sexual health and reproductive choice advocacy is a huge passion of mine and it all stems from wanting to make sure all women have the same options as i did.

the day i told my parents i thought i might be pregnant remains the worst day of my life. i had been raised catholic and my mother was very observant.

in 1980 i was a 19 year old college student on the pill & in a committed relationship when i took antibiotics for a sinus infection ; ended up pregnant a month later; so for me the choice felt very clear; it was my choice to make. married 22 years now with two grown children; i can say that regardless of ones choice it is life changing,; we all second guess ourselves.

i had missed my period by about 4 days and didn't think twice just because of how cautious we were being. well, the symptoms started. tender breasts, morning nausea, fatigue... you name it, i had it. it hit me like a ton of brick that i was pregnant.

i am a new person now, much stronger and wiser. i don't feel like i would have been able to do this, or to keep going, if i had been such a young mother in such a bad situation.

i was completely heartbroken and had no idea what to do. i never imagined having an abortion let alone getting pregnant so young. but ultimately that was my decision.