I’ll be the one to chime in with firsthand experience: When I was 19, I became pregnant & faced the hardest decision I’ve ever made. Being the only child of a single mother, who had me at 19, I saw my future, and my child’s, in relation to the hardships both my mother and I had faced as we “grew up together”. At that time, I could not envision carrying a child for 9 months and then giving it away, so I felt my only options were to keep the baby, or have an abortion. In the end, after much soul searching and many, many tears, I had an abortion. While I have never doubted that I was completely unprepared to raise that child, the decision has haunted me for my entire adult life. I wish with all my heart that it could be undone, ideally, that I’d never had unprotected sex in the first place, but I’d settle for having put the child up for adoption. It really hit home when I became pregnant on purpose, 8 years later. At 19, I was able to use the words embryo and fetus to distance myself, but at 27…I was carrying a baby, from the very first minute. Having said all that, I am still pro-choice. My decision was mine alone, and I would not presume to prevent others from deciding for themselves. However, I think that the counseling offered to women prior to having an abortion should focus as much on the emotional toll as on the physical risks.