last year, i had an abortion. i’d done everything “right”- i was only seeing one man, i was using birth control, i was being “responsible.” but i had an iud and it turns out that i also have a heart shaped uterus, rendering my iud basically ineffective.

when i found out i was pregnant, it was less than a month after i’d finally graduated from college after spending 6 years of my early 20s working my way through school. i’d been dating my boyfriend for about 6 months, but i knew we wouldn’t last. he drank too much and he made me feel bad about myself. it was clear we wouldn’t have a future together.

i knew what i would do the moment the pregnancy test came back positive. there was never a doubt in my mind and i haven’t doubted my decision since. in order to create the future i wanted for myself – the future that will include a husband and children who are planned for and wanted desperately – i needed to have an abortion. i am a woman, i am a human, and i have the right to shape my life and my future in such a way that will bring me joy.

i’ve been seeing a different man for about a year now. he knows about the abortion and he supports me, doesn’t judge me. i very much hope that one day soon we’ll make the decision to have a family of our own. i know that when the time comes, it will be a decision that we have made together and that knowledge brings me peace.