Alyssa

I have always thought pregnant women looked beautiful and full of life. When I found out I was pregnant, I did not feel beautiful. I was 22, working three jobs, and barely able to take care of myself.

“I wasn't sure if I wanted children, but I was sure that I was not ready to be responsible for another life.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted children, but I was sure that I was not ready to be responsible for another life when I couldn’t even figure out my own. I was sure that I did not quite trust the man that would inevitably be bound to me the rest of my life. I was sure that I was making the right decision for me.

But then, after driving out of state to the nearest clinic, I had to wait an hour after being shown an ultrasound because legislators didn’t trust me to be sure about my own body.

In actuality, it was obviously not this simple of a story and it never will be. But when I take out the gamut of emotions and the rude protesters and the sexist legislation and the shame-filled media, only the facts are left: I was sure then, and I am sure now, and restrictive women’s health laws are what we should all feel unsure about.