An open letter to New York.

New York. You let fear win. You let fear of the unknown, desperation of circumstances win.

These are not the things to base a life changing (life ending) decision. I can say this because I've been there.

I remember being a scared, pregnant seventeen-year-old. I'll never forget the look on my mom's face when I held up that stick with two pink lines.

I remember the shame, I remember the hopelessness. I remember desperately wanting help and a way out.

I remember one of my teachers telling me she was going to fail me no matter what. She didn't want my pregnant belly influencing my classmates.

I remember the doctor pressuring me to abort my daughter.

I remember him telling me something was very wrong with her to begin with. He predicted Down Syndrome and being a teenage girl, that I would be ill-equipped to take care of her.

Everyone predicted a bleak future. “You made your bed, now lie in it.” Everyone said I couldn’t give her a future or create my own.

I remember the fear and desperation that clawed at my heart.

But here's the thing, SHE CHANGED MY FUTURE. She’s 19, in college and is the brightest spot in my life. She is healthy and normal. She healed the shame. She become the face of hope. She CHANGED MY FUTURE.

As for me? Married, 3 kids. Graduated high school, college, launched a women’s website, launched my own, helped co-found several ministries and businesses, and authored two books. How’s that for a bleak future?

I guess we need to create a world where fear and desperation don’t push women to make the choice of abortion. We need to create a world where fear doesn’t win.

You cant just sit there and post Pro-Life verbiage on social media, That's not going solve the problem. You have to be willing to stand in the gap and help defeat the fear these women face.

Volunteer, help provide resources and hope. Open your home and community. We can’t continue to let fear and desperation win.