Jen's Story

I wanted to share my story with someone. I thought it might be good because it seems to be so different from all of the others that I have read. I am almost 21. I've been with my boyfriend (who is 19) for over 2 years now. When I found out I was pregnant, we had been together for just over a year and a half. The only reasons we thought I might be was that I had been getting sick everyday for no apparent reason. A week later when I missed my period, I went out and got a test. My boyfriend actually looked at the results first. When I heard it was positive, I just about had a panic attack. He was very calm and brought me over to his bed to sit down and talk about what we were going to do.

Together we decided that we couldn't keep it for a number of reasons. We sure didn't have the money to and we knew we weren't ready to have kids, we still wanted to be kids ourselves. If we needed to we could have told his parents but there was no way we could ever tell mine. I don't even know if my mom knew we were having sex. I think she did but she really didn't want to know so it's never talked about and she acts like it doesn't exist. All I could picture was my mom totally freaking out on me and making me do something that I didn't want to do. I didn't want to keep it. I couldn't be pregnant at work with my job... I move a lot of stuff and I'm running around all day, my belly would just end up getting in my way later on.

My boyfriend didn't make me get an abortion, he let me decide but was glad I choose what I did. We talked to his older sister (who had this done before, years ago but it sure helped.) She gave me the phone number to a clinic to make an appointment and when the day came (I was 6 weeks), she went with me and kept me company... my boyfriend did come but we didn't let him come into the building, it would have made me more nervous than I was.

The waiting room was the worst part, it seemed we sat in there for days. I had been reading stories and was expecting all kinds of things... depression, pain, crying, guilt. I must have been very lucky because I had none of that. I choose to be put to sleep... and although I wasn't really asleep, I sure didn't feel much of anything. When it was over, all that I felt was dizzy from being knocked out. I wasn't sad, I was actually very relieved and happy. I wasn't in any pain. I didn't have that empty feeling. I didn't feel guilty and I don't regret it.

Now it is Nov 2002. I would be due sometime within the next two weeks. I'm still happy with my decision. My boyfriend and I are still happily together, he definitely helped me through it. I have read other people's stories, and I've felt sad reading them, but not about what I went through. I do understand both sides of the abortion issue. My opinion is that it just depends on the person and the situation. I do, however, think that abortions should stay legal. If they didn't... it would go back to the way it was before it was legalized... people would still have it done but it wouldn't be nearly as safe... people would go back to dying from infections and stuff from having it done.

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