hi sam im 13 and i think i may be pregnant i obviously dont want to go through with it so i am seriously thinking of having an abortion but the thing is i dont want anyone to fall out with me or call me a murderer cause i have obviously killed a baby by taking 2-3 pills and that is another thing how many pills do you take and what are the side affect of an abortion and what do you do to have an abortion?!
Sam
Hi there,
First, let me say how glad I am that you decided to write to me. Realising you might be pregnant can be really scary and confusing and can leave your mind racing. Before you start thinking about what to do next, its important to find out if youre actually pregnant, or if your period is late for another reason. Taking a pregnancy test is the easiest way to do this.
You can buy a pregnancy test from supermarkets or chemists. You can also get them for free from places like your doctor, or your local young peoples sexual health clinic (this is a service that offers free support and advice for young people on sexual health and pregnancy). If you go to the NHS Choices website, you can search places near to you that offer free pregnancy testing.
I can see how focused you are on whether to have an abortion. When you are pregnant its important to remember that what happens next should always be your choice. Lots of people have different ideas and opinions on abortion but whats most important is how you feel about it yourself.
In England, Wales and Scotland having an abortion is legal in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, if its the best thing for your health and emotional wellbeing. Jersey and Northern Ireland have different rules. To find out more about the rules in those areas, and for more information about pregnancy and abortion in general, you could look at the Brook website. You can also call Brook in confidence and for free on 0808 802 1234.
In order to get an abortion, youd need to start by telling a doctor or nurse about whats happening for you. Whats involved in an abortion will depend on how far along in the pregnancy you are. Im not medically trained, so unfortunately I cant answer the specific questions you asked, but the Brook website that I mentioned earlier would be a great place to look for that information. The Pregnancy page in Explore also has some useful general information about pregnancy and abortion.
Making decisions about pregnancy can be stressful and difficult and I think its really important that you have some support with this. I wonder if there is a friend or trusted adult that you could share your concerns with? You can always talk to a ChildLine counsellor in confidence about this. They could help you to think about what youd like to do next. You can talk to them by logging in for a 1-2-1 chat (which works like instant messenger), by calling for free on 0800 1111, or even by writing them an email.
Take care,
Sam
Need help straight away?
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
Ask me a question
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
