I want to share with you a true story about a young girl who became pregnant at the young age of 15.  She was pregnant at a time when it was common practice to send your pregnant daughter away for the summer with out of town family and in secret to get an abortion. she is one of countless teenage mothers. Young, unmarried with little to no education or money to support even herself let alone a baby. According to National Center for Health Statistics In 2012, there were 29.4 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19, or 305,388 babies born to females in this age group. Her mother, knowing how cruel and difficult young motherhood could be arranged for her to have an abortion.

Mother’s and especially those of us who are mothers of little girls. Can you imagine your daughter coming home pregnant at 15. The shock, emotion and whirl spend you mind would likely go in. Then can you imagine yourself at the age of 15, pregnant and afraid, crying tears of bitter sweet agony. Some of us can imagine this because this is our story. I cannot fully imagine it myself and I was there … sort of.

The young woman was my mother and the baby she was carrying at the time was me. In the face of all that she feared and all the ways that her life would be forever changed she ran out of the abortion clinic that summer day and gave me life some months later so that years later I could give life to my own daughter. To my mother, I thank you. I love you. I appreciate you and I behold the god in you. To my grandmother who did most of my early childhood rearing; I love you. I thank you. I appreciate you wanting what’s best for your daughter and loving me like I was your own even though my mother took a different direction than the one that you had planned for her.

Let me be clear that this article is not to argue the right or wrong of abortion. It is simply a story about how my life almost ended before it even got started and the gratitude I want to express for the young mother who saved my life.

Posted by Rasheem on Sunday, May 11th, 2014 @ 2:53AM
Categories: Personal Note, Uncategorized
Tags: abortion, mother's day, teenage pregnancy