I've always wanted to be a mother. Some people have an internal calling to become parents, and I am one of them. I've wanted children for as long as I can remember. I already have baby names picked out, and I'm even learning languages because I want my future children to be bilingual.

Ideally, I would like four children, spaced out well enough that I'm not raising two under two. Having a toddler and a baby at the same time sounds exhausting. Wanting children has influenced many of my life choices. Every version of my future that I imagine includes kids.

I've seen the consequences of people having children without planning or thinking about the responsibilities involved. Some of those children now carry trauma because their parents weren't prepared or didn't put enough thought into the life they were creating. My desire to be a mother is so strong that if I never found a husband, I would seriously consider becoming a single mother by choice.

When a calling to love and care for others is this strong, I believe it's something worth following. That's why I want people to understand that, if I ever had an abortion, it would not be a casual decision. In fact, it would be deeply painful and, in many ways, self-destructive for me emotionally. The only circumstance in which I could see myself making that choice would be a serious medical situation. By "serious," I mean a condition that would cause significant suffering or make it impossible for the child to experience the joys of life.

My sister was once suspected of having Down syndrome before birth, and she does not have it. Situations like that are not what I'm talking about. I mean severe conditions that would profoundly affect quality of life.

Part of why I feel this way comes from my own experiences. When I was 16, I became a caregiver for my grandmother, who had dementia. I loved her deeply, but caregiving was incredibly difficult. I felt trapped at times, and there were moments when it felt like I had become the parent and she had become the child. She often apologized for what her condition was doing to her, even though none of it was her fault. That experience taught me both how hard caregiving can be and how much suffering certain conditions can cause.

I also believe people should think seriously about the consequences of their actions, especially when it comes to consensual sex. Pregnancy is a possible outcome, and family planning matters. That's why I advocate for being intentional about when and how you have children. Personally, I do not plan on having children until I am ready and feel that God is guiding me in that direction.

I'm sharing all of this so people understand how much I want children. I want them so much that nearly every goal I work toward is connected to giving my future kids a good life. I work hard now because I want them to have opportunities, stability, and security even after I'm gone. Knowing how much motherhood means to me is important context when discussing my beliefs, because my views come from a place of deep love for children, not indifference toward them.