A Message From an Abortion Survivor

As much as I promised myself I wouldn't touch the topic of abortion, I feel I must share my story. Perhaps there are other abortion-survivors who can relate.

People discuss the issue as if it’s nothing more than whether we should increase the driving age to 18. For some of us, it’s much, much more.

I’m only here because my parents chose life. And I mean that literally.

My mom was a high school senior when she discovered she was pregnant with me. It was never a secret to me. I’ve always understood that I was unplanned -- perhaps, at one point, unwanted.

My parents "fell in love" when my mom was 15, my dad 17. They carried on a typical high school relationship. They never imagined their future would be determined by an unplanned pregnancy. Yet it was. My mom was 17 when she got pregnant. 

They had the option, of course … to take the easy route and abort me. It was the simplest plan. Some people encouraged it, saying it would allow them to live their lives.

"Just ‘get rid of it’ and move on. Be happy," was the consensus.

But rather than take the quick fix, my dad told my mom he would marry her. It wouldn’t be easy, but they could make it work. She was 18 when they married.

It meant this beautiful young woman, who was a straight-A student, talented pianist, and skilled equestrian had to put her dreams on hold to become a teen mom. What girl dreams of that?

But she agreed and chose LIFE. She chose ME. And am I ever glad she did.

I know it was extremely difficult (we lived in a bus, for real). I know there were many moments filled with tears and despair. Yet through it all, my parents raised a person who succeeded in school, went to college, and now devotes time to help others. I feel it’s the least I can do to give back.

I've been given a chance.

I usually keep my mouth shut when the word "abortion" pops up in conversation. It’s a very sensitive subject for me. Not only was I almost a victim of it, but I also unwillingly lost a baby to miscarriage at nine weeks.

That experience solidified my perception of "life." There was no turning back after that.

I saw that little baby on the ultrasound. Then I lost it. It tore me apart to think there are some people who CHOOSE to dispose of their nine-week-old babies. Did they see them, I wonder?

Termination, abortion, elimination...we can call it whatever we want, but when something is growing and has a heartbeat, it is killing when one chooses to put an end to it. The alternative would be letting it live. Simple truth.

I suppose I value life in a different way than some as a result of my circumstances.

So thank you mom and dad for giving me the chance to prove what I could do. Thank you for your sacrifices and your tears.

I love life and will strive to put it to good use, for that is why we’re here, isn’t it?