flyme2moon, I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that. It didn't sound like Standard Operating Procedures and what you had to endure certainly seemed to make everything worse. I guess sometimes, we make mistakes that fill us with regret for a long, long time but we do have to learn to make peace with our mistakes, pray for forgiveness, and then move on. By sharing your experience, I'm sure you'll help a few other ladies who are in the same dilemma of deciding to abort or not, make a more informed decision. It's time to let go and forgive yourself.
GwenSilv, you sound like a very strong person.
It's not easy to do what you had to do but you seem to have learnt from your experience, and moved on with a positive attitude. You made the best of a bad situation and whilst it was very tough having to sell everything you've got to get things done, I'm just relieved that you managed to pick up the pieces.
I guess if I ever found myself to be pregnant outside marriage, I'll probably keep the baby no matter what. I believe in the sanctity of life and even if I was abandoned and have to become a single mom, I guess I'll just hope that my friends and family will provide a support network as I go through the process of pregnancy and single motherhood.
I've seen abortions happening in the Operating Theatres and the minute they turned on the suction, I started to squirm and wince and it was tough to tell myself, 'Be professional!' and continue standing there to assist.
Deep inside me, I just wished the girls would say, 'I don't want to proceed with this abortion now - I want to think about it some more' after the doctor and/or nurses give them a last discussion to ascertain that they really want to go ahead with the procedure.
Sadly, during my stint there, I realised that there are still a minority out there, who persist in using abortions as a form of contraception!
Hopefully, your experiences would help others who are in similar circumstances right now, make a better decision.