Hi, My Name Is Claire.

Hi. I'm Claire, and I had a medication abortion in CA in 2021.

I found out I was pregnant when I turned 30 on a trip with my best friend, far from home in a foreign country, and my first thought was: "How is this possible? I am so calculated? I used protection and did everything right. Why is this happening? How could I possibly know what to do? I want to have a family, but not like this, not right now, not with some guy that I don’t really know after one night that was just supposed to be fun. Why won’t he ever carry the weight that I now bear in my body?" I decided to have a medication abortion because I wasn’t in a position to have a child, I had no solid job or home, and it wasn’t the time to bring a child into my turbulent transition of a time.

I received my abortion pills at a clinic.

From start to finish, the process was terrifying, empowering, spiritual, and sadIy took the pills at a hotel I will never stay at again, with my best friend there by my side, and I felt horrific. I purged absolutely everything in my body, it was scary and sad but also on my terms, in the privacy of my own choice. What surprised me most was the self-respect and faith I gained in myself. I told myself I didn’t do anything wrong, and after a lifetime of feeling like the problem, I was set free and finally believed that.

Because I had access to medication abortion, I was able to land on my own two feet. I got a career of a lifetime in the arts shortly after, I bought my home in LA, I created the foundation I wanted for a family, but it just wasn’t the right time at that time. I felt stronger than I ever knew I could be.

I'm sharing my story because Planned Parenthood saved my life. It’s been radical to have an abortion during a time when we are going back in time as Americans and losing privileges that our grandmothers fought for. I have been afraid to talk about this because it is painful and deeply personal, but I am grateful for the place to pour this experience out. I hope sharing this helps normalize how abortions are healthcare and a basic human right.

Medication abortion is life-changing, so necessary and normal! 1 in 3 women have abortions, both my mom and stepmom had abortions, and I only found that out while having mine. This is something we need to talk about, even when being pregnant at the wrong time can feel too heavy to bear. No one wants to play God or make that decision, but I am grateful every day for the freedom that I had to trust myself and choose.