"When I had my abortion I was only 18. I originally didn’t want to have it, but after I was told by the dad that he didn’t want anything to do with me or the baby I knew it would be a bad idea to have the baby. At the time I worked at a fast food place and I was definitely not stable enough to have a baby, especially alone, so I went to planned parenthood. They confirmed the pregnancy and I was about 6 weeks. They told me my options and how each procedure works. And I chose t

“I got an NHS medical abortion in May 2019. I am 22 years old and in a very happy and loving 5-year relationship. We have always spoken about having children and are very excited about one day having them. I had always thought that if I was to accidentally get pregnant, that I would keep the baby no matter what. I found out I was pregnant at about 3 weeks (very early, I know) and deciding between abortion and life was very hard. The reason we chose abortion was because we are

"There is still some secret shame that lingers inside, coming from a religious home, coming from a Bangladeshi home. I'm 23 now. I had grown up thinking being a mother was all that a woman could be. That motherhood was the ultimate end goal. I didn't mind that dream. It felt secure, warm and comforting, to create and live in a loving household, without physical or verbal abuse. I had a different childhood growing up, and the male figures in my life were not supportive. I stil

Content warning: child abuse, suicide, infant mortality “Background: I was born into an Irish Roman Catholic Family. More or less. My father was of Irish, English, and Scottish descent. But the family identified as Irish. Big time Irish. My mother was from Swedish, English and Welsh descent. He was raised Roman Catholic by his mother in the strictest sense. She was raised a Methodist in North Dakota. She converted when she married father. They wanted to have six children. Whi

“I had an abortion when I was 16 years old. When I found out I was pregnant my best friend and I went to grocery store, bought a pregnancy test, and took it to the Panera Bread public restroom because I didn’t want my Mom to find out. I was so embarrassed because all my life my mom would tell me not to get pregnant young and I would always say that I wouldn’t. But the truth is, I never thought it would happen to me and as a result it did. My boyfriend at the time and I were m

“I have had 2 abortions, and would like to share how very different these two abortions were. My first was at age 16. I lost my virginity to this guy when I was 14. We split up and then got back together roughly a year later. We had regular sex and never used contraception. I was stupid and so naive about the consequences. I still remember the evening I took the pregnancy test, we were in his dad’s flat and my friend came into the bathroom with me. I took the test and left it

content warning: drug use, suicide, overdose “I was 20 when I got pregnant for the first time. I was on the depo shot and l, because I had tried with my ex to get pregnant before, was convinced I couldn’t have kids. (Silly me.) I had been with the guy I was seeing for about a month. The very first time we had sex I got pregnant. I didn’t have a job, it was summer and I had spent it getting high on whatever and day drinking. I ran off with this guy to ‘escape’ my hometown and

Content warning: emotional abuse “My name is Cila and this is my story. I was 13 years old when I had to make the biggest decision that would change my life forever. Growing up I have always known that I wanted to be a mother. I have always adored children and I was always around them. I had a boyfriend at the time - he was 16 - we were in a very serious, mature relationship that was never able to keep stable and faithful because we were both kids trying to have a serious rel

“I fell ‘in love’ while in high school. So blind & useless at everything that I fell pregnant when my life was falling apart. While kicking it with my ‘then’ boyfriend, I would always come home to a troubled family. I would always forget that I had a human being growing inside of me, I was too focused on what my problems were than my own child. My true feelings were that happiness all mothers feel when finding out but at the same time I had a heavy heart. I couldn’t tell my p

“Where do I even start...I’m not going to make this detail-to-detail because it’s a lot and I’m still very emotional about it but talking about it really helps. I found out I was pregnant on January 1st, 2019 (New Year’s Day to be exact.) I knew I was pregnant. Obviously, I missed my period, had a positive pregnancy test, extreme fatigue, really bad mood swings, and I had strong food cravings—mainly for Chinese takeout. I was very emotional, I was already about 5 weeks pregna

“I was 16 when I had an abortion. The pregnancy was from an abusive and manipulative boy, who was older than me. My body felt strange one day about a week from my encounter with him, and I was so scared, so I told a friend and she told me to tell my mom. But I couldn’t, and she would be disappointed in me, and I was determined to get her approval. So, I got an abortion, and it was one of the best things I could have done for my life. It was really sad and I felt empty for a w

“I was 18. It was the winter after I graduated high school. I met this boy last spring and he asked me to be his girlfriend, then about 4 months later I became pregnant unexpectedly. I was scared, I had the feeling that I was pregnant for about a week before I took a test, I was not on birth control, and this was my first real relationship. I immediately told my boyfriend, his first thought was an abortion, but told me it was my choice. I felt I had no support from him after

“1980. I was 21, living with a guy I knew I wasn’t going to stay with. I always used birth control, so when I found I was pregnant, my reaction was visceral. No way I wanted a baby. I saw a local gyno. Scheduled the procedure at the local hospital and had an abortion. Afterwards I felt nothing but relief. No guilt, only gratitude for a safe accessible abortion.” —Janet Joyce #relief #gratitude #youngperson

“When I was in college, I was in a serious relationship and sexually active with my now-husband, then-boyfriend. I was on hormonal birth control. I worked for a large animal veterinarian, administering medication, often working alone during nights and evenings. One summer I began spotting through my birth control, spoke to my doctor about it, and was told it was normal and I shouldn't worry, so long as I was taking my pills at the same time every day, and I was, so I brushed

“I was 18 years old and a mom to my three-year-old little girl when I found out I was pregnant. I knew how different it was going to be from the moment I found out. I didn’t get the same feeling as when I found out I was pregnant the first time. With my oldest daughter, I was scared yet excited and loved my precious baby instantly. With this one I felt shame and disgust. I didn’t have feelings for the dad, and he was living a not so great lifestyle and I just remember sitting

“I am a 17-year-old high school student in my junior year, and one day my biggest nightmare became a reality—I was pregnant. My periods are very irregular so when my period skipped a month I was not immediately concerned, because this happens quite often. After they skip a month, the following month my period comes the first week and then the last. I didn’t become suspicious until it was the second week of January and no period. I soon took a test and the result was positive.

“I was 17 when I found out I was pregnant. I took the test with my boyfriend there with me. We've been dating for half a year at that time and used condoms always, it broke once, but we figured it shouldn't be a problem. It is quite complicated to get a Plan B in my country. He came from a super Christian family, so for them abortion wasn't an option. We told his parents, who immediately started to plan our life for us. They told me that I have to move in with them, and they

“This is my story. I'm 18 years old and was in a very toxic and abusive relationship when I got pregnant. I was with a guy who had no respect for me, had no job, got physical with me a few times and cheated on me all the time. I knew right away that I couldn’t have a child with him. He’s 20 and has a 3-year-old son he never sees. He also speaks very poorly about the mother of his child which worried me. I knew he got me pregnant on purpose, as our relationship was falling apa

“I was 6 weeks and 3 days when I went in to Planned Parenthood to get my abortion, the whole time I was thinking about my 2-and-a-half-month old son at home and how I'm only 17. I felt relieved but after about a week went by I felt so empty and still do, but I still wouldn’t change my choice, so I can focus on my son and I.” —Natalie Ibrahim #caringforotherchildren #youngperson

“The smell of pastrami made me want to throw up. I couldn't be in the same room as my mother as she was eating her sandwich. ‘You're pregnant,’ she said to me, as I'm running out of the room. I took a pregnancy test later that night. Positive. I was fifteen. My boyfriend at the time didn't take the news so well. ‘I don't want to be a dad at seventeen,’ was all he said to me. But I was so lucky to have my mom. I was exactly nine weeks on the day, October 25, 2013. I watched th