Throughout November, our nation celebrated National Adoption Month. This option for a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy offers a path to continue to fulfill her personal goals, and also presents the opportunity for her child to have a bright future. For those dreaming of growing their family, adoption provides the opportunity to fulfill that hope.
“Congratulations!” the nurse said. “You can take a picture for your baby book!” I couldn’t find the words, so I just smiled weakly and nodded. Almost mechanically, I fumbled to find my phone and snap a photo of the pregnancy test laying on the table. A positive pregnancy test. She didn’t understand. This wasn’t good
“I felt like [abortion] was the only option that I had.” Caralynn Vaughn became unexpectedly pregnant at 16, and it turned her world upside down. Her parents forced her to move out, and she stayed in a relationship with her boyfriend. In the years ahead, she had several more abortions. “I wasted a lot of
An Unplanned Pregnancy My husband and I were not trying to get pregnant. For reasons specific to my personal health, I stopped taking the hormonal birth control that I previously used, and one thing led to another. We had plans to pay off all our student debt before starting a family. However, after the initial
“I could never give my child up for adoption. That’s why I have to have an abortion.” At face value, this seems backwards. How could adoption be a worse outcome than abortion? But many women are convinced that placing their child for adoption—”giving away” their child, as many put it—would be the most unloving option
Rachel’s* thoughts raced as she drove down the busy street in Greensboro. She almost missed her turn, but her eyes were drawn to people wearing colorful vests. She pulled in, scanned the unfamiliar parking lot, and tried to figure out where to go. A woman with a kind face approached Rachel’s car and motioned for
The class was over, but Anna lingered. As other couples made their way out the door, Anna approached Meredith, the class instructor, and pulled her into a hug. When Anna pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” Anna said as she smiled through her tears. “You have no idea how much this
I have several friends who are expecting babies right now. They’re excited about their growing baby bumps, the week-by-week “watch my belly get bigger” pictures, and cute maternity clothes. As they gather with their families for Thanksgiving this week, they’ll be sharing how thankful they are for the new life growing within them and for
Kaitlyn’s Story I spent all of high school and a portion of my college experience being sexually active. At the age of 16, I had my first pregnancy scare. In that moment, any beliefs I may have held about abortion flew out the window. The fear, shame, and desperation that washed over me made me
Sometimes there are no words. There weren’t for Amanda that day. She sat in the mobile ultrasound unit, head in her hands, as tears slipped between her fingers. She knew she was pregnant. Had known for a few weeks now. She was devastated. And so she wept. Lauren, the nurse, let Amanda cry into the
