i’m glad i came to the hard, mature, brave decision i came to. women should have a choice, if we’re not ready to be mothers or too young like in my case, we should have the choice to wait.

i cried countless times on the phone with him as he also cried on the phone with me too. he also wanted the baby and knew that he couldn’t keep it either. it was by far the hardest decision we ever had to make.

i am struck with this sense that people will read my story and judge me or look at me as someone who is uneducated or not smart enough to make good decisions. but i did make good decisions. i made the best decisions for myself.

he was my first sexual partner. we never used any contraception. i was an idiot and never imagined that i would become pregnant, but then i did.

melinda's story

as a mom i know now just how hard and brilliant and intense motherhood is, and i am proud to have exercised my right to choose — twice.