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To learn more about the potential psychological impact of abortion, read "Post-Abortion Syndrome." If you're looking for "positive" abortion stories, read this.

"Often we do not hear from women who have "survived" abortions. I get it. There is shame, guilt, fear, condemnation for those who have had abortions. How do I know this for certain? Because when I was 16 I had an abortion and when I was 17 I had my second abortion. The memory I have of being pregnant was fear, a lot of fear! Fear of an unknown future, fear I could not handle a child, fear I would…"

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Age: 48
Location: Wichita, KS
Date: January 31, 2020

"I had an abortion on August 25, 2017, at a place called All Women's Health in Tacoma. I was 21, single, had a nice good paying job at Costco, but I also had $26,000 in college debt. I was involved with a good friend from high school but it was nothing serious. Then in early August I found out that I was pregnant. My birth control failed, or I guess you can say I failed my birth control. For weeks…"

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Age: 24
Location: Tacoma, WA
Date: January 28, 2020

"I was raised in a verbally and psychologically abusive environment. I became a very insecure and fearful young girl. I had my first panic attack when I was 10 years old. I was very skinny, and I hated the way I looked. I would look at myself in the mirror and say I'm so ugly; I hate this body part and that body part. I didn't get any attention from boys like my other friends whose bodies had…"

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Age: 36
Location: New York
Date: January 25, 2020

"I was 19 years old when I got pregnant for the first time. It was Christmas of 2016. I was excited, despite breaking up with my boyfriend a couple weeks before I found out about my pregnancy. I broke up with him because he cheated on me several times. I didn't tell him of the pregnancy because I knew he didn't care. He didn't try to come back once we broke up. I was excited, though, until I told…"

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Age: 22
Location: Callao, Peru
Date: January 15, 2020

"My boyfriend told me I’d ruined his life and he’d leave me if I kept my baby. I had an abortion even though I didn’t want to. I was afraid of losing him. I became depressed and he left anyway. I hate myself every day for not staying strong. I suffer sleepless nights and cry myself to sleep, even four years later. Nobody understands."

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Age: 26
Location: United Kingdom
Date: December 27, 2019

"I am 22 years old. I got an abortion because I was unsure who the father was. It was either my ex-boyfriend or my current boyfriend that is a secret because he is 37 years old with six kids. I was too embarrassed to tell my family about him. I’m so stupid and selfish. I really hate myself for going through with it. I didn’t have any support; I felt so alone."

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Age: 22
Location: United States
Date: December 3, 2019

"I just had an abortion on October 18, 2019. It was my first pregnancy and I’m in my mid thirties. I want a child, but I’m not financially stable at all. I’m still a student and work part time and recently had to move back in with my parents. The father of the child was financially stable. But he and I had broken up a month prior to me getting pregnant, and he refused to get back with me…"

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Age: 34
Location: Carson, CA
Date: November 25, 2019

"I had my abortion 5 months ago and I regret it to this day. I am 22 years old. My boyfriend and I have been together for five years, and we have plans on getting married and having a family once we are financially stable. We are both career driven, but we both want a family. We have always been careful, but on this occasion, we took a risk and had unprotected sex. I had just come back from a…"

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Age: 22
Location: United Kingdom
Date: November 22, 2019

"I was 34 and 6 weeks pregnant. It was with my friend. He didn't want it. I was selfish, and I regret my abortion to this day. I knew it the day I did it. I remember everything. Maybe for some people it goes away, but really, it never goes away. I should have just focused on myself and what I wanted—not what someone else wanted. Whether it’s your boyfriend, husband, lover, whatever—I think…"

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Age: 39
Location: California
Date: October 27, 2019

"I had an abortion for many reasons—justifications, I now feel. I was 18 and had a few months of high school still left. My boyfriend and I felt like we were in love with each other, but we'd only been together three months. Once I was pregnant and knew how scared he was, I questioned inwardly whether he'd stick around if I kept the baby, and was too insecure to ask him about that option. I…"

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Age: 31
Location: Belleville, IL
Date: October 27, 2019

"I know I want a baby. I’ve known I wanted to be a mom for as long as I’ve known that I need to write. As every young girl fantasizes about the different paths her future will take, my dreams have been extravagant and varied. But I’ve always kept one picture that remained clear among the blurry transitions from one milestone to the next. That picture involved a cozy room with the faded colors…"

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Age: 27
Location: United States
Date: October 20, 2019

"When I was 16, I was a very troubled teenager. Doing drugs, partying a lot, hanging with the wrong kind of people. I was having this relationship with a boy, but I knew it wasn't going to last. Then I found out that I was pregnant. I told my parents and my boyfriend. My parents were like, “you are screwing up your life,” etc. But they said, “whatever you choose, we are standing behind you.”…"

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Age: 27
Location: Hoogezand, Netherlands
Date: October 13, 2019

"He was a one-night stand; I had no feelings for him. We are young, dumb, and in college. I’ve been on birth control for two years and had an IUD in before that and never had any issues—just living my young and reckless life. I was having fun one night with my friends and went over to one of their apartments. I knew all the boys who lived there and just “rallied” with them as it was the…"

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Age: 19
Location: Arizona, USA
Date: October 1, 2019

"No intention to justify myself, but back at the time I was 35—recently divorced, and I had three children to look out for, so the news that I was pregnant with my ex-husband terrified me. At the start, I hadn't considered to abort, but a friend of mine easily convinced me a couple weeks after finding out. She even got an appointment for me. The reason why I agreed was because—as I said—I…"

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Age: 37
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Date: September 30, 2019

"I was 15 years old when a doctor told me I had a low chance of conceiving without IVF. My dream ever since I was little was to be a mother, and I’m in school to become a teacher—so kids are my life! I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost three years and we never used protection because of my diagnosis. One day I had a rush of pregnancy symptoms and I figured it was my PCOS (Polycystic…"

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Age: 20
Location: New York
Date: September 29, 2019