Not everyone will find themselves unexpectedly pregnant, but if you don’t abstain from sex, it CAN happen. It happened to me.
Teaching abstinence didn’t work for me. Maybe it has worked for someone, somewhere, and I’m glad that person didn’t have a tough decision to make, but I did.
Not everyone who gets unexpectedly pregnant wants an abortion, and people facing the same situation would be well-served to get as much information as they can about every choice they have, because whatever they choose, they will have to live with it for a long time!
(My unexpected baby is now 27. She’s a doctor in NYC. I’m proud, but if she still lived with me and couldn’t hold down a job, I would love her just as much, and never regret a single minute of her beautiful existence!)
This organization is a WONDERFUL help to so many families who find themselves unprepared for a new life to join theirs. Yes, they DO help parents who choose the path of having their child acquire the care, skills, and resources they need to begin to negotiate parenthood successfully, and no, they do not perform abortions. They also do not pretend that option does not exist, and they certainly have clients who have already had abortions. Not everyone who has made that choice feels at peace about it—some people need post-abortion support, and they can get that from First Concern.
Abortion is NOT the only choice, and for those people who need help figuring out how anything else could possibly work, First Concern is amazing.
I have to say, when I was 18 and pregnant, I faced a lot of negativity. People were embarrassed by me. People that cared about me made sure I knew I could get an abortion. I wasn’t ok inside myself with that, but quite honestly, the kind of support available to me was “here’s some prenatal vitamins. Don’t drink too much alcohol. You’re going to be poor now. Good luck.” I had to figure out a lot of things on my own, and I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about my feelings.
I understand that not everyone agrees about this extremely delicate subject, (women’s reproductive health,) but I’m a woman, and I have reproduced. I have had sex at inappropriate times at an inappropriate preparedness level—emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. People like me exist, and they need help, too. First Concern can be that help.