Victoria

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2008

I was relieved and happy to find everything had worked. But I did and do still feel guilty. I think it's a natural reaction. As women we are programmed to want children, so I did feel that it was a part of me and something I should be caring for. But I did the right thing.

Well, it worked. Not without a lot of pain and anxiety beforehand though. The biggest worry was waiting for the medicines to arrive, but I was well supported by my friends and the women on web service so my experience was as good as can be.

I was travelling on the other side of the world. I had no money, no boyfriend, no stability whatsoever. I felt guilty about having an abortion, but I would have felt more guilty if I had brought a child into the world and not been able to give it a comfortable upbringing. I did consider adoption, but I ruled it out because I didn't want to put my family through the anguish (I think my Mum would have had a very strong opposition to her grandchild being given up for adoption). Although I could have stayed in Chile to complete an adoption, I was living with a family and wasn't about to impose on them in such a way.

Ang iligalidad ng iyong pagpapalaglag ay nakakaapekto sa iyong damdamin?

I suppose it did because it meant that I actually questioned my decision because of its illegality, because the opposing argument was to be heard everywhere due to Chile's Catholic culture. If I had been in England, I wouldn't have been exposed to opposing opinions so I wouldn't have even considered them. I was also working for a women's rights organisation at the time so that meant I had access to all the information and statistics about Chile's abortion laws. It's one of only 3 countries in the world (together with Nicaragua and Guatemala) where there is no option for abortion, even if the woman is raped, her health is at risk or if the baby will not survive outside of the womb. Now, more than ever, I support a woman's right to decide for herself and it truly disgusts me that a government could impose a law that could change people's lives so greatly. While I was pregnant, I used to see girls far younger than me pushing 3 babies around and I knew how lucky I was to be able to make the choice to at least get on a plane and go to a country where it was legal. Even if I couldn't, I was from the rich part of Chilean society and though ilegal, rich women can find abortions. It's the inequality and lack of education that sets these girls apart so that some don't even know how to prevent pregnancy. That's truly shocking, but what's more shocking is that a lot of educated and open minded people won't accept that as a reason, preferring to think the girls are just stupid.

Ano ang reaksyon ng ibang tao sa iyong pagpapalaglag?

Everyone I confided in was extremely supportive. I will admit though, that I didn't tell people who I didn't think would support me for fear of making the lives of those around me difficult.

Milva

Gdy okazało się, że jestem w ciąży najpierw się ucieszyliśmy z mężem. Będzie…

Kojika

Jestem w stałym związku od 7lat. Mam kochającego mężczyznę i mała córeczkę.

Bobbie

The first time I was too young the next I was old enough to know I had no right…

Sunny

To była moja druga aborcja. Jak się okazało, była dużo łatwiejsza, z…

Grace Grace

Y no existe arrepentimiento.

Ale

Sin remordimientos

Meg

My abortion was NOT THAT PAINFUL. Don't believe in the horror stories!

Samantha

Grow Yourself, Before You Grow a Baby.

Daniela Moraes

É fácil defender o aborto das outras. Difícil é decidir quando a gente precisa…

E.

Decyzja o aborcji była najcięższą do tej pory..

Bab

J'ai arrêté un processus de vie

Fanti. Alexandra

Sentí y decidí.

Tiffany

I am still healing from my decision - it really is a wide range of emotions.

Johanna P.

Era lo que tenia que hacer

Zuzanna

To była słuszna decyzja.

Dani

Aborto a las 4 semanas, perdóname mi ángel.

Meg.

Your a strong women!

Fernanda

Descobri que estava grávida no dia do meu aniversário, na época, sem nenhum…