SHE CHOSE. Introducing Samantha

Samantha’s Story.

“I was 19 when I had my eldest son. When I look back, I think, “Wow, I was so young.” I’ve had to sacrifice
a lot of things, but I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything. And I have these two beautiful humans that I get to watch grow up.”

“With my eldest son, it was not a planned pregnancy and the father didn’t want to have the baby. We weren’t careful. We weren’t taking the proper precautions. We were partying all the time, drinking and having fun. People don’t realise that affects contraception. You take the pill and it’s 98% effective. Then you drink or take antibiotics, and that percentage comes down.”

“We discussed having an abortion and I’ve never forgotten the way he spoke to me at the time: “You can’t have a child, you’re not responsible, I’m not helping you.” It’s so confronting as a woman to have to make that decision, and then know you have to live with it as it’s your body, your memory. As a woman, you experience it firsthand.”

“I booked the abortion, got to the clinic, went in, and broke down. I couldn’t go ahead with it and left. I ended up having my son. It’s definitely been challenging not having the support of his dad. Financially, it’s been quite hard as there hasn’t been consistent support.”

“With my second child, I met his dad when my eldest son was nine months old. Then, he moved
to China and I stayed with my son. We planned a trip and we fell pregnant. I didn’t find out till I arrived back in Australia and then we were faced with the decision. We considered not having him. I did have the option to go one way or another, but we chose to have our little boy. So, I moved back to China and had the baby. His father and I are no longer together.”

“If you do fall pregnant, you either embrace it or you don’t. But I needed the option as a 19-year-old to be able to terminate.”

“As a woman who has had to make that decision, not having the termination option there would have been the most terrifying thing in the world. I needed that option to make my decision.”

“It’s not going to be easy either way. You need to stand up for whatever you choose. I’ve learnt that it doesn’t matter what people say. Always do what feels right for you.”

If you have a personal story or find SHE CHOSE. inspiring I’d love to hear from you. You can leave comments below. Stay tuned for the next instalment where I’ll be introducing Kristen.

Thanks for visiting and reading about a project I have been truly passionate about!

G x