Excited to hear my baby’s heartbeat for the first time, I was met with none. The baby had stopped developing weeks ago. I gave birth on a toilet, alone. Women who knew only my name told me I deserved it. In shock, I underwent a procedure called a DNC to finish cleaning the undeveloped fetus from my body. They said I could develop a serious infection without it. It was something I had to do—my one-year-old needed me.

Mine is one of many stories.

Mary is 21 weeks pregnant. She’s happily married, financially stable, and excited to meet her growing baby. The doctor informs her the fetus is not developing properly. Her beloved baby will not survive outside of her womb.

Beth is 13 years old. She was raped by a family member and carries a fetus against her will. The trauma she endures is far from over.

Greg’s pregnant wife was in an accident. Only one will survive—their unborn child or her. They also have two children—devastated, they pray for their mother to come home.

Alisha and Jordan have been trying to get pregnant. After years, they finally saw those two pink lines. The pregnancy is ectopic. Alisha and her baby will both die without medical intervention.

Tory is 27. She’s homeless and addicted to drugs. She doesn’t know who the father is. She can’t provide for herself, let alone her unborn child. She carries the baby to term. He’s born addicted to drugs and taken into foster care alongside thousands of others. He shifts from home to home, fruitlessly hoping to find a family to love and accept him. He is sexually abused repeatedly and commits suicide at 12.

Brandy is 19 years old. Her boyfriend abuses her. She doesn’t have a family to support her. She stays because it’s the only way she knows to survive. It’s only a matter of time before he harms the unborn child within her.

Joan is 35. She and her partner don’t want to be parents, but she missed a birth control dose. Despite their efforts, an egg has been fertilized.

Theresa is 15. Her boyfriend is caring and loving but their sexual curiosity outstripped their prophylactic education. Theresa becomes pregnant. Their parents cannot and will not support another child.

Kaylee has been on birth control since she got her first period. She develops a blood clot and passes away after years of supplemental hormone issues.

Bree doesn’t want children. She has to wait until she is past the age restriction to get her tubes tied. At 20 she finds herself pregnant.

Shandalynn is 22. She spends her days drinking the pain of her past away. She doesn’t have a home or a family. She discovers she’s pregnant. If she continues the pregnancy she will be tied to a dangerous man prone to controlling behaviour. She believes terminating the pregnancy is best for everyone involved.

Georgia and Berny are struggling to feed their four children and pay their bills. They’ve become unexpectedly pregnant and cannot provide for another child. To make matters worse, Georgia can’t produce milk and there’s a formula shortage. They don’t believe adoption is a good choice, as the foster system is already full of children in need of a family.

This is but a handful of countless untold stories. Any of them can be deemed selfish or selfless. Despite their reasons, they all have one thing in common: they have a hard choice to make.

Rebecca doesn’t have a choice. She no longer has access to healthcare for her reproductive system. Unless, she risks the medical dangers and prosecution of an underground clinic, control over her body and her life have been stolen from her.

She could be any of these women or she could be the story that hasn’t been told.

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