I have had 4 abortions between 15-29. I was a teenager with the first one, and it wasn't even a major consideration. I knew I wasn't going to be a baby raising a baby.

The second came after I had my daughter. I was in a casual relationship, and birth control failed me. We made the decision because we weren't actually together, that we would terminate. It was a hospital-based surgical abortion, same as the first. It was easy, kind, and not a big deal.

The third one was 9 months later when someone I was seriously dating had turned abusive after he learned we were pregnant. He threw me down a flight of stairs. That one wasn't a hard decision to make either. I really wasn't going to be someone who furthered my poverty by having more children I couldn't afford with fathers who didn't want them, or me.

The last abortion I had, happened at an abortion clinic instead of a hospital. It was a very different experience. It wasn't bad, just different. The knowledge was there, that was having an abortion. I had to talk about it with people., which wasn't a requirement in BC.

The last one made my world a little different. I had wanted more children at some point. My daughter was 7 and I didn't want a large age gap between them. My partner and I at the time hadn't been together long enough to feel secure in raising a child. We decided together to abort.

He came with me. Held my hand until he couldn't anymore. It was a hard decision versus all the others. That man is now my husband.

~Lauren