*Gretchen's Story

My story is a little different from everyone else's. I am young, and I had abortion, because I was scared. I was a Senior in high school, and felt as though my life would come to an end if I were to have a child. You see I did not find out that I was pregnant until my 2nd trimester. I was cheering, and playing sports still, and I when I found out that I was pregnant I was in a state of denial.

Finally I decided to talk to my parents. I did not know what to do in my heart. I wanted this child that I had carried so far along, yet I wanted to be able to finish high school, and go to college like I had always planned. My parents took me to the doctor to see what they could do. The doctor told me that I was just about to enter my third trimester, and that I could still get an abortion. That night I cried thinking how much I would be letting my family down, how much it would hurt my child's father, and most of all the affect it would have on me if I was a MOMMY.

Well I did it. I had to go through a two day procedure, being that I was so far. Still now to this day, I think about how my life would have been to make that other decision. Yes I regret being stupid and enabling myself to get into a predicament of losing this child, but I don't regret having this abortion now because it enabled to regain my life back, and to keep from bringing this child into a world with nothing. My body changed, my self-esteem changed, my priorities changed, all of these things changed because of the pregnancy, so I did, and still am paying the price for what I did, I still cry and think about my daughter (it was a girl) but I realized it's time for me live my life to the fullest, and when I am ready to be a MOMMY, it can have anything it ever wants, and I can forget about this awful experience.

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