Jaime's Story

My name is Jaime, and I had my first abortion at the age of 17. I was a junior in high school, active in sports, and just plain dumb.

I found out I was pregnant when my mother noticed that I had not had a period in a while. One day she came home with a pregnancy test and told me to take it. During the three minutes of waiting, I was telling myself over and over, that I just couldn't be pregnant. Well, all that hoping, and praying didn't help. The test was positive. The next day we went to a clinic to get an "official" pregnancy test. They told me to call back in 2 hours.

While we were waiting, my mom and I went to the mall, and sat and talked about everything. She was very adamant in her opinion, but supportive in the same. After the 2 hours was up, I called the clinic and got the results. I was "officially" pregnant. I scheduled my abortion to be in 2 days.

The day of the abortion, my mom and my best friend went with me. It was very helpful to have them there with me. The procedure was done in 5 minutes. I had one complication. I went into shock. My blood pressure dropped to 50/30. They had me lie down, and put a blanket over me, even though I was burning up. I was back to normal in about 10 minutes, but they kept me there for an hour, to be sure that everything was okay.

That was 5 years ago. I went on with my life and tried to block my feelings, but that is very hard to do. I got married when I was 20, and shortly after I was pregnant. I carried my baby to term, and had a beautiful baby girl, who is now 18 months old. My husband and I separated In April of 1998, and I moved back with my parents, bringing my baby with me.

In May of 98, I found out I was pregnant again. I had gotten pregnant just days before my husband left me. With no husband, one child already, my choices were slim, in my mind. I chose to have my pregnancy terminated. Luckily, this abortion went smoother than the last.

I am glad that I had the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. I give thanks and praise to all the women who came before me, and fought for me to be able to have this right. I don't think I could ever have another, but I am, and always will be Pro-Choice. If anyone ever needs to talk to someone who has been there, e-mail me.

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