When I was reading Millie Hayes/Post Falls post from Friday, Jan. 13 Coeur d’Alene Press Readers Write, and she stated “We don’t need unwanted babies born.” — my heart became very sad as I thought of all the unborn children who never get a chance to live because of a woman’s right to choose is misconstrued to think that means always choose to abort. What has happened to the child’s right to exist? An unborn baby didn’t ask to be conceived, whether by the parents’ choice, or the situation that Millie referred to that can occur from victims of incest. So, here is the story, from the viewpoint of the unborn child.

My name is Sam. My birth mother was not able to keep me, due to circumstances beyond her control. She had the choice to abort me, or give birth to me and allow me to be placed for adoption.

I will be thankful, to my dying day, that my birth mother chose to give birth to me and then allow me to be placed for adoption into a loving home. While her life has moved on, gratefully, so did mine. I had a normal childhood filled with family pets, doting grandparents, playful cousins, and most of all, loving parents. I am the child that my adoptive parents were not able to have, due to genetic circumstances. For them, I will be their only child (and not a discarded fetus).

In my home, I have been raised to love books, become a seeker of knowledge, and have many characteristics that have been demonstrated to me by my loving adoptive parents. As I grow, I’m taller than most children my age, and have a quick wit and inquisitive mind; genetic characteristics passed to me by my birth parents I believe. My teachers tell me that I can be anything I want to be when I grow up (I’m thankful that I was allowed to “be” and not the alternative). Some days, I want to be a firefighter, other days a heavy-equipment operator, and maybe another day to work in health care.

The joy of knowing my future is ahead of me is astounding, given the alternative that my birth mother could have chosen. My story will have a Chapter 2, a Chapter 3, and so on. Thank you to my birth mother for allowing me to "be."

While this story is true, the child in the story’s name of Sam has been changed. However, the truth that comes from this story is REAL — every life matters! Ladies — if you are caught in a situation that seems out of your control and feel that you cannot keep your unborn child, PLEASE, seek out counseling that will give you alternatives. PLEASE consider taking the few months to give your child life — so that they may HAVE a life.

When you study the life stories of ladies who have aborted their unborn children — most often say they regret the decision, they suffer guilt, depression, and even worse. In contrast, when you study the life stories of the ladies who have given birth to their babies, then offered them for adoption — there is a HUGE collective compassion that you see in their stories. And lastly, when you study the stories of the adoptive children — they have nothing but gratitude for being allowed the chance to live.

Don’t let political rhetoric, divisive people who have their own agenda to push, or others sway you into thinking that you are saving humanity by aborting your child. Your right as a woman to be in charge of your own bodies INCLUDES the responsibility to allow your unborn child to live.

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Kandi Johnson is a resident of Rathdrum.