Trigger warning: This story discusses rape and sexual assault

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As an abortion provider, I see women of all ages, races, nationalities, backgrounds, and experiences. Every single one of them is deserving of the very best care that I can provide, and I strive each day to meet all of their needs, because I would want no less if I was in their circumstances.

One patient who stands out for me was 13 years old when we took care of her. She had been raped by a classmate but felt so ashamed she hadn’t told anyone. The fact that our society caused a 13-year-old to be ashamed of being raped is horrific.

Only once she realized she might be pregnant did she tell her mom. By the time they were able to get to see us, she was over 18 weeks along, making a two-day procedure necessary. In addition, in the state of Missouri there is a 72-hr mandated waiting period. After the trauma she had already experienced, it broke my heart that I was forced to unnecessarily delay her care even further.

Thankfully, Missouri Medicaid will cover an abortion for a pregnancy as a result of rape, so she was able to have her abortion in the hospital and the cost be covered. But what about other young women who are too ashamed to report that their pregnancy is the result of rape? They are too often unable to access care, unable to afford an abortion, and are forced into continuing a pregnancy when they are just children themselves. This 13-year-old was looking forward to summer dance camp then starting at a new school in the fall. She should not have had to be going through this trauma, but I was happy to be able to help her continue to be a child, and to reach for her dreams, not risk her health and well-being to become a mother much too young.

She was not my first adolescent patient, and she will not be my last. But every one of them only wants to be able to be a kid, and to be able to dream of a bright future. I am honored to be able to help them achieve that in any way I can.