the minute i had my daughter, i knew that the two abortions i had had previously
(1 at age 17, 1 at age 26) were absolutely the right choice for me. i could never have the family i have now if it weren’t for safe abortions when birth control failed me.

my grandmother had 11 children in 20 years. when she asked her doctor for help as she became overwhelmed with back to back pregnancies in a catholic marriage, he told her to sleep on the couch.

i am so grateful for the options i had available by comparison.
my first provider was safe, caring and affordable. though i was upset and scared, they did not make me feel ashamed.

my second provider, by comparison, in a different state, was bare-bones, callous and expensive. it was the only clinic for hundreds of miles. i knew it was going to be a tough thing to go through again, but i was appalled by the difference in care. i was too dumbfounded to speak up at the time, what could i do?

to this day, i regret not reaching out to the very young girl across from me in the waiting room who was so obviously distressed and without support. i wish i had gotten up from my chair and sat next to her and held her hand and told her that everything was going to be ok.

not only must we keep abortion safe and affordable, we must make it as comfortable and shameless a healthcare procedure as any other.