I had my abortion seven years ago and it was the best thing I ever did. I was using birth control and practicing safe sex while having a fling with a man with whom I knew it wouldn’t last. I was blowing off a little steam. When I took a pregnancy test after having not gotten my period I remember going completely numb. I had never wanted children. They had never been a part of my plan and I was not about to completely change my goals because of bump in the road. I knew abortion was something no one really talked about so I knew I was on my own. I decided to tell the guy I was sleeping with and he told me that I should do whatever I wanted. I answered straight away that I wanted an abortion and he simply shrugged and said “Yeah, if you’re sure – want a ride to the clinic when you do it?”. It was the perfect response for me at that time. No questions asked except for one to try and help me.
I got the abortion done two weeks later. I was seven weeks pregnant. I went in, answered some questions from the nurse in a private room and shown in to the pre-op care. Everyone at the clinic was kind, non-judgmental and provided excellent care. All up the procedure cost me $550, after having split it with the guy. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes but I was in the clinic for a few hours. I hardly think about it now. I’m 41 years old and still working in the same industry and taking care of the only child I ever wanted, my twelve-year-old tabby cat, Mason. I take one big holiday each year. Last year I went to Canada, this year I’m planning on Ireland. My life is exactly how I wanted it. The idea of having a child who would only be in the early years of primary school fills me with the urge to be ill. I like children but I’ve never wanted my own. Women like me exist and we are quite commonplace now. It’s amazing how many people assume they have all the answers and have no problem in telling me that I will regret my decision to never have children and the people who are aware of my abortion will sometimes ask me if I’m ever sad about it. My response is always the same, I smile and say “It was the easiest decision of my life.” Because it was. Abortion needs to be legal and easy to access for everyone. I was lucky as a woman who was financially independent and able to access an abortion without too much hassle however I read so much about women struggling to find healthcare in the country that I can’t imagine how hard it would be for them to find a place that would do an abortion for them. The law needs to change and people need to change their attitudes to people who decide on a ‘different’ adventure in life.
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November 2017
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