i was 25 years old; newly divorced; mom to my son, who was a toddler at the time.

i’d just started putting myself through college and found myself pregnant after using the sponge as contraception.

abortion was not a difficult decision for me. i was already stressed to my limits with parenting, school, and work.

besides that, i had already made the decision to have only one child. i had never wanted a big family. i loved working outside the home and wasn’t designed to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.

i was awake and aware during my abortion. it consisted of about two fingers of bloody liquid in a big jar. i suffered some discomfort, but no pain. i recovered on my sofa for the rest of the day and was back at school and work the next day.

that was almost 30 years ago. not too long after my abortion, i had a tubal ligation. i eventually remarried. my son is about to turn 33 and has a beautiful family of his own. i finished school–and seven years ago, i retired from a wonderfully fulfilling career in advertising.

i’ve never had any regrets over my decision to terminate that pregnancy. no shame. no guilt. not then, not now. it was not a difficult decision–it was the right one for me and my family at the time.