A child is born because abortion is illegal.

Her mother was a heroin addict who sold her body to obtain more drugs. She got ‘knocked up’ with no idea who the father is for he was a one night stand in the basement in a trap house just because he promised to feed her addiction. Her addictions gone on for too long to quit cold turkey and she doesn’t have the will-power to quit nor the motivation. Drugs have taken over her life and she no longer knows what sober feels like. Nine months later the addiction continues and she lays in a hospital bed in labor. Her daughter is born. And she cries. She cries for days. But she doesn’t cry for the same reasons as any other baby. She cries because for the first time in nine months her body hasn’t experienced a heroin dosage every few hours. Her little body shutters uncontrollably and she has no control over her addiction, that she didn’t even chose. She experiences drug withdrawals before she can even open her eyes for the first time. She grows up with cognitive delays because the heroin had a direct effect on her brain leaving her mentally impaired. Her only family is her drug-addicted mother.

She’s a toddler now and she cries. She cries in the back seat because her mommy wont wake up. They’ve been in the car for 3 hours now and no matter how hard she cries her mommy wont wake up. She’s in a hospital room by herself now and she cries. She cries because she’s too young to understand why her mom wont wake up.

She’s 13 now, and she cries. She cries because she’s been in and out of the foster care system since her mother passed from drug addiction. Her foster home is underfunded and houses too many children than it has the money to provide for. She’s neglected, verbally abused, she cries as loud as she can, but no one in her foster home seems to hear her.

She’s 18 now and she cries. She cries because the streets are the only place she’s ever known. Ever since she was born her and her mother lived on them. In foster care she’d sneak out at night onto the streets because it’s the only place she knows as home. She cries because she’s selling drugs on those streets. Because that’s the only way she can make enough to support herself. Because foster care failed her of a proper education and a waitressing job at a small family diner doesn’t pay your rent and bills.

She’s 20 now and she cries. She cries because she’s pregnant. Irresponsibility wasn’t the cause. She was raped walking home from work. She cries because for nine months she watches her stomach grow and is constantly reminded of being raped. She cries because she knows she can’t support the child. The child is unborn and is already homeless, suffering from starvation, cold from the winter nights and unintentionally being neglected. She cries because she can’t love her child. Imagine not being able to look at your own baby because all you see is the face of your rapist and the sound of your screams and tears replays over and over again. She cries because she doesn’t want her child to experience anything she did. She cries because she knows how cruel foster care is and that might be her only option. She cries because she has flashbacks of the neglect and abuse she experienced from several of her foster parents.

She cries because doesn’t have the rights to her own body. She cries because she can’t terminate her pregnancy even if its in the first trimester. She cries because abortion is illegal.

Before you decide that you’re pro-life take a look at the bigger picture. Not everything is as broad as you may think. Not every pregnancy is an irresponsible woman who doesn’t know how to "close her legs”.

Who’s really suffering? The parent, or the child?