So your friend is about to have an abortion. Of course you want to be there for her, but you don’t know how. Look, making this decision is never simple, and having to make it as a teenager is more than a little terrifying. But it shouldn’t have to be so scary. The worst part of all this isn’t the procedure itself (which by the way is completely safe as long as you have access to a good clinic). The worst part is how you’re treated afterwards.

Abortion is something that many women feel like they can’t talk about, even amongst themselves, which creates a false stigma. The more we hide something, the more confusing it becomes. But she shouldn’t have to feel ashamed, because she made the right choice for her situation. She is not ready to carry a pregnancy to term — and that’s OK.

She will need a ride, she will need a hug, and she will need you — not because the act itself is so terrible, but because sometimes the world can be.

Here are some things to lift her spirits, to help ease the cramps, and to put a smile on her face.