You may be thinking about ending your pregnancy

You may be thinking about ending your pregnancy because you may feel you cannot care for a child right now, or maybe there are other reasons. Having an abortion is a very personal choice. Only you can decide whether or not to continue your pregnancy. No one can force you to have a baby or force you to end your pregnancy. You may want to know more about abortion. You can discuss your options with a doctor or nurse. Some women worry that having an abortion will make it harder to get pregnant again, but most women go on to have normal, healthy pregnancies after an abortion.

Some HIV positive women face stigma and discrimination because of choices they make about having children. Stigma is the negative judgment some people make about you because they think your choice is wrong. Stigma about HIV can limit the services available to you. This is called discrimination. Stigma and discrimination are often based on fear and can happen when people don’t know all the facts about HIV and pregnancy.

“I was told it wasn’t my right to have a child.”

“In my culture everyone really pressures you to have children.”

You may face stigma because you choose to have a child.

You may face stigma because you choose to not have a child.

Whatever you are facing, you might want to talk with people you trust—friends, family members or healthcare providers. They can give you support while you make your choices. If you decide pregnancy is right for you, your network can also play an important part of helping you to stay healthy and to have a healthy baby.