I got pregnant at 15 and I am now 48. I do know the effects abortion leaves behind as I didn't even get any counselling in those days. It was in the year of 1973. My doctor, my parents, but mostly my mother when I told them, I can still remember the words that came out of her mouth, ‘You will have to go and have an abortion. You aren't mentally fit to have it’. I was six weeks pregnant, then had the baby terminated at thirteen weeks. I have run out of space to tell you a lot more but I blame myself. I felt so powerless.

Editor’s note: Thanks for telling us your experience. It sounds as if you felt so pressurised at the time and have carried a lot of negative feeling all these years. You remember the feelings and the words so clearly. I want to encourage you to talk about it with someone – you may think it was such a long time ago, but it isn’t because you still carry those feelings around with you now. It isn’t too late to come to terms with it. You could phone the helpline initially and see who there is locally who can help you find better way of being with these memories and face a future free of guilt and self-blame.