I've had the most extraordinary conversation

I’ve got myself confused (not difficult!), was it the person you were speaking to whose daughter didn’t go through with the pregnancy or is it the mutual friends daughter who is now pregnant who didn’t go through with an earlier pregnancy? Either way I feel for the poor girl, bad enough having to make that decision without thinking that people might be gossiiing. As others have said, just try to forget it.

Her friend becoming a grandmother has probably stirred up emotions that have been buried. I would feel sorry for her but also as she kept he daughters secret in not telling a father she probably felt that she had let down I would be concerned both at her breaking that childs confidence and also that she herself has never had any support to deal with her feelings about it.

I think it was wrong for the mother to tell people outside the family if her own husband wasn't told. He'd be mortified if he found out via the neighborhood chinese whispers! Had she kept it a secret between her and her daughter that might have made sense, if they thought he would react badly.

Some things need forgetting and leaving in the past, and this is one of them.

Don't take this personally, but I am surprised that she told you, or anyone else, in the Supermarket (or anywhere else!) In my family, if my daughter had had to make the same decision, she would not have been able to tell her father. I certainly would have advised her not to, as he was a tyrant. But I would never have told anyone else either, even my closest friend whom I know I can trust not to gossip.

It concerned her daughter's private life. I do not not discuss my daughters' private lives with other people.

One of the worst things we can do is to listen to what we are informed is 'a secret'.It then no longer remains a secret. Avoid.

Maybe you were there at a time when this person felt the need to unburden and just blurted this out petitpois. I don't think you're being unreasonable in feeling uncomfortable with this knowledge and there's the possibility she now feels uncomfortable herself for burdening you with it. Perhaps the way forward is to accept that she thinks of you as a warm, understanding and trustworthy person and forget it if you can as other posters have advised.

All families are different. Maybe he has strong feelings about abortion & they did not want to distress him but wanted to support her daughter.
Forget she ever told you.

My GOD What absolute bi**h!
This woman can not be trusted and I pity her poor family!

You must be a reassuring and comfortable person to talk to about something that she perhaps is not completely comfortable with. She probably regretted telling you the minute the words came out of her mouth. Suggest forget she told you.

None of your business really and never pass it on. Lots of reasons why she never told DH - confidentiality main one!

There may be a good reason for her not to tell her DH, but I can't think of one good reason for her to tell you! You now have to prove that you're the better person by forgetting all about it.

I’d agree that you really need to forget that conversation.

I can understand a little her not telling the grandfather. It's not the sort of thing you pass on to someone you are not close to though especially in casual conversation.

Imagine finding out your mum had told people something so personal. Horrible!

Well the friend of a friend sounds like the worst sort of gossip, doesn’t she.

I'm surprised she mentioned it to you! Why would she tell anyone

She should never have told you, now if the secret gets back to her DH, you will probably get the blame.

In the words of Manuel from Faulty Towers keep thinking ‘‘I know nothing ‘
I suspect many families have secrets & crosses to quietly bare

I would just out this right at the back of my mind and not give it another thought.

Not sure everyone thinks an abortion needs to be a secret so perhaps she didn't really mind if you told people.

I suppose I should add, of course I wouldn't spill the beans if I were to meet him, but it did sound so...odd...and even more odd to tell me of all people - in the middle of the veg aisle.

In fact come to think I already have.

If my daughter asked me to keep something so sensitive secret I think would respect her wishes even if it went against the grain.

It's her secret so I'd forget all about it if I were you.