EXCLUSIVE: A mum of two daughters aged three and nine has said she will never regret having an abortion after finding out she was pregnant for the third time and becoming very unwell14:23, 03 Jul 2026Mum-of-two shares her abortion story to get closure and help othersA mum-of-two has explained how she does not regret the decision she made to have an abortion after finding out she was pregnant for a third time. Leah Allington, 28, from Bedfordshire, found out she was pregnant in July 2024 after realising something wasn't quite right with her body.‌After taking a pregnancy test, the woman, who is the mother of two children aged three and nine, saw a positive result and explained how she and her partner immediately knew their circumstances meant they would not be able to happily welcome a third child into the world.‌Not long after, Leah began feeling unwell and explained how she was throwing up every 30 minutes and could not keep any food or drink down. The situation got so bad that she had to travel to her nearest hospital's A&E department, where she was put onto a drip due to being dehydrated.‌In the days after, Leah called her local NHS clinic to ask for an appointment to schedule an abortion.What are the laws surrounding pregnancy termination in England, Wales and Scotland?In England, Wales, and Scotland, abortion is legal up to 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy under the 1967 Abortion Act. It is performed free on the NHS if two doctors agree that continuing the pregnancy would involve greater risk to the woman's physical or mental health than a termination.The topic of abortion is a contentious one, with groups of people regularly protesting outside of clinics in the UK. The UK Government brought in 'safe access zones' around abortion clinics and hospitals on October 31, 2024.‌The buffers, which are law in the UK, apply within a 150 metre radius of abortion service providers and are in place to "bring in stronger safeguards for women accessing this vital health service".When the government were in talks over the zones in March 2023, MPs rejected attempts to allow silent prayer in the zones, voting down an amendment from a group of Tory and DUP MPs.‌Bishop John Sherrington, of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said the Government had "taken an unnecessary and disproportionate step backwards in the protection of religious and civic freedoms in England and Wales" in bringing in the new law. He said: "Religious freedom includes the right to manifest one's private beliefs in public through witness, prayer and charitable outreach, including outside abortion facilities."'I'm happy I had an abortion and I'm happy my family don't have to suffer'Leah said: "I don't think I missed a period, I think I just had some sort of feeling that something wasn't right. My first thought [after seeing positive pregnancy test] was, I know I can't keep it, and I was upset."Then I started throwing up, it was scary, it was out of nowhere as well. I think it's almost like a sign that I was making the right decision, my body was simply rejecting it, essentially.‌"I came home from the hospital, or the next day, I called the clinic. They were all so lovely, there was no judgement at all."Leah explained the main reason behind her decision to terminate her pregnancy was that her family of four were living in a two-bedroom council flat, where she and her partner were already sleeping in the living room, so her two daughters could have their own rooms.‌Thinking about the cost of living crisis – and, in her words, the 'things happening in the world today' – she did not feel comfortable bringing another life into it.When heading into the hospital for her appointment, Leah was asked a number of times by doctors about her decision before being given medication to terminate the pregnancy. She also had a scan in the clinic, which the doctors did not show her.Coping with abortion grief and the reality of reproductive healthcareThe mum said: "I think something that people don't talk about when they have an abortion is, that you're allowed to be sad. Nobody wants to have an abortion. I was devastated and upset, it's not a nice process to go through.‌"But I do not regret it and I never will. I'm happy I had an abortion and I'm happy my family don't have to suffer. If I didn't have the abortion, we wouldn't have end up where we are now.Content cannot be displayed without consent"We're in a three-bed house now, its got a garden. We just booked our first family holiday, a caravan holiday, and we wouldn't have been able to do that at all.‌"I now have a part-time job in the evening, that wouldn't have been a thing. We're in a much better position and situation for not having a third child."My sister knows, my partner's mum and nan know, and they said 'you've made the right decision' and they were happy that we were mature enough to realise that."'I shared my story to get closure and help other women'In 2022 The Supreme Court in the United States overturned the landmark Roe vs Wade ruling that made abortion legal. As of 2026, 17 U.S. states have major restrictions around abortion - 13 of these states have enacted near-total bans at all stages of pregnancy.‌Leah said that throughout the whole process she went through, she was extremely grateful for having the right to choose what to do with her own body.She shared a video on her TikTok page, @leahxallington, explaining her experience to get closure and to let other women know if it okay to make choices about their own bodies.‌She said: "I did want to talk about it one day, I do post a lot of honest and open stuff on the page, but with what's going on in the world and women having every single right taken away from them, I wanted to show people you can have one, you can be sad, and I want other people to know that they don't have to be so scared to go."So I've shared it for me for closure and then for the sake of other people hearing it, because there's too many people in the world having an opinion on women's bodies."I just think there's such pressure to keep the babies, but no one actually cares the next day. The pro-lifers that are protesting, the next day they're probably going to work, they don't care about this one person's baby. It doesn't affect them."Article continues belowFor more information about abortion, please visit the NHS website or the British Pregnancy Advisory Service or call BPAS on 03457 304030.