Sarah’s Story

Washington Times: I Left Abortion Clinic to Save My Baby and Myself

Article appeared in Washington Times | By: Sarah Howarth | Photo Credit: Adobe Stock (stock photo)

Before I realized what was happening, I got up, and one foot was stepping in front of the other. It was as if my body, and the tiny body inside of me, were telling me to leave. And so, I did. I turned my back on the woman who struggled to answer my questions, and I walked past the man I barely knew who waited for me in the lobby. I left the abortion clinic and decided to give my baby a chance at life.

I never believed abortion was good, and while my family advocated adoption, the father of my child insisted on my getting an abortion — even going as far as to pay for it. While I valued the life inside of me, I doubted my own value. I lacked confidence and a sense of self-worth and struggled to see in myself someone worthy of love or someone who was capable of raising a child. I thought that the stranger in the lobby would love me if I aborted my child. I was wrong.

Would an abortion worsen my mental health issues? The clinic worker couldn’t promise otherwise. The cold walls of that clinic would not be able to provide the support or guidance I was seeking. While I had no idea what waited for me outside the clinic doors, I knew that for my own mental health, as well as the life of my child, I would need to take a risk and find out.