I was 21 when I got pregnant and as soon as I found out I knew I had to have an abortion. I was getting pressure from my old-fashioned father, (who had just met my first boyfriend) to get married only because we were dating, so there is no way I was going to carry this pregnancy to term where I was not even ready to be married!

I was a full-time student. My boyfriend and I were on public transportation and had no steady incomes, yet somehow, thankfully, he was forced to muster up the $300 for the cost of the abortion. I got to Planned Parenthood on the bus, had the procedure done, and felt complete relief. I’ll never forget looking at the doctor wanting to walk over to thank him afterward but he was busy with colleagues. I went to my parents’ house and took in the day like any other normal sunny Saturday afternoon. Then I met up with my boyfriend at a popular family park where he silently asked me if I had done it. I nodded. He held me and we went home.
Over the years I’ve been able to share this with a few close friends from college to colleagues particularly because they’ve been able to trust me with their own abortion stories so it allowed me to open up. It helps to talk about it especially because you realize you’re not alone. Twenty-three years later, no one in my family knows because I know they would judge me and that’s the last thing anybody wants.