Melissa's Story
pregnant female athlete
yes, abortions happen to us too!!

Since being sexually active i thought i would never get pregnant because it just didn't happen to girls like me. i was a popular young female student-athlete at an NCAA college. i had everything going for me, or so i thought. i had good grades, great friends, parents who supported me, and a lot of guys pursuing me.

when i met the guy who got me pregnant we hit it off right away. we were inseparable for the month we were together. i was so comfortable with him that i let my guard down and had unprotected sex with him. at fist i thought it was nothing, but in a few weeks i was getting really worried because my period was late. my cousin and i finally went to the store and got a home pregnancy test the week of finals. to my dismay i found out i was pregnant.

i could not tell anyone. i couldn't tell my mom and dad in fear of disappointing them, i didn't want to tell my close friends because they looked up to me so, and i definitely couldn't let anyone at my school find out. the reason for that was because i go to a very strict christian college who doesn't even allow dancing on campus, so one can imagine people hearing i was pregnant and having an abortion. i would definitely get expelled. when i told the guy he was very cold and distant. neither of us had planned this and are relatively young. i didn't care and took matters into my own hands.

i called several clinics and started doing tons of research on the abortion procedure. finally when i chose ___ clinic i was so happy with the friendly nonjudgmental workers they had there. i went into my appointment feeling very optimistic and determined that i was going to make it through this very hard decision. after the procedure the doctor asked if i was all right and i felt fine. i just had a little discomfort which was mostly because of the local anesthesia, but the actual procedure took about one minute. i was in the clinic and out within three hours. i am just so grateful that __ clinic has a very friendly and supportive staff because they made the environment very relaxed and at ease.

i think the most important thing is abortion is a big decision in a woman's life and having the choice to have an abortion is very empowering. i am not saying that this was the greatest experience in my life, but having the freedom and no pressure to make this decision makes me feel really happy. i also believe that you have to be a strong person and have a great support network and that's what good friends and ___ clinic provide.

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