my story is not the norm. it happened in december, 2013. i was thirty, engaged to be married, had a well-paying job and a lovely house with plenty of privacy in a nice neighborhood. for all intents and purposes, this time in my life should be when i have children. but that life is not what i want.

sometimes i question my decision, i have thoughts about the twins i never gave birth to.
i was 18 when i found out i was pregnant it was the weekend i was at new student orientation getting ready to start my first year of college.

i got mine in a sterile, hospital environment and the physician performing was funny and kind. he knew that i didn’t much want a man doing the operation because i didn’t want a strange male seeing my female parts, but i got over it because hey, he’s a doctor.

i am 39 years old, a wife of 19 years, and a mother of 3 healthy beautiful children whom i love dearly. i am one of those oh so lucky people who cannot take birth control because it causes me to have blood clots in my legs so my husband and i use several different methods for birth control;

i had my abortion when i was 23. i was against it completely until i found myself not being able to consider any other solution. i was a women's studies minor just before that and found myself almost shaking with anger at abortion activists, thinking how could they support such a horrible act?!

growing up so fast wasn’t my plan in life. being 15 and “falling in love” wasn’t in the plan. being 16 and pregnant was definitely not in the plan. the plan was to pass my acts with flying colors, get into a wonderful university and possibly a sorority, student government, maybe start a club. but it was just my junior year of high school; the day before new year’s eve when i found out i was pregnant.