This is a true story about one of our clients, Jessica. We changed her name for confidentiality reasons. Below she shares from her heart about her experience of getting pregnant in high school and the events that followed. 

I was from a really small town where everyone knows everyone. I was very active in my youth group, in extracurricular activities and I was a three-sport athlete in high school. I prided myself on being a good kid and having a good relationship with my parents and friends. I had always planned on saving sex until after I was married, but I found myself falling into compromising situations with my high school boyfriend. My senior year, I found out that I was pregnant.

After seeing the positive result of the test, I was shocked and felt like I had no place to go. After confiding in a friend and to my boyfriend, I honestly felt like abortion was my only option. I read about the procedure and started to get scared about what could happen if I went through it. So, I decided to tell my mom.

She was in disbelief and didn’t know how to respond. She told me that she would go along with whatever I decided. I told her that my boyfriend and I had decided that we were going to get an abortion.

A few weeks later, my mom and I travelled to the clinic. I felt so alone sitting in the waiting room even though there were others there. I never dreamt I would be in this situation. It wasn’t until after the procedure was over and I was being escorted back to the waiting room that someone finally asked me if I was doing okay. Why didn’t someone ask me before when I really needed it? Why didn’t someone ask me before and tell me I had other options? It was then that everything became real to me and I fell apart. I had never felt more ashamed or broken in my life.

My abortion happened toward the end of my senior year. All summer I felt that if I ignored my feelings about my experience, then I wouldn’t have to deal with them. I began to grow distant from God, family and friends. This continued until I met a friend during my freshman year of college who saw how broken I felt. He encouraged me to seek help.

That’s when I found myself contacting Collage Center. The staff was so welcoming and non-judgmental. They cared about who I was, not the decision I had made.  It was there that I learned that I was not alone. I realized that other women were dealing with my same struggles. Deciding to go through the After Abortion Support Group that Collage offers was one of the best choices I have ever made.  Today, I feel freed from the anger, guilt, and sadness that once weighed me down. Thanks to the support group I was able to reconcile all of the relationships in my life and truly start over again.

If you find yourself relating to any part of my story, remember that you don’t have to through this alone. Whether you just took a positive test or have already experienced abortion, Collage Center can help.