been two or three or even a year old i might have chosen or carry to term, but i knew almost im世界杯2022亚洲预选赛b组 tely that i would seek an abortion. i knew that i could not handle three children, two of them barely a year apart in age, and be the kind of parent i wanted to be. my husband was less certain, but supported my choice.

the day of the procedure i arrived at the clinic at 7am to protesters. i wasn’t bothered, but i felt for the teenaged girl who was there with her mom. the protesters surrounded them and she was crying. it makes me angry to think of how they bullied that girl, as a mother of girls myself. those people should be ashamed of themselves.

i was 6 weeks pregnant and got a surgical abortion. the doctor and nurses were kind and i was grateful for that. the process took 4 hours — most of it spent waiting — and then i went home to my husband and children.

i do not feel guilt or regret. i have since gotten another iud.