i was in my 20s, young and married for the second time. i had four children. one had been kidnapped by my first husband, one had suffered devastating encephalitis from a vaccine reaction and was in a permanent vegetative state. my husband and i both had jobs, but minimum wage doesn’t stretch far when you have kids in day care.

three variations of birth control pills had already failed me, but i was on depo provera and we thought we were safe. so when i found out i was pregnant again, all i could do was cry. all of my pregnancies left me bedridden. i experience debilitating morning sickness well into the eighth month. i knew i wouldn’t be able to keep my job and i knew we wouldn’t survive on his pay.

with the help of understanding friends, i terminated the pregnancy. it was what i needed to do and i was grateful that i had a place to go. yes, there were protesters, yes, there were people telling me that i was a sinner. it was one of the hardest things i’ve ever had to do, but it was also the right thing at the time.

i recovered, we got better jobs, we had a beautiful little girl… and i never once regretted the choice i made.