why would i choose to expose a child to such a toxic relationship? he was emotionally abusive and i wanted a better life for myself than that. so i left him. i refuse to allow others to make me feel guilty for making this decision. six years have passed and i've never been happier.

i'm 49 years old, and even though it made me sad to do it, i was also very relieved that i could choose about my own body and when to bring a child into this world.

i had an abortion. i still wonder what our baby would have been like (we are still together), but i know it wasn't the right time for me, or for him.

when i was in high school my first "real" boyfriend and i would talk about what would happen if i ever got pregnant. young and in love we agreed we would keep that child. now its been years and i have a new boyfriend and i did become pregnant at 21.

i sometimes think about the child that would have been. but i have no regrets, i know that i did the right thing for both of us.

the right to a safe and proper procedure should remain the right of every woman, everywhere. while mine pains me to this day, i will defend a woman's right to govern her own body to the day i die.