Forty years ago I had an abortion when I was 19. It was December 1971, two years before Roe v. Wade.

I'm 67 years and never regretted having my four abortions. They all had a reason, that being I didn't want my partner's to be a father to my child. All abortions were from 3 different partners.

I was 21 years old, living in New York City on my own, and dating a guy named Nathan how was a few years older than I was. Nathan was a very sick alcoholic but I never had any exposure to alcoholism growing up so I honestly believed I could save him and help him get sober.

When I was in my mid-30s, I got pregnant unexpectedly. I was unmarried and wasn’t in a long-term relationship. I was working full-time but wasn’t earning a great deal of money.

In 1970, at the age of 21, the most traumatic event of my life was learning that I was pregnant. I was living alone in Nashville to be close to a boyfriend whom I seldom saw.

Anyone who knows me will not be too surprised to learn that I had an abortion -- I worked at the National Abortion Rights Action League for nine years and almost all of that time was as the Executive Director. I self-induced an abortion when I was in college.