I used to be ardently pro life. I worked in a crisis pregnancy center; I marched; I voted according to my conviction.

This began to change when I realized (duh) that restricting abortions meant that poor women would lose the ability to access that service, leaving it available primarily to women of means.

Even as a pro lifer, it disturbed me when others of my ilk vilified women who have abortions. I knew they didn’t do it lightly or frivolously, and even then I never questioned friends who’d had abortions.

Now I understand that as in obstetrics there are always two patients involved, in a situation where a woman chooses abortion, we as a society need to offer her the benefit of the doubt. It’s her child, not ours.

Yes abortion will always be difficult. But no one knows that better than women who choose to take that route.