in the summer of 2012 i became pregnant unexpectedly. i hadn’t had my period in a while – though this didn’t cause me any concern as i have polycystic ovaries and often skip months at a time and have been told that because of this getting pregnant will be very difficult for me. so of course, the one time my boyfriend and i didn’t use protection i got pregnant. we were very new at the time, dating for 6 months long distance and had just moved in together in a new city. we didn’t have any money to support a child nor were we in a healthy position in our relationship to have a child.

i was devastated when i found out i was pregnant, and i had to deal with it by myself since he was working out of town. never in my life have i felt so lost, stressed, and just straight up horrible. this was not right for me. thankfully, where i live abortion is covered by the province. not only was i lucky enough to not have to worry about coming up for the money for the treatment, but the staff at the clinic were very helpful and compassionate. i am so lucky that i was able to go through this process without any additional stress from money worries or having to jump through hoops to fight for access.

i cannot imagine how horrible having an unwanted pregnancy would be when you have to stress about how you will pay or if you will even be able to find a clinic.

women need to have access to safe and legal abortions. thankfully i did, and the only feeling i had when the process was all over was pure relief.