I was 22 years old, a college-educated girl from a conservative home.

I had been to the doctor and my mom had allowed me to get birth control to “regulate my period” which was code for her being the type of mom that wanted to make sure I was covered even though she didn’t want to encourage me to be sexually active. I’ve always been an inconsistent person. I took the pill but I messed it up here and there by forgetting.

Eventually one of those times caught up with me and though I was in a relationship with someone I loved the time wasn’t right for either of us. I was just about to enter law school and we were fighting all the time. The waiting room was full of sad women, I remember thinking that those who have never had an abortion, or accompanies someone to one, don’t have any clue what women are thinking and feeling in that moment. So many hopes and dreams are wrapped into a single experience. When I went home I thought I would be sad forever. But I wasn’t. By the time a year went by I was healed. 15 years later there is no trace of “could of” or “would of” there is no regret, no sense of loss. It will always have been the right decision. I share my story all the time because I know people need to hear it. They need to see that we aren’t murders and that it isn’t as grave as we might be told it is. I also encourage women to find birth control that fits their lifestyle. For me it turned out to be an IUD. We are so lucky that we live in an age when we can prevent abortion. We just need to wise up as a society and make it a priority and give people the access and resources to make it so.