I am a registered nurse, and I lived in Nicaragua for two and a half years. I worked with adolescents through their pregnancies and during their first years as new mothers at Covenant House Nicaragua. These girls, ages 12 to 17, were under the care of CHN because their pregnancies were the result of rapes, often by family members.

Abortion is completely illegal, without exception, in Nicaragua, so the girls’ only option was to carry the babies and become single mothers at a young age.

Abortion is completely illegal, without exception, in Nicaragua, so the girls’ only option was to carry the babies and become single mothers at a young age. Do we want that in our country? We’re not really any different here. Pregnancy is dangerous to the health of adolescents and their babies here, like it is there.

I love Nicaragua and especially my dear friends there, so I don’t tell this story to criticize, only to highlight the importance of reproductive rights.