I had my abortion over a year ago now on April 12th 2013, I was 21 years old and 8 weeks pregnant. I had been dealing with morning sickness for weeks just thinking I was sick or had an allergy to something I was eating, being pregnant wasn’t even a possibility in my mind since I was on the pill. I had never gotten a “regular” period so I wasn’t concerned when I couldn’t remember when my last one was but after the few weeks of sickness in the morning my boyfriend of 6 years and I decided to take a pregnancy test just to be sure.

In all honesty I didn’t feel shocked or scared when the test was positive, I knew that I had options being from New Hampshire and having close access to a fantastic clinic. I made an appointment that day and went with my boyfriend for the surgical abortion. I encountered a couple of protesters silently praying Hail Marys outside of the clinic in the freezing sleet that day but had no interaction with them. I truly felt confident and strong that day, I was making the right choice for me and taking control of my body. The women at the clinic were amazing and made the experience comfortable. I chose to see the ultrasound of my 8 week old fetus, my boyfriend couldn’t. Though he supported my choice 100% he grieved. I asked a lot of questions and felt so comfortable when the women answered them without hushed voices or awkward wording, they educated me about what would happen and how I may feel but put no pressure on how I would respond after the procedure. I didn’t expect to be nervous during the procedure but I was a little, it happened so fast it almost felt like “that’s it?” That’s what I’ve been researching and thinking about for weeks? I had no side effects or issues after my abortion. A couple months later I returned to the women’s feminist health care clinic to have an IUD inserted. My abortion has taught me to take charge of my reproductive health and try to change the stigma associated with abortion and women’s reproductive issues.