Reasons I’ve Never Had an Abortion
1) I have never been raped or sexually assaulted or pressured to have sex.
2) I chose when to start having sex and with whom I wished to have it.
3) I had access to affordable birth control in college.
4) I have health insurance.
5) My health insurance covers birth control.
6) I have a doctor who prescribes me birth control.
7) I have a pharmacist who fills my birth control prescription.
8) Because of 4-7, my birth control is free.
9) I am in a stable financial situation.
10) I am in a stable relationship.
11) My husband and I discussed and decided when we wanted to try to have kids.
12) I was able to afford prenatal vitamins.
13) Because of #4 and #6, I was able to have regular, affordable prenatal visits throughout both my pregnancies.
14) I was fortunate to never suffer a miscarriage.
15) I was fortunate to never suffer preterm death of the fetus and have a dead body stay inside mine.
16) I was fortunate that neither of my children had any medical issues discovered during pregnancy.
16a) At an early scan, my youngest showed cysts on the brain. 99.99% of the time, these go away, but they can also be an indicator of other issues. We were sent for a higher-res ultrasound. One thing they checked was his fingers, as babies with Trisomy-18 hold/clench their hands in certain ways. I knew Trisomy-18 was an unlikely but possible diagnosis. And I had already decided that if he had Trisomy-18, I would abort. Luckily, as predicted, the cysts went away.
17) I was fortunate that both my pregnancies progressed in the uterus, not in the fallopian tube.
18) I am able to remain on birth control because while my body thinks I can still have kids, I do not want any more children.
