“I knew instinctively I was going to have an abortion.”
In this story, Anna, 27, from London, shares her experience having a medical abortion (abortion with pills) at our Brixton (South London) clinic.
In 2022, when I was 23, I found out that I was pregnant. There wasn’t a second thought for me. I didn’t want to have kids and neither did my boyfriend at the time. When I told one of my friends at work, she said I should take some time to think about it, but I knew instinctively that I was going to have an abortion.
“It felt like a safe space to discuss anything that was worrying me about the process.”
I had a few phone calls with MSI before I went into the clinic. Everyone I spoke to was so kind and lovely. There was absolutely no judgment. The process was all explained really clearly. I remember one of the phone calls was arranged for the morning, so I sat in the carpark at work on the phone and I had such a nice chat to the nurse. She answered all my questions. It felt like a really safe space to discuss anything that was worrying me about the process.
I went to MSI’s Brixton clinic to pick up the medication and everyone in the clinic was very attentive. I took my first pill when I got home and the next day I took the second set. I took all the pain killers and got in bed with a hot water bottle. There was one moment when I had a panic that I had thrown up. I started cramping but it was alright. I managed to sleep, and the pain passed.
“I very openly talk about my pregnancy, and I don’t think there’s any shame in it.”
They were so lovely at work. I’m a teacher and I had spoken to my head of department to let her know that I was having an abortion. She was supportive and said she would speak to HR for me who said I could take the next day off work. The next week, when I returned, the HR lead passed me in the hallway and gave me a nod as if to say, “are you okay”. It showed me that she cared but that she wouldn’t make me speak about it if I didn’t want to.
I very openly talk about my pregnancy, and I don’t think there’s any shame in it. It wasn’t a trauma for me. I like to talk about it to break the taboo, and it can even bring women together.
“I’m a teacher and in the same way we teach sex education, why can’t we talk about abortion that openly?”
A daughter of my mum’s friend became pregnant and because I’ve been so open about my experience, my mum was able to direct her to me for support. I was able to share my experience with her and talk her through each stage. I didn’t know what to expect when I had my abortion and I would have loved to just have a chat with someone who had been through it. It’s nice that I’m able to be that person for people now.
When you bring up abortion in conversation, people shy away from the topic, but I like to bring up my experience so that it can become a part of normal conversation. I’m a teacher and in the same way we teach sex education, why can’t we talk about abortion that openly?
“Only when Roe was overturned in the US did abortion rights start popping up in my social media feed.”
The recent YouGov survey result (showing that 9 in 10 people support abortion rights in the UK), have made me feel really positive. It’s nice to feel that public support. I don’t think abortion is discussed enough in mainstream media. Only when Roe was overturned in the US did abortion rights start popping up more and more on my social media feed. And it was reassuring to see people fighting for reproductive rights. I still feel very confident in our abortion rights here. I feel strongly that it’s a safe, protected right. It’s not the same around the world but here I feel it’s protected.
Read more abortion stories
Sharing stories is at the heart of ending the stigma that too many people still feel when it comes to abortion.
