Being pro-choice & pro-life

—Vickie Mabry, Marietta, GA

Like many, I have mixed but very personal feelings about abortion. 

Early in my pregnancy with my second daughter, the doctor said that there were now new tests that I could have to determine if the baby would have spina bifida and other abnormalities, in addition to the test for Down’s syndrome. My question back to the doctor was "if you performed the tests and discovered a problem would your care over us be different?" His answer was "no,” but he and I both knew I had a choice. Without hesitation I replied "me neither." 

Right there on the exam table I made my personal decision to keep my baby regardless of the outcome. I later learned that a cousin had made a different decision based on a positive Down’s syndrome result. As it happens, my unborn baby did run into trouble late in the pregnancy and as a result has significant disabilities. I did not want this for her or our family. But I had decided long before I fully understood what life would be like that we could and would handle the unknown. 

I am so grateful that I had a choice and was able to make it without hesitation. Otherwise I can only imagine the second guessing I might be doing today if I felt back then that I had no choice. I am pro-life. I am pro-choice. It’s not either or for me. I am both.