i was pregnant with my second child and was so happy. in my mind i had no reason to believe there would be any problems, but i got a rude awakening at my 12 week ultrasound.

the ultrasound showed soft markers for a congenital heart defect or chromosomal abnormality. my high risk doctor and i mapped out a plan of testing to determine what, if anything, was wrong. i would have the results of all the tests by the time i was 18 weeks pregnant. however, sadly, the first tests showed the baby, a boy, had down syndrome. after much thought, sleepless nights, and so many tears, we decided to end the pregnancy. i never thought i would have an abortion. that was something that happened to other people. at 15 weeks, i had an abortion. though i am sad to this day that i had to make this decision, i never doubted my decision, because i knew i couldn’t bring a child into this world knowing that he would suffer for much of his life, and that i wouldn’t be able to ensure he was taken care of for his entire life.