03.05.2014
Media

Anonymous

I was in my 20s, young and married for the second time. I had four children. One had been kidnapped by my first husband, one had suffered devastating encephalitis from a vaccine reaction and was in a permanent vegetative state. My husband and I both had jobs, but minimum wage doesn’t stretch far when you have kids in day care.

Three variations of birth control pills had already failed me, but I was on Depo Provera and we thought we were safe. So when I found out I was pregnant again, all I could do was cry. All of my pregnancies left me bedridden. I experience debilitating morning sickness well into the eighth month. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my job and I knew we wouldn’t survive on his pay.

With the help of understanding friends, I terminated the pregnancy. It was what I needed to do and I was grateful that I had a place to go. Yes, there were protesters, yes, there were people telling me that I was a sinner. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but it was also the right thing at the time.

I recovered, we got better jobs, we had a beautiful little girl… and I never once regretted the choice I made.