I was 23, single and became pregnant after dating a young man for a short time. He never knew about the pregnancy. I had friends who had had abortions and they encouraged me to do the same. I remember one friend saying, "You are not going to keep it are you?"

My parents had always said if you get pregnant don’t come to us. I felt I had little support there. I went to a clinic. They did a pregnancy test and it was positive. They had me go home to think about it. I went back the next day. They had you talk to a "counselor" who asked if I had any questions. I asked what options I had such as adoption or keeping the baby. I remember her response was, "What choice do you really have?" My abortion was performed and it seems like it was only yesterday. I still cry about killing my baby. It is something that will always be with me. I get angry when someone tells me they are pro-choice. They don’t personally believe in abortion but they can’t put their views on anyone else. I respond we are killing babies and I don’t want anyone else to experience the hurt I feel and I can’t bring my child back.

I have 3 little girls now but I still yearn for the child that I killed. My husband knows about my abortion and he too has strong feelings against abortion. No one else in my family knows about my abortion.

The abortion changed my life by making me totally and thoroughly against abortion. We have to protect those who can’t protect themselves. 

The abortion was extremely painful -- I felt like my insides were being ripped out. I was extremely upset, angry and depressed for months and years after the abortion. I continued to have no one to turn to. I have to support abstinence before marriage, adoption if pregnancy occurs.

Please stop the killings.