I had always considered myself to be cautious, when it came to protected sex and birth control, and to be honest I never thought I would experience an unwanted pregnancy.

I was 39 years old, and I had never been pregnant.

I was having an incredibly stressful and horrible time at work, and decided to distract myself with a night of drinking and sex with a man who I had slept with on occasion. I could never have imagined the consequences of that night.

As I wasn’t on birth control at the time, I provided him with a condom, and asked that he be extra cautious, as I wasn’t on birth control at the time. He wasn’t at all cautious and I wound up pregnant. I remember the panic I felt when I took the pregnancy test. I was in utter shock.

I am still angry about the fact that someone who had so little regard for me put me in this position, and left me to deal with the consequences. It was one of the worst times of my life. I was living in a foreign country, all by myself. Nothing in my life was stable at the time, and I really had no one to lean on. I went all by myself to have my abortion. I remember how I felt when I sat in the waiting room for my appointment. Other women who were waiting were so casual about the matter. They were laughing and making light of the situation. I wanted to scream out, but I just sat and tried not to cry. I remember feeling so alone and scared at the time. As I rode the bus home, I told the tiny being that was growing inside of me that I was sorry, while I waited for the bleeding to start, and my pregnancy to terminate.

It was horrible being put in the position to have to make the decision to have an abortion, but I am so thankful that this it was an option. Although it was incredibly difficult decision to make, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think I made the correct choice.

My heart goes out to any woman who has had to make the decision to have an abortion. It is such a difficult position to be placed in. I love the fact that women are telling their stories on this forum. It’s time that the shame and stigma attached to abortions end. I learned, at a really difficult time in my life, that it can happen to anyone, at anytime…