“Annie” came in. She was here for an abortion, she said. Nobody knew that she was pregnant, and nobody knew she was planning to have an abortion.

She had five kids. She wasn’t in danger and she felt supported, but she could not afford another child. While taking her medical history, she rattled off her pregnancies, her kids’ names, ages, and birthdays, along with a one-liner about each of them.

She didn’t need to do that to prove she was a good mom; I believed her.