Firstly, I'd like to say what a fantastic group of people you are. I saw your post on Facebook and thought I'd like to share my experiences.
I've had two abortions in my short 25 years of life. Both of which I don't regret. I was 19 when I first found out I was pregnant. I was on my lunch break in the bathroom stalls crying. I did three tests that day to be sure because I was on the pill, how could this happen? I remember confiding in a friend at work who asked what I was going to do, and I knew I couldn't continue with the pregnancy. I went to the doctors to have further tests to confirm if I was pregnant. The results went to my GP and he said, "yes, you're pregnant". He then started rattling off lists of hospitals close by, names of OBGYNs and started discussing medication. I was astounded that I hadn't been asked what information I needed? I quietly muttered, "I don't want to keep it". He sighed, and said to Google some abortion clinics in Brisbane. I felt judged, humiliated and more confused. I ended up finding a clinic at Greenslopes, I was more scared about going under anaesthetic then I was about having the abortion. I was met with a group of protesters out the front of the clinic that day. I remember holding my boyfriends hand that much tighter. I felt ashamed. I have blocked out the awful things they were yelling and the images they had waving around. I remember seeing a group similar in the City a few weeks ago and wondered how "Christian" it was of them to be setting judgement on young women. I sat in the waiting room feeling red faced by a bunch of religious strangers I'd never met. I noticed that there was a few young women in the waiting room with me, we all kept our heads down and thumbed through magazines pretending to read them. I met a nurse who took me through the steps of what was going to happen, explained the process and asked me some questions. I filled in a lot of forms and remembered signing one that stated my mental, physical health and wellbeing would be in serious danger should I continue with this pregnancy. Couldn't I sign the option that said, 'it's my body, I can do what I want?'. I asked why I had to sign this and was met with "it was the law". On that day I found out that abortion was illegal in Queensland. The nurses and doctors at the clinic were some of the most compassionate and lovely people I think I've ever met. A nurse held my hand the entire time I was going under, to this day I remember her stroking my head saying, "everything will be fine, see you when you wake up". It was the most comforting thing to have someone there for you. Do I regret my abortions? No, not at all. Do I think about them? Not in the slightest. Will I have children in the future? Well, that's nobodies damn business but mine. I do however think it's time for Queensland to get out of 1899 and make abortion legal, safe and accessible for every women in this state.
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#myabortionstoryA blog dedicated to telling the stories of Queenslanders.
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November 2017
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