I had an abortion three weeks before I was due to start university, and I simultaneously regret and don't regret the decision. It's sometimes hard to think of what my four-year-old child would be like now. Emotionally I wasn't ready for a baby. Financially, I wasn't read for a baby. Selfishly, I wasn't ready for a baby. I was 20, with my life ahead of me. Yes, a baby would have interrupted my career plans, but at the forefront of my decision was the fact that I was having those thoughts in the first place; if I had a child I would look at them every day and think of what it had cost me - and no innocent child deserves that. On top of that, I couldn't bring a baby into this world without knowing how I was going to feed it, clothe it, love it and nurture it. I grew up with six siblings and a single mum; who tried her best but we struggled. I looked at my friends lives, and resented them. I didn't want that for my child. I think of how far I've come in these four years, and how much I've contributed to society; these are things I wouldn't have achieved if my decision had gone the other way. I've grown into a person I never imagined I could, because that decision was the hardest one I'll ever have to make, and it affected me in a way I never thought possible. I made it my mission to ensure a positive outcome - I channelled the emotion into achieving great things. I will have children when I'm ready, emotionally and financially, but most importantly, when I can give them the best possible start in life. Anonymous
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