Arianna's Story: Abortion Help in NYC

"My family would have been so disappointed."

Arianna was working hard and studying to receive her master’s degree when she found out she was pregnant.



In the moment she found out, she remembers being filled with both shame and pride.

"My family would have been so disappointed to know I was pregnant," Arianna explains. "I'm the one my aunts will call to have me talk with my younger cousins when they are off track."

If her family were to find out she was pregnant, she felt like they would no longer look up to her.

When she was eleven weeks pregnant, Arianna decided to have an abortion.

She found a Planned Parenthood near her. When she got there, the waiting room was packed. “It made me feel like, ‘This is normal, I'm dramatizing my feelings,'" she says.

Even though she'd arrived at 8 a.m., it was several hours before she was seen for her abortion appointment.

"Finally, I was placed into another room in a hospital gown with other women. I could feel the despair in the room. I started talking with the woman next to me who was fourteen weeks pregnant and crying. It was upsetting," she recalls.

"After the abortion, I just remember holding my stomach and feeling empty," she says.

After the abortion procedure, Arianna remembers going to a park and walking in circles for hours, crying. "I stood in front of the swing set and thought about what life would have looked like with a child. I felt like I'd rewritten my own future, but I didn't want to burden any family or friends by telling them about my abortion.”

"Now I'm just filled with shame"

A month passed, Arianna didn’t speak to anyone about her abortion except for her boyfriend, but she quickly realized needed an outlet to process. She found herself resenting her boyfriend for not voicing an opinion about the decision; she felt like she had nowhere to turn.

"I was so scared to tell my family due to fear, but now I was just filled with shame," she recalls.

After searching, Arianna found Avail NYC and met with a client advocate. Through that relationship, Arianna has been able to start to process her feelings, looking toward facing her future and finding resilience.

We're here for you to process

Our compassionate client advocates at Avail NYC are here to listen to your concerns and fears without judgment. We understand there are often unresolved emotions that come along with an abortion experience and not every person has the same feelings about their abortion.

If you'd like to speak with women who are going through similar experiences, we invite you to explore our Meet-Ups. These are safe and confidential spaces facilitated by our client advocates for you to share with and listen to others that have their own abortion stories. We can also meet with you (and your partner, if desired) one-on-one to help you process your emotions after your abortion. All our services are free.