“Some say, ‘If you don’t want the baby you should just put ‘it’ up for adoption.’ As if putting ‘it’ up for adoption is the easy thing. As if pregnancy leaves no scars. As if once the child is born, she could move on as if nothing ever happened.”
‘I was 15 and pregnant. No one ever asked my boyfriend any questions. No one ever gave him dirty looks at the store.’: Teen mom advocates for right to choose ‘with love, support, and help for ANY decision’
‘I was patient zero. All we wanted was our baby boy, but we knew we couldn’t be selfish.’: Woman with severe blood clot cyst shares abortion story in response to ‘horrifying’ Texas abortion ban
“I had an abortion on June 10th, 2021. This is not a story I ever intended to share, but given the circumstances in Texas, I feel it’s important. Today, as I continue grieving over my unborn son, I also grieve for the helpless women who won’t get the opportunity I had.”
‘I’d PANIC when my father pulled up to the school. ‘Wendy is going to see the PIMPLE doctor!’: Woman overcomes acne and mental health struggles
“I’d wake up early enough to reapply makeup on top of the makeup I slept in then get back into bed so I could look ‘pretty’ for my boyfriend when he woke up.”
‘Walls were painted blue, gendered gifts purchased, and everyone in the delivery room was shocked when I entered the world with a vagina.’: Intersex individual proud after ‘living in secrecy for 27 years’
“Before I turned one year old, I was forcibly sterilized. Or, in simpler terms, castrated.”
‘When I got the call, I fell to my knees. ‘One more day. I just need to make it one more day to get this baby viable.’: Woman births baby after recovering from COVID-19, ‘We feel so blessed’
“We were careful with every single thing we did. Masks at all times, sanitizing, social distancing. There was no way I had it. I was ashamed and terrified my baby could die inside of me.”
‘A stranger came to the rescue. An older gentleman parked in front of the wrecked vehicle, standing in the storm.’: Woman shocked by stranger’s act of kindness, ‘this was an act of true heroism’
“I was able to clear my windshield long enough to witness the most brave act of service. I drove by in awe. A man willing to risk his own safety to safeguard someone he didn’t even know.”
‘Scott, a 30-year-old picture of health, was on the Treadmill before work. The cleaning lady found him.’: Woman loses Border Patrol Agent husband to sudden heart attack, finds new partner who ‘allows me to love 2 men at the same time’
“‘There’s been an accident.’ Silence. My doorbell rang. 6 uniformed agents were at my front door. ‘Leave your daughter here, they will watch her, you need to come with me.’ I was hesitant, but sensed the urgency in their voices. No one knows how long he had been laying there. I froze. I kept thinking it was a joke. Scott was a huge prankster. I just kept hoping his eyes would open.”
‘I love you, Daddy.’ She held his picture tight, wore his cowboy hat. He was gone, it brought her to tears.’: 4-year-old’s father dies in car crash, ‘now her world is upside down’
“At midnight, we were all asleep. My mother-in-law called, crying. ‘Aaron got into an accident. He is dead.’ I hung up the phone without saying a word. I was so scared to tell my husband. I stared at him for a moment. ‘It’s Aaron.’ I’ll never forget seeing him in so much pain. We had to tell his daughter. ‘You know your daddy loves you a bunch?’ She looked so confused.”
‘Something awful has happened. We need to find Becca.’ I felt it in my bones. She was reaching out to me.’: Mom loses daughter to tragic flood accident
“Around 4 p.m., I texted Becca to see if she was on her way. No reply. No big deal. At exactly 4:30, something changed. ‘I am sending someone to find you if you don’t call me back.’ It was as if every cell, idea, known fact in the universe shifted for me. It wasn’t of this world.”
‘What would we do if someone started shooting?,’ I wondered in church. I could feel my heart racing.’: Mom says her fear can be ‘crippling’ following mass shootings, but knows there will ‘always be light’
“Where were the exits? How would I protect my kids? I hate that my mind was in a place of fear in church of all places. I often run to the grocery store or Target with all 3 of my kids. How will I protect them if someone started shooting? How can I keep them safe? How can I teach them to protect themselves? Fear can be crippling. But there will also always be light.”
