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My Parents Love Me More Than Strangers

When I was 16 years old I became pregnant, and the last thing I wanted to do was tell my parents. My boyfriend, who was also 16, said, “You have to get an abortion.” Those words cut through my heart like a knife.

I was so scared that I couldn’t imagine telling my Mom and Dad that I was pregnant and considering abortion. I felt sure they would yell or scream, or even throw me out.

I went to the abortion clinic weeks after I found out I was pregnant. It was at that clinic that my baby was stolen from me. My little baby never had a chance. Nobody was on her side, fighting for her life.

At the abortion clinic, everyone on the outside was so eager to get her out of me. Everything was so rushed that I could not change my mind. And no one ever suggested that my Mom or Dad should be involved. It was strangers, the people who worked at the abortion clinic, who kept telling me that this was best for me.

After hours of tests and watching all the other women and girls in the waiting room suffer through the pain of knowing what was going to happen to them, they called my name.

Then she was gone. My baby was gone. In a trash can? Where? What had they done to me and my baby? It was then that a wave of pain coma over me. I wanted my baby to live, more than I wanted to live myself.

There were no tears except mine. No one at the abortion clinic apologized or consoled me. All they did was take my money. Was what they just did to me and my baby worth the money? I walked out the door – alone.

My Mom and Dad were never involved to help me through the trauma of the situation of to help me think of other options. But my Mom and Dad did find out about a month later.

I didn’t think they would want to see me or talk to me or even love me anymore. But they were loving and understanding. My father, who is a strong man, cried. I had never seen him cry until that night. I couldn’t believe that my parents didn’t abandon me. Then I realized that they responded with love because they love me more that anyone does.

My parents, who raised me and cared for me, certainly love me more than the abortion clinic workers and the abortionist “cared” about me. That seems so logical, but in my time of crisis I hadn’t thought of that simple fact.

If I had just told Mom and Dad…I can’t tell you how many times that phrase has gone through my mind in these past two years. I gave them so little credit when they deserved so much. More importantly, the abortion workers never gave them a chance, either. They never even suggested that I should talk this over with my Mom and Dad. The people at the clinic didn’t care if my Mom and Dad knew. They just wanted my money.

Please give our moms and dads the chance to be involved. If my parents knew what was going on in those weeks my baby would still be with me today. And my baby would be almost two years old.

    In Their Own Words