This story is published at Shout Your Abortion.

I’ve had 2 abortions, both with my husband.

The first was in 2015 before we were married or engaged. I was living in my parents’ basement and immediately upon seeing the results of the pregnancy test, knew that I was not interested in having a child at that moment in time. The procedure went smoothly and I moved forward effortlessly.

The second was recent and so different. The surprise “positive” pregnancy result elated my husband and I.

We went to the doctor only to learn that a medication I take every day causes birth defects. I had an abortion. It wrecked me emotionally. It was also more physically taxing than I had remembered. We are still recovering.

Maybe one day we’ll actively try, maybe not. In spite of this pain and emotional chaos, I am so grateful that I’ve had access to safe and legal surgical abortion in my times of need.

~Celine