-This post was written by CAP Communications Coordinator Tyler Hudgins
Everyone has a story that should be shared.
I went down to the 40 Days for Life rally at Family Planning Associates in Phoenix earlier this week. My hope was to share the stories of those who have been volunteering for the effort. One of the aspects that impacted me most was that, as I walked up to the facility … time seemed to freeze.
I couldn’t help but notice that on one side of the street there was the abortion clinic and directly on the other was a Tutor Time (about 50 feet away) with little toddlers running around on the playground. The toddlers to me were seemingly no different than the ones that the abortion clinic prevents from being born each and every day. That is a moment in time that I’ll never forget.
I will also never forget speaking with the women volunteering outside the clinic for 40 Days for Life. One of those women was Vanessa Tedesco.
Here is her story:
I was married at just seventeen years old. My husband and I had five kids in our first five years of marriage. Unfortunately, we weren’t getting along in our marriage very well. As a result, I ended up meeting someone else. I soon found out that I was pregnant with another man’s child.
I didn’t know what to do or where to turn. I started by asking people around me for direction. However, people were sickened and upset that I was pregnant by another man. My family then came to the decision that they weren’t going to tell me what to do.
As a result, I went and had an abortion. In a weird way, I thought they would be proud of me for doing what I thought was “the right thing to do.” I realized that even my abortion wouldn’t be able to satisfy their disappointment in me. I still got pregnant by a man that wasn’t my husband.
It has been five years since I exercised my right to take the life of my unplanned baby. Every attempt I made not to go through with the abortion would always come back to “why I should.” At the last attempt to change my mind … I looked up at the ultrasound machine, but my hope to get a look at my child was squashed when the Doctor saw me and turned the screen towards her.
I laid back and let the tears flow into my ears. At that moment, my baby was dying and so was my soul.
My choice brought all of this. My choice brought me to speak out about the issue of abortion. And let me tell you, I would much rather be with my baby at home planning on her being in kindergarten this year. I would much rather be with her complaining about her ponytails being too tight. I would much rather have her in my arms. I would much rather have my baby.
After having the abortion, I went into a deep depression about everything and even became suicidal. My husband never formally told me to have the abortion … but, he posed the question: how can this work?
All of my friends and family were silent during my most vulnerable state in life. Their silence told me what to do and that was to have the abortion.
It wasn’t another two years before my husband and I got back together again. We have now since had two more children.
My mission is to break the silence for these vulnerable women in need that feel all alone. I hope to do this by sharing my story with other women and encouraging them not to make the same mistake I did.
The 40 Days for Life campaign is praying over abortion clinics in Phoenix, Glendale, Tempe, and Chandler from September 25 to November 3. Find out how you can get involved by visiting CAP’s event page.