To the child that couldn’t be

This project serves as a deeply personal expression and exploration of my experience with abortion.

This project serves as a deeply personal expression and exploration of my experience with abortion. My experience was traumatizing, the pill did not work as planned and I ended up in the ER with severe blood loss. This horrifying experience is one that 1 in 100 women who take the abortion pill have to go through, and is now sometimes the only option left for those living in states that have banned abortions. And while I know I made the right choice for myself, I still struggle with what I went through. I hope my work can let other women know they are not alone. It is not an easy choice to make but sometimes it's the right one.

The subject of abortion has become so polarizing and stigmatized that many women are afraid to share their stories, feel shame for their choice, and are dealing with the lasting trauma in silence. You made the right choice. You made the right choice for you and for the child who could not be.

I hope that speaking about my story will help women around the world feel heard.

As the fight for women’s rights continues, so will my exploration of this project.

To the child that couldn’t be

“I did this for you”

An empty utterance

“I did this for us”

Maybe that means something

Maybe you’ll accept that.

Because its the truth

I did this for our future

Even though you no longer have one

It’s better than the one I could give you right now.

I am impatient

Quick to anger

Easily swayed by the darkness

I couldn’t give you all my love

And yet your loss has broken me.

I am not who I was

I am grief

I am suffering

I mourn and yet

I am love

I am hope

I will get better

For you I have a future

For you

So I thank you.