Sara (a pseudonym) accessed an abortion in the United States after Roe v Wade was overturned. Fortunately, she was based in New Jersey so was able to access care close to home. For millions of women across the US, this is no longer an option.
Sara’s experience shows why access to abortion can be life-changing and life-saving.
We thank Sara and all the women who have shared their abortion story with us. We stand in solidarity with those seeking, providing, and fighting for abortion rights in the US.
Sara’s abortion story
I was 20 when I had an abortion.
I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship with my ex-boyfriend. This was the first time I was seeing a guy who really made me feel great about myself. I trusted him.
He ended up ghosting me. I thought that was the hardest thing to get over until I found out that I was pregnant.
My period has always been on time. I took a pregnancy test just out of curiosity and to double check that I wasn’t pregnant, because it never happened before, so how could it happen now? Turns out I was four weeks pregnant.
I cried, I was scared. I wasn’t talking to my parents. I went over to my friend’s house and I cried to them, and they gave me a support system that I’ll never forget.
I was pregnant when Roe v Wade overturned. I was 20 years old. Thankfully, in New Jersey we remained a safe haven. I managed to safely get my abortion.
My support system took me to go get the procedure done. I remember being screamed at from a couple feet away, about how my friend who took me was awful and so was I.
I was scared and I hadn’t told anyone besides my two friends. The only people that made me feel safe was inside this clinic. On the walls, they had little sayings that actually comforted me.
I remember getting my abortion and then having to return to work the next day. I didn’t know any better that I might’ve needed to call in sick, and I honestly couldn’t afford to.
Fast-forward three years later. If I didn’t have that abortion, it would’ve killed me. There’s no way that I could’ve had a child.
I’m so thankful to make choices about my own body.
I knew what was right for me at the time, and I will never regret that.
Learn more and support the fight back:
Roe v Wade Overturned
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade removed the right to abortion in America.
Fund the fight back
A return to Trump’s policies will mean that foreign NGOs no longer receive funding for reproductive healthcare.
More abortion stories
Sharing abortion stories means women and girls feel informed when it comes to making choices about their own bodies.
