Globally, a leading cause of death for teenagers
Is maternal death.
I am ten.
My uncle held me down.
Told me to be quiet around town.
If I wasn't, I would drown.
One day I missed my period
Then suddenly he wasn't around.
You want my fetus to live
Even if the fetus conceived through force or manipulation
Because everyone has a chance at life, you say.
But what about my chance at life?
My fetus isn't already obtaining an education
Or working on addition and subtraction.
My fetus doesn't have a mind whose mental health needs to be maintained
Or a pelvic floor that is still developing and could be damaged if they give birth
My fetus isn't working two jobs to support only one child like my mother is
Or praying every night the car won't break down because she can't afford to fix it and she needs it to get to work in the first place
My fetus does not have friends who will miss them
Or a mother who will cry every single night because she wouldn't be able to sing a lullaby to them
My fetus does not have an imaginary friend who will never be played with again
Or a sack of lunch in the fridge for tomorrow that wouldn't get eaten
My fetus does not have toys laying around to be played with all day that wouldn't get touched again
Or teachers that look forward to hearing its goofy jokes each day that would never be told again
My fetus does not hope for a new coloring book
Or have paint hidden in mom's closet waiting to opened the on Christmas
My fetus does not hope to be a ballerina one day
Or to find a cute boy and get married
My fetus does not look forward to horseback riding tomorrow with their three best friends
Or dream of owning a stable one day
I DO.
I have or do all of those things.
And my mental health, relationships, financial stability, development, physical health, childhood, and education
MATTER.
Globally, a leading cause of death for teenagers
Is maternal death.
I am ten.
Only ten.
And I should not be worrying about my mental health, my relationships, my financial stability, my development, my physical health, my childhood or my education
I am already dealing with the trauma of sexual assault.
Do not put me through the trauma of pregnancy and child birthing as a ten year old
My fetus-I will abort it.
Because I deserve a chance at life.
