At 27 years old, Nadira found herself pregnant, overwhelmed and convinced abortion was her only option. 

Just two years earlier, she had already undergone an abortion she deeply regretted — one that left her carrying shame, grief and a promise to God that she would never do it again. 

As she prepared to make the same decision a second time, one moment of conviction changed the course of her life.

Growing up surrounded by instability

Born prematurely in Philadelphia alongside her twin sister, Nadira weighed just 2 pounds, 2 ounces at birth. Doctors were unsure if the twins would survive since both of their parents battled drug addiction during their early childhood.

When she was around 8 years old, Nadira began sensing tension at home as her parents’ relationship fell apart. Soon, her father left the house, and after a custody battle, Nadira and her sisters were suddenly taken from their mother and moved to Tennessee.

Although she was introduced to church, the instability she experienced left lasting emotional wounds. Growing up, she witnessed addiction relapse, toxic relationships and abuse on both sides of her family.

“As I [was] growing up, it made me think that love was from some form of dysfunction,” Nadira says.

By high school, Nadira wanted to feel loved and accepted. Feeling emotionally lost and alone, she entered a relationship that lasted more than a decade and was marked by repeated heartbreak, betrayal and emotional turmoil.

Becoming a young mother

Nadira failed out of college and joined the U.S. Army National Guard, hoping military benefits would help her return to school and rebuild her future. But internally, she still felt lost.

In 2014, at 21 years old, Nadira discovered she was pregnant with her first child, Josiah. Fear immediately overwhelmed her. She did not feel emotionally, financially or mentally prepared for motherhood.

When she shared the news with the people around her, several encouraged her to have an abortion.

“They were like, ‘If I was you, Nadira, I would get an abortion – you know it’s still early,’” Nadira recalls. 

Despite the pressure, Nadira chose life.

Nadira felt lonely during her pregnancy. Her relationship with her child’s father remained unstable, and she often attended appointments alone. During that season, however, an Army chaplain became an unexpected source of support and compassion.

After hearing Nadira’s situation, the chaplain invited her to move in with her family in Memphis during pregnancy.

“She was my angel that God sent for me,” Nadira says.

The abortion that changed everything

Several years later, in 2017, Nadira unexpectedly became pregnant again.

This time, fear consumed her completely.

Her son was still very young. Financially, she was struggling. Emotionally, she felt exhausted and trapped in a toxic cycle.

Convinced she could not handle another child, six weeks into her pregnancy, Nadira decided abortion was her only option.

She went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Nashville. Even before entering the building, she said she felt conviction.

“I wasn’t in denial about what I was doing,” Nadira says. “I knew it was a baby.”

Inside the clinic, staff unexpectedly placed Nadira’s ultrasound image in front of her. Still, she proceeded with the abortion.

After taking the abortion pills and returning home alone, she says the emotional weight overwhelmed her almost immediately.

“I felt numb,” Nadira recalls. “I knew what I did was wrong. I felt so much shame and guilt, and my son had to go with his dad so I was by myself that night.”

That night, Nadira cried out to God.

“I said, ‘Lord, I know what I did was wrong,’” she says. “I vowed and said, ‘I promise to never do this again, no matter the circumstance – I promise to never take one of your children again.’”

‘Trust Me. I Got You.’

Two years later, in 2019, Nadira found herself staring at another positive pregnancy test. Panic returned instantly.

She was emotionally exhausted, financially overwhelmed and still entangled in a painful relationship. She struggled to pay daycare bills for her son and feared raising another child alone.

Nadira’s first thought was abortion.

She says she contacted another abortion clinic and even began making plans for the procedure. Then, she sat down and wrote a list of pros and cons, trying to convince herself there was no other option. 

“I was so weak,” Nadira says. “I was at my lowest. I felt like if I [kept] this baby, I [was] not going to be anything.”

But in the middle of her fear and uncertainty, Nadira says God reminded her of the vow she made after her abortion in 2017 — that she would never have another abortion again.

As she cried and wrestled with the decision, she said she felt God speak clearly to her heart: “Trust Me. I got you.”

That day, Nadira chose life. Not long after, she discovered she was carrying a daughter.

Finding purpose through her story

Nadira gave birth to her daughter, Amaya, in February 2020. Around the same time, she says she fully surrendered her life to God for the first time.

“I let Him in my heart,” Nadira says. “I said, ‘Lord, I need you to help me – because right now I don’t have anything. My heart is broken. I’m lost. I feel defeated. So I need you to help heal me on this journey. I need you to heal my heart.’ When I gave birth to my daughter, I just made a promise to the Lord that I would use what I went through as a testimony to save babies – to be a voice for children in the womb that can’t be a voice for themselves.”

In 2021, Nadira was able to purchase her first home. She says she now spends her days raising her two children as a single mom, while sharing her testimony publicly through speaking, writing, social media and ministry.

She has also written a book and created a platform called “It’s Never Too Late,” where she encourages women facing unexpected pregnancies and speaks openly about abortion regret, healing and hope.

“I honor God and say thank you, because it could have been another way,” Nadira says. “I’m moving forward with God, for God and for His purpose for my life and for my children. I’m just continuing to trust God and His promise over my life and for my ministry. I know this is just the beginning of what He’s doing.”

Nadira’s encouragement to those facing an unplanned pregnancy:

“Your life isn’t over. I know it’s hard, and I know you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but there is hope. There is community and resources [for] women that will help you get through. There’s so much to your story and what you’re carrying in your womb. It will be one of the biggest blessings of [your] lives. [Don’t] look at the circumstance, [don’t] look at the opposition, but look at the child in [your] womb as life. Be surrounded by the right people. Get the right advice. Go to God. Ask Jesus to give you supernatural strength and comfort that you will get through this.”

Written by Melina Nicole