The caller was a young woman named Elise* who was frantic over finding herself unexpectedly pregnant.

Our receptionist Kara responded with compassion and support, reminding her to “just take a breath” and helped her get scheduled for a pregnancy confirmation later that day.

During Elise’s appointment, our nurse ran a medical grade urine pregnancy test, which was positive, and our sonographer performed an ultrasound exam. Abortion had been a definite option for Elise earlier that morning, but then she looked at the images on the screen.

“When I saw the ultrasound and saw fingers and toes,” she told us, “I decided against abortion. I need to make a decision that I can live with.”

Elise chose to continue her pregnancy, and we referred her to Healthy Beginnings for prenatal care. When she expressed a desire to explore adoption, we connected her with a counselor that works with expectant moms considering adoption. As her pregnancy continued, Elise decided that she would parent her baby—a boy, so we referred her to Nurse Family Partnership, professional counseling, and other community resources. Elise had a lot of issues to work through, and the medical support and counseling were both important pieces of her journey.

Elise said, “A Woman’s Concern helped me make the decision to parent my child by giving me the medical information and resources I needed. They supported me during my pregnancy and until my son was one year old. I don’t know what I would’ve done without A Women’s Concern.”

We know there are no easy choices when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. It’s not enough to just offer truth, we must also offer our help and our support so that no one who makes the decision to parent has to walk that path alone.

*Name changed