In the summer of 2012 I became pregnant unexpectedly. I hadn’t had my period in a while – though this didn’t cause me any concern as I have polycystic ovaries and often skip months at a time and have been told that because of this getting pregnant will be very difficult for me. So of course, the one time my boyfriend and I didn’t use protection I got pregnant. We were very new at the time, dating for 6 months long distance and had just moved in together in a new city. We didn’t have any money to support a child nor were we in a healthy position in our relationship to have a child.

I was devastated when I found out I was pregnant, and I had to deal with it by myself since he was working out of town. Never in my life have I felt so lost, stressed, and just straight up horrible. This was not right for me. Thankfully, where I live abortion is covered by the province. Not only was I lucky enough to not have to worry about coming up for the money for the treatment, but the staff at the clinic were very helpful and compassionate. I am so lucky that I was able to go through this process without any additional stress from money worries or having to jump through hoops to fight for access.

I cannot imagine how horrible having an unwanted pregnancy would be when you have to stress about how you will pay or if you will even be able to find a clinic.

Women need to have access to safe and legal abortions. Thankfully I did, and the only feeling I had when the process was all over was pure relief.