I had an abortion. And none of the regrets. I have never regretted the decision, nor felt guilty about it. No sleepless nights thinking about the baby I never gave a chance to live. I had had concerns that it might haunt me in later years because that is what I had read. The truth is, it did not apply to me at all and I now think it was just scaremongering by groups with a political or religious agenda. And that is scarier than an abortion. That is manipulation of a female’s free will. At best, it was advice from thoughtless people regurgitating what they had heard or imagined an abortion would mean.
I was about 25 years old. I had been on a medical trial program from a research study that my doctor had suggested to get access to a new drug. They did warn me that the drug would increase fertility. I used condoms with my boyfriend. But something obviously went awry and I found myself pregnant while studying for my graduate degree. A pregnancy would have interrupted my education. I had been accepted into the program and had already moved to another city for it. I was ready to graduate within the year and start my career. And that’s precisely what I did. I had enough concerns already about my own health and the side effects of the trial drug and finishing my degree and finding work. I was not prepared mentally or financially to have a child. A baby would have tied me to the boyfriend at the time, who is a wonderful person and would have been a fantastic dad, but we ended up marrying different people. I ended up having children later in life when I was settled and I could afford them all my undivided attention and the financial resources to offer them the stability each child and mother deserves. I was a much better mom at 35 than I would have been as a restless 25-year-old. There has not been a day where I have not been grateful for my children. There has not been a day where I have regretted my abortion.
–Anonymous 0017