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Choosing My Future: A Young Person's Journey to Reproductive Autonomy
- kathrynwatkins5
- Dec 31, 2024
- 2 min read
By Deborah Harsha
I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to look forward, not backward. I don’t hold detailed memories of my youth like many others, but one in particular remains etched in my mind. It was the summer after my high school graduation. I was 17 years old, riding in the car with my mother when she said something unexpected.
Out of nowhere, she asked me if I wanted to be on birth control. I could not have been more shocked at her inquiry, and I’m certain that it must have been unnerving for her. I responded with a near-instant, “YES!” Although I felt uneasy that she seemed displeased by my response, I was relieved that she had asked and glad that I had answered truthfully.
A few weeks later, my birth control pills and I moved from my small hometown to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for college. This was a huge change in environment with new friends and a new place to live. I was practically on my own — and... pregnant.
I was so disappointed. My birth control had failed, and I had not factored a baby into my vision of my future at that time. I was alone with very little money, and the only thing I knew for sure was that my choice was to get an abortion. It was a choice I never wanted to need to make, but I am grateful I had the right to decide for myself.
I figured out how to obtain an abortion — which required extra steps because I was still a minor — how to pay for it, and where to go. I was unaware of Planned Parenthood’s services at the time, but thankfully, I had a group of friends who were there to help me before, during, and after my abortion. I know that having Planned Parenthood as an ally would have only improved my experience because of the resources and understanding they offer to each patient, and that’s why I’m a huge supporter of their mission and work. Reproductive health care is a fundamental right, and I want to ensure that care is available for everyone who needs it.
17-year-old Deborah made the best decision for my then-me, my later-me, and my now-me. I am now the proud mother of two amazing men and grateful that the power to decide when I was ready to grow my family was always in my hands.
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