Patricia grows up in Eden Prairie - a town on the outskirts of Minnesota, surrounded by incredibly beautiful nature. For many people it looks like a fairy tale place but for her childhood feels cut off from the world... "We lived in cultural isolation with my brother. My life was limited and often felt suffocating," she recalls. And what happens next shocks many people..."At 14 my mother married me off and gave my life to a man. And it is still possible in the USA." And people are sure this story will not leave you indifferent.

The Girl Who Is Being Forced To Become A Wife Right Now…

Patricia has spent her whole life inside boundaries... Home, school, church - always the same cycle, and everything controlled by adults. And now, as she slowly grows up, she keeps catching herself thinking that her life has already been written by someone else. There is a strange silence in the house, and on this day she realizes - they are about to say something that cannot be undone.

– You are not a child anymore, – her mother says coldly, without looking away from her tasks. – It is time to make adult decisions.
Patricia tenses:
– What kind of decisions?
-you have to get married. You know exactly to whom. – her mother says dryly.

Patricia’s Eyes Begin to Fill with Tears...

For the first time, her mother looks directly at her and places a photo on the table of a man Patricia knows very well - he is older, always polite but always somehow too confident. He is 25...
– Your future husband Tim, yes you know him very well yourself He is a good man, you will be happy with him. Look, he even got a new haircut before your wedding!

Patricia quickly pushes the paper away:
– Mom, stop, this is my personal life, I will deal with it myself. What haircut?!
– You have already “dealt with it”, and nothing good came out of it, now you will do what I say – her mother replies calmly.

She Could No Longer Influence Anything...

In the evening the conversation becomes even heavier. Her mother speaks calmly, as if discussing a travel schedule. Her father barely interferes but his silence presses harder than words.
– You are coming with us, – says her mother.
– Where? – Patricia feels everything tighten inside.
– To a state where early marriage can be arranged.
– I don’t want this!
Her mother sharply cuts her off:
– You don’t understand what is best for you.

Patricia steps back:
– My best interest? I am fourteen!
– That is exactly why you need a family right now, – her mother replies coldly.
Late at night Patricia hears a conversation behind the door, the words “permission” and “court” are repeated several times, and for the first time she understands - no one is going to ask her.

The Trip That Will Turn Her Life Upside Down

In the morning they leave... Patricia sits in the back seat and watches familiar streets fade away. She barely speaks. The radio plays constantly in the car but for her it is just noise that means nothing.
– You will get used to it, – her mother says. – This is a normal life.
– This is not my life, – Patricia replies quietly.

The first stop is Kentucky. The courthouse feels cold and unfamiliar. They go inside, wait, talk to a clerk.
– She is too young, – the man at the counter says.
For a second Patricia feels relief. But her mother does not argue, just nods and leaves.
– We are moving on, – she says outside.

The State Where Her Life Is Decided Behind Closed Doors…

The next state is Alabama. Everything happens quickly and strangely calmly, as if no one is asking extra questions. Patricia stands in a small office, Tim next to her. She knows his face but not him as a person. He looks confident but too restrained.
– You don’t have to be afraid, – he says quietly.
Patricia answers sharply:
– I am not afraid. I don’t want this! I don’t want to marry you, this is all a mistake!

Her mother puts the documents on the table:
– We sign and that’s it.
– I will not.
– You will, – her mother’s voice becomes harder.
The room falls silent. Patricia feels her hands shaking but no one notices it or wants to notice...

The Wedding That Looked More Like a Trip To An Office…

A few minutes later everything is over. No celebration, no preparation, no words that usually accompany such moments. Only documents and a short “done”.
– Congratulations, – says the clerk.
And it sounds not like joy but like a formality...

Patricia goes outside and stands for a few seconds, not understanding what exactly just happened. In front of the courthouse there is a playground. She walks there, sits on a swing and just swings, staring at the ground.
– Enough of this, – her mother says sharply.
Tim stands nearby and stays silent.
And that silence feels like the strangest part of everything...

Life Became Gray For Her

Later Patricia learns that her signature is not actually required. Adults make the decision.
– No one asked for my consent, – she says quietly.
– You don’t need to understand it right now, – her mother replies.
– I don’t understand anything at all, how is this even possible...

– You will understand later and you will thank us.
Patricia looks out the window of the car as they drive away and for the first time feels not anger but emptiness... As if something was taken from her that had not even had time to become her life.

The House Where She No Longer Feels Like Herself…

They return home but everything changes immediately. Tim sometimes appears around them, her mother speaks about him as if he is already part of the family. Patricia feels like an observer of her own life.
– He is caring, – says her mother.
– But I don’t love him, – Patricia replies.

Her mother gets irritated:
– You will get used to it.
But Patricia is not sure that this can even be something you get used to how her mother once again shocked her.
-and also, by the end of the week pack your things, you are moving!

 She Could Not Believe Her Ears...

Patricia first thinks she misheard. She stands in the kitchen, holding a cup and looking at her mother, trying to catch any joke or mistake in her voice. But her mother speaks calmly, almost matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather.
– Repeat… what? – Patricia asks quietly.
– By the end of the week pack your things. You and Tim are moving.
Patricia slowly puts the cup on the table.

– Where are we moving?
– It is already decided. You will go live with him. It will be better this way.
The room becomes silent. Too silent. Patricia feels everything tighten inside.
– You didn’t even ask me…
– I protected you, – her mother replies sharply.
Patricia looks at her as if seeing her for the first time.

Life Starts To Pack Itself Into Big Boxes...

The following days feel, to put it mildly, strange... The house fills with boxes, things, other people’s plans. The mother is actively organizing everything, as if afraid to stop. Tim appears more often... He behaves calmly but now already like someone who is sure that everything is happening the right way.
– This is a good step, – he says.

Patricia stands by the door and stays silent.
– Are you happy? – he asks.
– Do I even have a choice? – she replies quietly.
He does not answer immediately. Just looks at her a little longer than necessary...

Tim Who Starts Taking Up Too Much Space

Tim helps with the move but his presence is felt everywhere. He moves boxes, discusses things with the mother, chooses timing, talks about plans. Sometimes Patricia feels like she is just watching her life being handed over to other people.
– We will start over, – he says one day.

– I do not want “over”, – she answers.
He smiles but the smile does not change in response to her words.
– You are just nervous.
And for the first time she catches herself thinking that he always explains her feelings instead of her.

The Night Before Everything Becomes Finally Real

In the evening before the move she sits in her room. Almost everything is already packed. The walls look empty, as if the house is distancing itself from her. Outside she hears the voices of her mother and Tim – they are discussing the road, plans, schedule. Patricia lies on the bed and looks at the ceiling and does not even understand that things will become even harder for her and that this is only the beginning of her trials... She tries to remember the moment when everything started happening without her consent but cannot find it – because it seems it never existed. Everything simply happened gradually.

– Tomorrow will be a new stage, – the mother says through the door. Do not forget to pray before sleep...
Patricia does not answer – the words about prayer take her back into childhood... when she was forced to pray almost every hour... and if many people remember childhood with a smile, Patricia remembers it with deep pain...

Childhood Where There Were Only Rules Instead Of Fairy Tales

Patricia grew up in a house where everything was ruled by strict religious rules. Mornings did not start with cartoons or calm breakfast but with prayers. The mother watched everything – how the children sit, what they read, how they speak and even where they look. There was almost never music in the house but there were constant church sermons and talks about “proper life”. If Patricia laughed too loudly – she was corrected. If she asked too many questions – they said it was a “sin of pride”. 

Sometimes it felt like even breathing had rules.
– Why can other kids watch TV? – she once asked quietly.
The mother did not even look up.
– Because we live correctly.
– But I am bored...
– Boredom teaches humility.

The Brother Who Was The Only Person On Her Side

The only person with whom Patricia felt like herself was her older brother. He also suffered from their parents – especially from the father, who believed that a boy should be “strong, obedient and God-fearing”. They often sat late at night in one room and whispered about everything happening at home.
– Did you hear that too? – Patricia asked.
– Every day, – the brother smirked.
– I just pretend I do not hear.
Sometimes he secretly brought her sweets or played music in headphones.

– Only quietly, – he said.
– If they catch us, I am done.
– Are you not afraid?
– I am. But living without it is worse.
– Someday we will get out of here, – he said quietly.
– Really?
– Definitely. I promise.

Church Became Not Salvation But Fear

Church visits were mandatory several times a week. Sometimes services lasted for hours and children were not allowed to complain or get tired.
– Sit straight, – the mother whispered.
– I am hot... – Patricia replied quietly.
– Endure it. God sees everything.
Once she fell asleep during a long sermon. At home there was a scandal...

– You are embarrassing us, – the mother said coldly.
– I did not mean to...
– There is no “not on purpose” in church.
The father added:
– If it happens again – no dinner.
After that Patricia began to fear church, although she never admitted it.

Classmates Thought She Was Strange

At school things were no easier. Because of strict rules she wore very modest clothes, did not go to parties and almost never stayed after school.
– Are you wearing that skirt again? – one girl laughed.
– What is wrong with it? – Patricia replied quietly.
– You look like you are from another century.
– Why do you never come to birthdays? – a boy asked.
– I am not allowed.

– Not allowed? What do you mean?
– Just not allowed.
Behind her back she heard:
– Her house is like a cult or something.
And she always pretended not to hear...

The Phone That Was Checked Every Night

When Patricia got her first phone, she thought she finally had some freedom.
– Can I just talk to my friends? – she asked.
– You can, – the mother said.
– But I will check it.
Every evening the phone was checked.
– Why are you deleting messages? – the mother asked once.
– I am not...
– Do not lie.

– Who is this? – the mother’s voice became colder.
– Just a classmate...
– Tomorrow you will not have a phone.
– But it is just about school...
– I said enough.
And the phone disappeared for months...

The Brother Started Rebelling And Home Became Even Scarier

As he grew older, Patricia’s brother started arguing with their parents.
– I am not going to church today.
– Repeat that, – the father’s voice became sharp.
– I said no.
– You are shaming this family! – the mother shouted.

– I just want to live normally! – he answered.
Late at night Patricia heard voices behind the door.
– He is corrupted, – the mother whispered.
– He needs to be fixed, – the father answered.
And for the first time she understood – he is being broken...

Her First Crush Was Destroyed In One Evening

At 12 Patricia liked a boy from school for the first time.
– Are you going home alone? – he asked.
– Yes...
– Can I walk with you?
She smiled for the first time truly.
But at home everything ended differently.
– What is this? – the mother held a note.
– He just...
– Be quiet.

– He just walked me home...
– Do you think I am stupid?
– You embarrassed us, – the mother said.
– I did nothing wrong!
– You do not even understand what you are doing.
And after that she stopped telling anything about herself...

She Was Only 12 And Everything Started As An Ordinary Conversation...

Patricia was twelve when she first stayed longer than usual at the school bus stop. He appeared like by chance – a man about twenty years old, who seemed different from the adults in her life.
– Do you always stand here so early? – he asked smiling.

– I am waiting for the bus...
– I have not seen you before. Are you from this school?
– Yes.
He spoke calmly and confidently, and it confused a child who was used to control at home.

A Conversation That Quickly Became A Habit

At first it was just short phrases at the stop. Then he started appearing more often.
– What is your name?
– Patricia.
– Beautiful name.
– Thank you...

– Do not be afraid of me, okay? I just like talking.
She did not know how to distinguish interest from danger. It felt like someone finally spoke to her like a normal person, without rules and restrictions but she did not understand that this was already dangerous...

A Gift That Appeared Unexpectedly

One day he came earlier than usual. In his hands was a small phone, old but working.
– Take it.
– What is this?
– A phone.
– I am not allowed.

– No one will know. Just hide it.
Patricia stepped back, as if it was dangerous.
– Why are you doing this?
– Because it is easier. We can talk.
She looked at it for a long time, not daring to take it... 

Desire To Accept The Gift Was Stronger...

In her mind her mother’s voice immediately appeared, rules, prohibitions, punishments.
– If mom finds out…
– She won’t find out. You just want a little freedom, don’t you?
That word got stuck in her head. Freedom... She wasn’t even sure she understood what it felt like.

In the end she took the phone, almost unnoticed, as if it could burn her hands.
– I will give it back if it becomes dangerous.
– It won’t, – he answered calmly. – Just keep it with you. If poor Patricia had known how everything would turn out, she would have run away from this stranger and his gift as far as possible...

Life Divided Into “Before” And “After”

From that moment she began a double life. By day - a quiet, proper girl from a religious home. At night - a person who for the first time could write to someone without fear of being heard by adults...
She hid the phone in different places, changing the hiding spot every time, as if she were playing a dangerous game. 

Sometimes it was a box with school books, sometimes the inner pocket of a bag, sometimes under the mattress.
– You look a bit distracted today, – the mother said.
– I’m just tired.
– Pray more.

How Much She Wanted This Freedom!

And at night the screen quietly lit up in the darkness.
– Are you not sleeping?
– No…
– I was thinking about you today.
– Why?

– Just.
And for the first time she didn’t know if it was normal but she could no longer stop. At that time she didn’t understand that this communication would not lead to anything good and that an adequate adult man would never start talking to a 12-year-old girl...

A Secret That Was Becoming Too Big

With each day the conversations became longer. She started waiting for these messages like she had never waited for anything before.
– You are not telling anyone?
– No.
– Good. It will be better for you this way.
She nodded even though he couldn’t see it. Sometimes, looking at the dark screen, she felt a strange mix of fear and dependence. 

As if she had something of her own but that “own” thing was built on a secret that could not be brought into the light. And the scariest part was not that it was hidden. It was that she no longer wanted to lose it even though, because of her age, she completely did not understand people...

Parents Left, And The House Became Calm For The First Time

That day the house seemed unusually empty... In the morning the mother was packing in a hurry, throwing short phrases at the father.
– We will be back in the evening, – said the mother, who with her husband and son was going to visit friends.
Patricia stood by the door, pretending that she felt sick.
– I feel a bit unwell… – she said quietly.
The mother looked carefully but did not stay.

– Stay in bed. And no nonsense.
When the car left, the silence became almost oppressive. Patricia slowly closed the door and took out her phone.
– Will you go out today? – a message came.
She looked at the screen for a long time.
– Yes… – she replied.
And that was the very decision that would break her life...

The Meeting She Had Long Imagined Very Differently

They agreed to meet not far from the city, where there were fewer people.
He was already waiting.
– You came, – he said with a smile.
– I promised, – Patricia replied.
He spoke calmly, confidently, as if everything was normal. This was both calming and frightening.

– There is a place not far from here, let’s go there, – he said.
– Why? – she stopped.
– Just to talk properly. Here it is noisy.
She hesitated but followed him.

The Place Where Everything Became Not Like In The Messages

The further they walked, the quieter it became around them. There were almost no people.
– Do you trust me? – he asked.
– I don’t know… – she answered honestly.
He did not stop, he only kept walking.
– You think too much, – he said.
At one moment she realized that it was too empty around them...

And for the first time she felt fear that she could not explain with words.
What happened next became the moment after which everything inside her broke. She did not fully understand what exactly happened, only the feeling of panic, emptiness, and that she needed to leave immediately... as you already guessed, that day she experienced sexual violence... even without fully understanding what it was.

Escape Home And Broken Reality

She walked fast, then almost ran.
Her breathing was unsteady, her hands were shaking.
When she reached home, the door barely opened.
– What is wrong with you? Where have you been?! – the mother’s voice.
Patricia could not speak immediately.
– I… I want to go to my room… – she said and closed herself inside.

The tears did not stop. The phone vibrated...
– You will not tell anyone, – message.
Then another one.
– If you tell, it will be worse.
Patricia froze, reading the screen again and again.

The Threat That Closed Her Ability To Speak

In the evening she sat on the bed without turning on the light.
Every sound in the house felt too loud.
Messages came one after another.
– Do you understand?
– I know where you live.
– Be silent.

She pressed the phone to her chest and for the first time felt that telling someone meant making it even more frightening.
And she stayed silent – about this story she would only be able to tell one person... that boy never contacted her again... and Patricia would never be able to live peacefully again...

The Year That Broke Her From The Inside

After that day Patricia seemed to disappear from her own life. She continued to get up, eat, answer questions but inside everything became empty and heavy. She stopped sleeping properly, often sitting at night in the dark, hugging her knees and just staring into one point.

She no longer opened her phone without fear. Every sound of a message made her flinch.
– You are too pale, – the mother said.
– I am just tired… – Patricia answered.
– This is not tiredness. This is weakness, you need to pray more... let’s go to church.

The Church That Did Not Give Salvation

Now church became almost a daily obligation. The mother said that “prayer will cleanse her”.
But for Patricia it was just another place where she felt worse.
– Look forward, – the mother whispered, holding her hand.
– I can’t… – Patricia said quietly.
– You can. And you must.

Inside the church she often found it hard to breathe. Voices, candles, the smell of incense mixed into one pressure that made her want to disappear.
Sometimes she closed her eyes and prayed for everything to just stop.
After services things at home did not get better.
– You are not trying hard enough, – the mother said.
– I am trying… – she whispered.
– Then why are you like this?

The Psychologist She Did Not Want To See

After several months the mother finally took her to a doctor.
– She is just closed off, – the mother said. – It is teenage stuff.
The psychologist asked questions. Calmly. Slowly.
– Do you feel sadness?
– Yes…
– For how long?
Pause.
– I don’t know…

Later came a word she remembered especially well.
– Depression.
The mother nodded as if it was something fixable.
– Then we will treat it.
Patricia said nothing. She just looked at the floor and felt that this word did not explain even a tenth of what she was experiencing.

She Could Not Handle School Anymore

– I am not going, – she said one morning.
– You will get up and go, – the mother answered.
– I can’t…
– You must.

But at some point she stopped arguing. She simply stopped getting up.
She could lie in bed for hours looking at the ceiling. Sometimes she cried so hard that she could not breathe. Sometimes she just stayed silent and felt nothing at all.
– You should not live like this, – her brother said one day, entering her room.

The Attempt To Help That Failed

– Everything is fine… – she whispered.
– No, it is not fine. Look at yourself.
He sat next to her.
– Tell me what is happening.
Pause.
– I can’t.

– Did someone hurt you? – he asked quietly.
She turned away sharply.
– I don’t know what you are talking about.
And he did not push anymore. He only left, leaving the door slightly open...

So This Could Not Continue…

So almost a year passed, then another 6 months... The world around continued to move but for Patricia time seemed to have stopped.
She often thought that disappearing would be easier. But even that seemed impossible to her. And one night she sat in the dark while the house slept. Her hands were shaking, her heart was beating too fast. She stared at the wall for a long time before dialing the crisis line.

– Good evening… – a voice said quietly on the other end. – Are you safe right now?
Patricia stayed silent for a few seconds.
– I… don’t know… – she whispered.
And for the first time in a very long time someone simply listened to her without demanding explanations.

The Voice That Did Not Rush Her

The next day she did not plan to call. But her hands found the number anyway.
– It’s me again… – she said quietly.
– I remember, – he replied. – Are you okay right now?
She stayed silent. The word “okay” sounded too foreign.
– No… but I am at home.
– That is already enough, – he said calmly.

She expected questions. But he simply stayed on the line.
Sometimes he asked simple questions.
– Did you eat today?
– A little…
– Good. That is a step.

Tim Who Did Not Play The Role Of A Savior

Tim was a 25-year-old seminary student. During preparation for missionary work he was sent to a small charitable organization where he answered calls.
He did not speak like someone who knows all the answers. Sometimes he honestly said:
– I am not sure I will say this correctly… but I can listen to you.

And that strangely did not scare her. He did not try to “fix” her. He did not pressure her. He did not rush her... and Patricia liked that about him. At that moment she was already 14 and felt like a very grown girl despite her young age...

Conversations That Started Appearing On Their Own

At first Patricia called only at night. Then during the day when the house was empty.
– You are here again? – he asked calmly.
– Yes… I don’t know why.
– Sometimes you do not need to know “why”.
She still expected that at some point he would ask uncomfortable questions.
But instead he asked something else.

– How are you breathing today?
– What?
– Well… easier or harder than yesterday? Any shortness of breath or panic attacks?
And for the first time she started thinking about herself not as a problem but as a person...

The Moment When She Laughed For The First Time Again

One day during a conversation Tim mixed up a word in his explanation and got embarrassed.
– Sorry, I am a bit…
– Strange? – she asked quietly.
He smiled. And she unexpectedly smiled too. Shortly. Almost frightened...

And immediately stopped.
– Was that normal? – she asked.
– The laugh? Yes.
– I forgot how it feels…
– Then we will remember slowly.

A Conversation She Did Not Expect Herself To Allow

One day she said:
– I do not trust people.
– I understand, – he replied.
– Not even you.

The pause was longer than usual...
– That is normal, – he said calmly. – You do not have to trust me.
And that somehow made him closer, not further away... but what happened a week later shocked Patricia...

An Offer To Meet That She Could Not Process For A Long Time

– If you ever want, we can meet, – he said one day.
She tensed.
– Why?
– So that the voice becomes a person. But only if you are ready.
She stayed silent for a long time.

– I don’t know…
– Then not now. That is also an answer.
And for the first time no one tried to force her decision.

A Week Later She Finally Agreed To Meet…

After that conversation Patricia could not get his words out of her head for several more days: “So that the voice becomes a person…” They kept texting almost every night, and next to him she did not have to pretend to be the perfect daughter for the first time.
– Why are you not sleeping? – he wrote one day.
– Because in the morning I will become the version of myself they want to see again.
A week later he carefully suggested meeting again.
– If you want, we can just take a walk. No pressure...

She stared at the message for a long time and then unexpectedly for herself replied:
– Okay.
On the day of the meeting she was so nervous that she wanted to leave but next to him everything turned out to be surprisingly easy. They walked for several hours, laughed and talked as if they had known each other their whole lives...
And it was exactly then that Patricia understood how much she lacked simple human tenderness.

The Relationship She Hid From Her Parents

After that meeting they began seeing each other more and more often. Patricia lied to her parents, saying she was staying late after classes or helping an acquaintance, although in reality she just wanted to spend a few hours next to a person next to whom she felt alive.
But at home everything changed instantly.
– Why are you constantly smiling at your phone? – her mother asked sharply one day.
– I’m just texting…

– With whom?
After that Patricia started deleting messages and hiding her phone because she understood that if her parents found out about the relationship, a scandal would begin.
Every evening she waited for his messages like a small escape from her own life. Back then it seemed to her that this was what love looked like however she was wrong...

What She Was Not Ready To Accept...

And soon a fateful event happened in her life...When the test showed two lines, Patricia sat on the bathroom floor for several minutes unable to believe what was happening.
Later she will say:
– I realized that prayer does not replace contraception. I was pregnant but I did not want to marry him... because over time Patricia understood that she did not love Tim and was just trying to escape her feelings and her family through him...
When she told Tim everything, he started crying.

– We will figure something out…
– I don’t want a wedding.
– But we will have a child…
– I know…
What scared her the most was not even the pregnancy but her parents’ reaction. She understood that after this conversation her life would no longer belong to her.

“You Disgraced The Family!”

The conversation with her parents turned out to be more terrifying than she expected.
– I’m pregnant…
After these words her mother completely lost control.
– Do you understand what you have done?!
– Mom…
– You disgraced the family!

Patricia tried to explain that she did not want to get married but no one was listening to her anymore. Everything was decided for her: the wedding date, the documents, and her future.
She felt like a person who was simply being passed from hand to hand without anyone asking her opinion.

A Wedding That Felt More Like A Sentence

As you remember, on the day of registration Patricia felt nothing but emptiness. When they left the courthouse, she suddenly walked to the swings in the park opposite and began slowly swinging like a child.
Her mother looked at her with irritation.
– Can you behave normally even now?!

@bbc.com

Later Patricia will admit:
– It didn’t feel anything like the wedding I dreamed of.
And then she will add something even more painful:
– I never actually signed the marriage certificate. My mother signed it for me. She literally gave my life to a man.

After The Birth Of The Child She Was Again In A Cage

At first Patricia hoped that after the birth of her daughter everything would change but she quickly realized that Tim was becoming more and more like her parents.
He controlled her communication, forbade her from seeing friends, and constantly demanded explanations.
– Why do you even need to go anywhere?
– I just want to meet my friend…
– No.

Over time her world again shrank to the walls of the house.
Later she will admit:
– I was completely alone, and even now it is hard for me to trust people. I feel safer being alone.
The most painful decisions of her life became divorce and giving up her child...

Years Later She Still Managed To Take Her Life Back

Later Patricia got married again but this time by her own choice. Only then did she realize for the first time that relationships can be built without fear and control. Over time she began openly talking about her story and about the problem of child and forced marriages. Because of her early marriage she lost several years of education and later had to catch up on her studies on her own. 

@bbc.com

According to the UN, even in 2025 around 12 million girls every year are married before the age of 18, and child marriage is officially recognized as a violation of human rights.
And now Patricia says that the one thing she would most want to hear in her teenage years is just one sentence:
– You have the right to choose your own life.