TW: article contains the subject of abortions, and pregnancy. I can still feel how the air left my chest when I saw the second line appear on the test. I always thought I would know exactly what I wanted if I ever found out I was pregnant. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I had always considered myself well-informed, pro-choice, pragmatic, but when the hypothetical became reality, I was stunted. I knew I was in an impossible position with my choices: seek an illegal termination or break deeply rooted traditions and have a child out of wedlock as a single parent. When I turned to friends for support, I was hoping to gain a better understanding of my own feelings. Instead, I was met with unsolicited opinions, all well-intended but hurtful and snatching away my agency. One implored me to get an abortion by any means – legal or illegal. Another said they couldn’t imagine me with children of my own. My gynaecologist reassured me an abortion was the right course of action. Despite being acquainted for almost three years, I also had no idea how the…
