Almost 30 years ago, when I was 16, I was sexually active with my serious boyfriend.

He was my first sexual partner. We never used any contraception. I was an idiot and never imagined that I would become pregnant, but then I did. I didn’t think I could tell my parents. I remember feeling very alone. We looked in the phonebook and found a clinic in a nearby town. I asked someone that I thought was a friend to drive me, but she wouldn’t (and then she told others about my pregnancy and abortion). Another friend (who remains a friend today) drove me in the end. My boyfriend and I scrounged up almost enough money for the procedure. I arrived at the clinic with pockets of change and scrunched up dollar bills and begged to have the procedure done for the amount that I had collected. They took pity on me and I had the abortion that day. I remember it being a very emotional time, but I have no regrets. I was too young and irresponsible. I wish I had been better educated about birth control.