Abortion Stories (Illinois)
Personal testimonies from women (and men) who have gone through an abortion.
Page Summary:
The 817 unsolicited abortion stories on these pages have come to Abort73 through our online submission form. Though not all women regret their abortions, these stories demonstrate that countless women do.
To share your own abortion story, click here for our online submission form.
To learn more about the potential psychological impact of abortion, read "Post-Abortion Syndrome."
If you're looking for "positive" abortion stories, read this.
"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…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 31
Location: Belleville, IL
Date: October 27, 2019
"I had my first abortion today. I'm barely recovering from it in my bed. It was a traumatic experience that I will never forget. I have two kids already with my ex-fiancé. I was with him for 10 years. The last couple years weren’t good, but I wanted a baby with him for some reason, but it never happened. I thought it was me. I couldn't get pregnant anymore. I had problems after having my son—abnormal…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 30
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: October 23, 2017
"I was 17 when I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t tell my boyfriend right away because I was so scared. My sister had just told my parents she was pregnant. All I thought was, “Oh God, how embarrassing for them for both their girls to be pregnant under the age of 20.” Not to mention, we came from a very Latino community, and pregnancy at a young age ran rampant. The judgment…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 28
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: July 13, 2016
"I had two abortions when I was in my 20’s. Back in the seventies, they didn't give you the information that they now have on abortion—no pictures, no explanation of what's going to happen. In my circumstances, I felt like I didn't have a choice. I already had two children, and their fathers wanted nothing to do with them. When I divorced them, they divorced their children. Now I had…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 63
Location: Beardstown, IL
Date: April 2, 2016
"I lost my virginity when I was a senior in high school. I was 17 at the time, having sex with someone who I thought loved me. I became pregnant the first time I had sex. I thought that it would never happen to me. The father constantly told me that if I loved him, I would show him I loved him and I would give myself to him. As a young and naive kid, I listened. When I found out I was pregnant,…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 19
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: November 18, 2015
"I never wanted to say goodbye to her or the thought of her. I'd wanted her in my life. I see Norah in every child I've seen since she left me—since I left her at that clinic in Champaign. She's stuck in my head like a song on repeat. Repeating every day since the day I found out she existed. Repeating every word my mother said, "You're not keeping that f***ing thing!" I didn't mean to act…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 16
Location: Heyworth, IL
Date: July 17, 2015
"I will never forget September 7, 2013—the day I was forced to have an abortion. I found out a month prior that I was pregnant by my (now ex) boyfriend. It was not planned, and the baby was expected to be born on April 27, 2014. We had been dating for three years at the time and were pretty much living together. I was 30 and he was 48. We worked together as well. When I told him, he basically…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 32
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: May 12, 2015
"Thirty-six years ago, I was 16. My first love and I "PLANNED" on getting me pregnant. I lived in a HORRIBLE home environment—as do many others. So we thought, "Get pregnant, get married, get out!” It did not work out that way! We did become pregnant. My boyfriend left me alone to tell my mother, who looked at me like a scorned lover because she had been molesting me for years! That…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 53
Location: Springfield, IL
Date: February 2, 2014
"My beautiful angel baby, I am thinking of you today. It's been 5 years since I let you go. I feel awful, I always think of you—what you would have been in life. If you would have had my features or dad's. Have blonde hair or be good at singing. It was one of the hardest things I did, well, it was the hardest thing I did. I went 3 times and couldn't do it. I saw a side view of your ultrasound…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 25
Location: Chicago
Date: March 16, 2013
"I did not have a good upbringing. My mother suffered with depression and my father did not know how to show love. I suffered through a lot of verbal abuse and neglect. I led a very rebellious life while I was in high school. I craved for attention since I was not getting what was needed at home. I remember counting down the days until I would turn 18, just to not live at home anymore. While I…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 36
Location: Rockton, IL
Date: February 28, 2013
"I was 21. On June 18, 2009, two days before fathers day, I went to the clinic. My boyfriend took me. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. His parents were a big part of me doing this! I was almost 3 months along, my baby was due on Christmas! I remember going in there, and they would not let my boyfriend in, which made it even harder–sitting in a room with 10 other girls waiting to…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 23
Location: Illinois, USA
Date: August 9, 2011
"About a month ago I started getting really bad headaches. My mom decided to take me to a doctor where they did a blood test. The doctor then said that my blood results said I was pregnant. I was completely blindsided and unprepared by the news. I was only dating the guy I got pregnant with for about a month. He was the first guy I ever slept with and I was naïve at the time and trusted him.…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 21
Location: Illinois, USA
Date: April 10, 2011
"While I didn't actually have an abortion, my wife did. I was born and raised in Chicago in a highly religious family. I attended church every Sunday and I am still an active member. I met my wife in high school and we've been inseparable since. I joined the marines after I graduated and we were married before I was deployed. I found out my wife was pregnant when I returned. At first I thought…"
Click here to read this story in its entirety.
Age: 25
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: September 19, 2010