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'I had 4 abortions as contraception was hassle'

Aged just 15, Elleia Harris decided to have an abortion when she fell pregnant after a one-night stand. It was the second time she’d been pregnant – she’d already had a daughter at 14. Incredibly, the self-confessed promiscuous teen found the procedure “so easy” she continued having weekly one-night stands without using contraception, regarding terminations as the solution to unplanned pregnancies. She’s now had six pregnancies, four of which have been terminated.

But after her fourth abortion, Elleia found herself suddenly devastated by her loss. Describing her ensuing depression, she tells Closer she now realises abortions are no substitute for contraception.

The 24 year old admits: “Contraception was a hassle and my first abortion was so painless and quick – terminations seemed a fail-safe back-up. Now I realise I was stupid – my last abortion left me in pieces.”

Worryingly, it seems Elleia’s attitude is common. Staggering statistics published last month show thousands of teens are having repeat abortions – with some undergoing at least eight.

Elleia grew up in Banbury, Oxfordshire, with her mum Linda, 52, a sales rep, after her dad left home when she was born. Shockingly, she first started having sex aged 12 with her 14-year-old boyfriend. She didn’t use contraception and, at 13, she fell pregnant.

Elleia says: “I was in denial for 13 weeks and ignored it, but eventually confessed to Mum. She suggested an abortion, but the thought was scary and she supported me in having the baby.”

She had a daughter Nicole, now 10, but split with her dad at eight weeks pregnant and doesn’t have contact with him.

Elleia juggled caring for Nicole with her GCSEs but began having weekly one-night stands without using contraception. By then, she was living with family friends because her mum had moved abroad.

She admits: “I’d go to a club, meet a boy, then go back to his. I’d pretend I was staying with friends to the people I was living with. I liked the attention.”

And although doctors had prescribed Elleia the Pill, she forgot to take it regularly – and was too embarrassed to ask her partners to wear condoms.

She adds: “I thought I wouldn’t be unlucky enough to get pregnant again and never considered STIs.”

Unsurprisingly, at 15 Elleia became pregnant again. She says: “I felt so stupid, I didn’t even know who the dad was. I didn’t dare tell anyone and pretended I’d put on weight.”

It wasn’t until 24 weeks – the abortion limit – that she decided on a termination. She explains: “I put my head in the sand – then realised I could still terminate and went to see my doctor. He didn’t force me to talk to my mum and booked me in for an abortion three days later. I was scared, but couldn’t face having another child.”

Elleia had the abortion, by vacuum – where the foetus is sucked out under general anaesthetic. In the UK, doctors are able to perform an abortion on girls under the age of 16 without parental consent, as long as they believe the patient fully understands the procedure. They also offer counselling.

Elleia – who didn’t have counselling – arranged for a babysitter to look after Nicole and took a friend with her to the hospital. She says: “When I came round, I had stomach cramps, but I was discharged within two hours and felt fine the next day. I had no other symptoms apart from bleeding. I did feel sad, but relieved, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was.”

And Elleia was so reassured by her experience that rather than use contraception, she decided abortion was a fail-safe back-up. She returned to partying and had frequent one-night stands, despite having to be treated for chlamydia and pelvic inflammatory disease.

She says: “It sounds blasé, but I knew I was rubbish with the Pill and condoms killed the mood.”

At 18, Elleia, then working in a call centre, started dating a friend and fell pregnant again after six weeks. She decided to keep the baby because she was in love and Esme was born in August 2006.

But shockingly, although Elleia didn’t want more kids, she continued having unprotected sex and conceived three months later. Knowing about her previous abortion, her partner supported her decision to have an NHS termination at 12 weeks using the vacuum procedure.

She recalls: “I went to see a different doctor – I was a bit embarrassed – but she was understanding. This time, I lost quite a bit of blood and had to stay the night, but I wasn’t in much pain. Of course, I didn’t enjoy it, but I felt fine the next day.”

Within six months, she fell pregnant again and, at 12 weeks, had a third termination – this time paying £675 privately because she was embarrassed about going back to her GP.

She recalls: “I was out within two hours, having a McDonald’s. I didn’t want the baby because I wanted to focus on my career – and I was worried about paying the mortgage. My boyfriend was supportive. I tried not to think of it as a baby in case I got upset.”

Elleia split with her partner 18 months later, but quickly met a new man and decided to have the contraceptive injection, which protects you for 12 weeks. But she didn’t get it topped up and, within two years, she was pregnant.

By then, she’d left her call centre job to study law and history at uni and was living off her student loan, so she couldn’t afford another child. She had a termination on the NHS – despite being told she was carrying identical twins.

Elleia admits: “I left it until 15 weeks because I knew I’d had the procedure later and wasn’t worried. When I found out I was having twins during a scan it did make me think differently – two babies, two heartbeats. But my relationship wasn’t going well and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to cope on my own.”

But despite having the same procedure, Elleia had a very different experience. She says: “I was in lots of pain when I came round and bleeding heavily. I went home after three hours and had strong stomach pains.

“I cried – I couldn’t sleep or eat. I had this horrible feeling of guilt I’d never felt before. I couldn’t go to uni and my relationship crumbled.”

A week later, Elleia was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and given sedatives by her doctor. She says: “I had to drop out of uni. I kept picturing my twins growing up – I imagined them as boys. Being around Nicole and Esme made me think of the babies I’d aborted – especially my first at 24 weeks.

“I’d been so immature and felt angry at myself for having the abortions, for letting such a horrible thing happen.”

A year on, Elleia, who’s now single, has had the coil fitted, uses condoms and is determined not to get pregnant again. Luckily, she hasn’t been damaged physically by her terminations, but she still suffers emotionally, adding:
“I still get depressed about it – I could have avoided this.”

Dr Sarah Jarvis says: “Women can suffer depression after an abortion and multiple abortions repeat what can be a traumatic event. There’s also the risk of infection, which can cause infertility and damage to the neck of the womb, which may result in miscarriages later.

“The risks are small, but the more abortions you have, the more you’re leaving yourself open to them.”

By Francine Anker

For information on safe sex, visit www.fpa.org.uk