One of the Easiest Decisions I’ve Made

One of the easiest decisions I've made 15

I had just completed a grueling summer semester where I was going between school, work, and an internship for 10 straight weeks. I barely noticed my first skipped period. When I missed a second one I bought a pregnancy test at the grocery store by my school and took the test in the stall of a women’s room on campus. The test was negative so I told myself my period would come and things were just crazy with my schedule/diet/exercise routine.

After things calmed down I made an appointment at the STD clinic by my house since they did free pelvic exams and give out three months of free birth control to patients. The nurses seemed thrilled to tell me the good news. They didn’t expect me to cry. After all, I was 27 and married, of course I wanted kids, right?

Wrong.

I was scared of my husband’s reaction. I was in the middle of getting my degree. I dislike kids. And yes, I know when they’re yours, you love them, but I have no desire to have that responsibility. I want to fulfill my life in so many other ways: career, music, writing, etc.

When I came home and told my husband he was supportive and we agreed to terminate the pregnancy. I am grateful for the way he handled the news and for the support he gave me at that time. I’m also very happy that I did not have a baby with him! We have since divorced and complicating a child’s life with the split that we had would not have been good!

By the time I found out I was pregnant I was 14 weeks along. Making the decision to have an abortion was among one of the easiest decisions I’ve made. A few paragraphs can only gloss over my life and situation at the time and why it was the right thing for me to do. I have no regrets for the decision I made.

My story is not every woman’s story, but it is mine. My choice may not have been the choice other women would have made, but it is my choice. I didn’t consult a politician, I consulted a doctor who did his best to make me safe and comfortable. I’m not ashamed for the choice that I made. I’m only grateful that I still had the right to make that choice.

~Mel

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