When I was 16 and scared half out of my mind, I had to walk past these people carrying these hypocritical signs.

I didn’t want to get an abortion. I’ve grieved that decision every day since AND I had no one in my life telling me about how adoptions work or about social services and student aid to go to college. I truly believed that if I had that baby I wouldn’t be able to feed it (I’ve not ever seen or even heard of breast feeding at that moment) and, even if it didn’t starve to death, we’d be begging for scraps all our lives because I wouldn’t be able to go to college and get a good enough job to give her a good life.

I now understand how the many, many adults involved in my ‘choice’ failed me by failing to inform me of all the options and support out there…

AND I also still feel nothing but disgust and rage at the man standing outside the clinic door screaming at me to not kill my baby.

I ran over to him and screamed back at him, “Will you take my baby?!? Will you feed it and raise it?!?”

He shrank back, silent, shamed.

I walked into that clinic.

and that was that.