I convinced my 15-year-old daughter to get an abortion and now I feel so guilty and I see how it's affecting her. Every month she gets depressed and cries in her room. It has been a year. I never thought it would affect her like this and I feel so angry at myself and now every month I get depressed and cry also. I feel so responsible and I am so distraught over this. I thought it was ok with her when I took her to get the abortion. I thought everything would go back to normal. I was so wrong and I am dying inside everyday when I look at her. I feel so guilty and so horrible with myself. She writes letters to her unborn child and I feel so angry because if I would have known how she really felt, I would have been a stronger person for her. She came to me for advice and she told me that she wanted to keep the baby and I was just so shocked and so scared and worried about what people would think and my family too because she was so young. I looked at abortion from a medical point of view and that if done early enough it really wasn't such a big deal. I really wished that we would have gone to counseling before getting the procedure done because I know that we wouldn't be in this situation at all. After counseling, I know she would have had the baby. We did this without thinking and we rushed into this and now we regret... Now I'm scared for her mental state because she writes in her letters that she can't wait to see the baby in heaven.
[Web facilitator note: Sometimes an abortion experience can create intense emotions that you may not feel equipped to deal with on your own. If you or someone you know is considering or planning to hurt oneself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1 (800) 273-TALK ( 1-800-273-8255).]