Betty

I am 68 years old. I had an abortion in the first clinic in San Diego, California, in 1973. I was separated from a husband and had become pregnant.

“I have kept my experience a secret for too many years.”

I had fallen in love with a wonderful man, and he stood beside me through the entire decision—before, during, and after. Later we were married and had a beautiful child.

I do not regret my decision to have an abortion. It was my right and my decision, not anyone else’s. I am so upset over how far women have come only to be put back in the last century, when men and the government thought they should have the right to decide for us. We have to live with the decision we make for ourselves, not someone else.

I have kept my experience a secret for too many years, and I want to speak up for all women who decide to take charge of their own decisions and their own bodies.