Life After Abortion

For most couples, finding out they are expecting can be an exciting journey. Everything from picking out names to the color of the nursery is an exciting time! Unfortunately, this isn't the reality for everyone. For others, finding out they are expecting is anything but exciting... Instead, it's a time filled with uncertainty, regret, and the fears of the future.

Deciding what to do with this overwhelming amount of information can be a hard pill to swallow. Many will begin the preparations for the next nine months while others will decide their right course of action. Deciding to choose freedom over a life of uncertainty shouldn't be surrounded with such a harsh blanket of taboo.

The word "abortion" for many is like a head-turner. Say the word too loudly and you'll have an angry mob of pro-life supporters outside your door. But it shouldn't have to be this way.

In a world that is growing with the times, I am here to tell you that abortions aren't as ugly as the taboo surrounding them. Faced with an uncertainty for my future, I chose my life, my career, and a chance to live while I am still young. Surrounded by friends with children, it wasn't hard to see the life changes that many had made. For most, it was the best decision in their life to have children — that was not the case for me.

While still in my second year of university, I was financially unprepared and mentally unready for a child. I made the choice at eight weeks three days to terminate a pregnancy that I was — in every aspect of my life — unready for. I, like many, am afraid to discuss my decision with anyone, afraid of the harsh comments or hatred I would receive from my friends and family.

Having an abortion was an indescribable event that left nothing but good impressions on my mind. Surrounded by women who were empowering to my choices, they surrounded me in a loving embrace. I was given many options to make my abortion the most comfortable experience for me and I was not forced to continue with the procedure if I felt it was not the right choice — with no judgement whatsoever.

The procedure was simple — in medical terms — but a bit more challenging emotionally. My mind raced a million miles a second, I overthought everything that had happened up until this point, but ultimately I knew I had made the right choice. Choosing to continue to make a life for myself and choosing to grow up before faced with raising a child was simply a freeing experience. Living in a country where having an abortion is an accessible and safe procedure makes me thankful to have been given these rights.

For those of you who are faced with the same fate as me, know that abortions aren't as scary as they've been made out to be. There is a need to abolish this negative taboo surrounding abortions — they are a second chance at freedom, a second chance at life.