In 2004, I lost my job. During the process of interviewing for new jobs, I had no health care coverage. My long time boyfriend and I had just broken up, and even though I was still on birth control, I had managed to get pregnant. I was already a single parent to a 4 year old girl, and finding a new job while single and pregnant was unlikely.

Not continuing the pregnancy terrified me, but keeping it terrified me even more, so I made the incredibly difficult decision to have an abortion.

Not continuing the pregnancy terrified me, but keeping it terrified me even more, so I made the incredibly difficult decision to have an abortion. I was able to locate a clinic nearby who provided me with almost free gynecological care beforehand, and they worked with my limited budget in order to provide the procedure I needed. It is now a decade later, and while still a sad and sore time of my life, it was the best decision I could have made for my family and for myself. I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out if the clinic and their services had not been available to me.