my parents had told me before i left for college that if i ever got pregnant before marriage or had an abortion they would never speak to me again. of course i figured it could never happen to me.

the choice was clear to me. i would be starting my 3rd year in college and i was neither mentally or financially prepared for a child. i am thankful every day that i made the decision i did.

i had just turned 16 and had sex for the first time with a person who i thought meant everything. it wasn't bad, but i figured i wouldn't end up pregnant.

i was 19, and it was just three months into what would later turn into a severely abusive relationship when i figured out i was pregnant.

i will forever be grateful that my decision to have an abortion was treated with professionalism, dignity, and kindness by the medical professionals who helped me

in the mid 1990's, i had an unwanted pregnancy. i was living paycheck-to-paycheck. i did not have health insurance, and i was working in a restaurant. my job was physically challenging enough without the burden of pregnancy.