Whether you’re a first time mother or have had children before, I want to congratulate you on your new baby! Maybe you have never heard that said to you about your pregnancy. But whether you have or have not, it’s truly something to celebrate. Babies are innocent blessings!

I was once in your position. Maybe not exactly in your current situation. But in your position. I became pregnant at the age of sixteen. Afraid and embarrassed, I was worried about how my pregnancy would affect not only my current lifestyle, but also my future. What would life be like with a child at the age of sixteen? I attempted to hide my pregnancy in high school, and felt that abortion would be the end result. I had many excuses for justifying my choice of abortion. I was too young to be a parent. The biological father of my baby wanted me to have an abortion. My mother kept pressuring me to get an abortion. I remember my mother making comments: “Abortion is safe”… “My friend had three abortions”… “It will be quick and easy.” So I trusted her, and rode with her to the Planned Parenthood abortion center.

Before pulling into the parking lot of Planned Parenthood, I saw protesters standing at the entrance. As my mother and I slowly drove past them, they attempted to discourage us from entering the parking lot. At first, I resented that these people wanted to interfere with my personal decision. But all of my emotions and thoughts surrounding my decision changed after a few minutes inside the abortion center. I was embarrassed by how little confidentiality and respect I was given regarding my private information. In front of a room filled with people, the receptionists kept openly requesting information from me that I did not want anyone to hear. After sitting down, I glanced over at a brochure that showed a picture of a baby and explained it’s developmental stage. I began to connect the pieces. I want to say that the brochure is what convinced me to leave the abortion center. But it was not the brochure that gave me the courage to leave, even though my circumstances were encouraging that decision.

I walked out of Planned Parenthood that day after thinking, “There are people outside the building volunteering their time for a mere chance to speak with me and offer me immediate alternatives to abortion, while no person in this abortion center is making any immediate efforts to give me other options for this big decision I was about to make. Apparently, the people outside the building care more about my choices than the people inside the building.” I was choosing abortion to end a responsibility that I would have to live with for the rest of my life, but I wanted to know if there was another easy way out. I was searching for a quick solution to end my pregnancy because I could not physically or emotionally parent a child.

I grabbed my mother’s arm and asked to speak with her outside the abortion center. I told her that I needed more time to make a decision. She was not happy that I was rethinking the decision to have an abortion. She asked me to come back inside, but I refused. I walked towards the protesters who offered me respect, kindness, and the attention I felt I deserved. The hardest part of walking out of the abortion center was exactly that – walking out of the abortion center. When I did, everything else fell into place.

I walked away from my scheduled abortion procedure that day because I heard the truth about ADOPTION. The people outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center offered me clear, unbiased, and much information about my parenting and adoption options. In the end, I found a maternity home that gave me a place to stay free of charge, where I found acceptance and support throughout my entire pregnancy. During my stay, I was surprised to learn about the adoption process. All my medical bills were paid for. I had the opportunity to choose the family I wanted for my baby, as well as the type of adoption plan that suited me.

Whatever your situation may be, give yourself and your baby real choices. Do not rush your decision. The abortion center you are currently choosing for your procedure is not going anywhere anytime soon. However, the decision you make for your unborn baby will be final and unchangeable. Adoption gave me more time to think about my decision to become a parent. It gave me the advantage of choosing a family for my baby; a family that I would have wanted for myself growing up. It gave me and my child another chance at life. It also gave me a chance to hold my precious son in my arms, look into his sweet eyes, give him a name, and have a relationship with him. Adoption was a new beginning for me and my baby. Adoption gave me real options.

Sincerely, Callie Jett Founder of Talk About Adoption™