Liz

I was a third-year student at the University of Virginia and a resident of Alexandria, Virginia. Since I had only had one sex partner, my boyfriend of two years, and had always used birth control, I never thought that I would be facing the decision to have an abortion. I thought that was reserved for people who were less educated and less responsible than I was.

“I never thought that I would be facing the decision to have an abortion.”

But nothing is 100 percent—not even the IUD I had, which is the most effective form of birth control. And every woman lives with the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy.

About a year after my IUD was placed, I had scheduled an appointment at Student Health because I knew something was very wrong. I was having intense stomach pain and periodically fainting. After a blood test, a nurse (who was shaking because she was so nervous) had to tell me that I was pregnant, and I had to immediately be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. IUDs sometimes cause ectopic pregnancies (pregnancies outside of the uterus) which can be fatal. Luckily, mine was not, but that meant I had to choose an abortion on my own.

Since my boyfriend and I had just broken up, both he and my parents were supportive, but mostly caught up in their own feelings over the matter. No one wanted me to have a child, and I knew that I wasn’t ready either. And the truth of that was devastating.

I chose to have my abortion at Planned Parenthood in the District of Columbia, and after reading other women’s stories, I realized that I was extremely lucky. The facility was clean, the doctors and nurses were kind, and I was offered both localized and IV sedation. That being said, it was still a scary and saddening experience, but doing it in a place that treated me with respect and gave me privacy made all of the difference.

The more Planned Parenthoods and other reputable clinics are shut down, the less women are able to make the right choice for them without being humiliated or in pain. They are crowded, rushed, shamed, and not given any anesthetic. I know that it was the right choice for me, especially after graduating this spring. I want both this choice and this quality of care made available to all women, and I will not stand by as more and more clinics close their doors.