Meet Sarah & Justin
Sarah and her fiance Justin came into the center this month for a pregnancy test and ultrasound. They had been trying to get pregnant for some time, and had experienced a handful of miscarriages prior to this pregnancy. Thankfully, we were able to see a viable pregnancy via ultrasound, and were able to speak with Sarah and Justin about our options for parenting support. Sarah commented many times how the staff were so nice and supportive, and that our care and attention meant a great deal to her.
As she had experienced so many miscarriages prior to this one, we offered to pray with her and Justin for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. Sarah teared up as we prayed for the health of her baby and for God’s peace for her heart, and stated that while she is an agnostic, she has lately become interested in religion and would be interested in knowing more in the future.
Sarah and Justin are set up to continue coming to our center for parenting education and material assistance, and we look forward to the continued opportunity to speak into their lives and show them God’s love. Our time with Sarah and Justin served as a reminder that God directs each and every client to our doors for a reason, even those who are not abortion vulnerable. We are expecting to hear good things of how God is working in Sarah and Justin over the next few months!
Meet Samantha
Samantha reached out to our center looking for information on the abortion pill. Upon explaining our services she shared with us that she had been raped. While she initially declined the appointment stating that she “didn’t want to see anything” on the ultrasound, several days later she reached back out to us and scheduled an appointment. She stated that what brought her to our doors was that we shared with her the possibility that she could miscarry, and that it was important to confirm a viable pregnancy before making her decision. We are continuously confronted with the reality that other clinics are not sharing all the pieces of information necessary for clients to truly make an informed decision.
We spent a long time talking with Samantha as she wept and shared with us that she had told no one about the assault because she was so overwhelmed with shame and fear. We shared with her the truth that she is loved, valued and blameless of the assault against her. We gave her resources for SAVANON and encouraged her to talk with others who had been through a similar situation to find healing and hope. We talked with her extensively on adoption and her options. Unfortunately, Samantha followed up with us a few weeks later and shared that she had gone through with the abortion. While this was hard for us to hear, we rejoiced when she expressed her appreciation for us at the office and that she was blessed by the care and help we provided her. While the outcomes don’t always go the way we would hope, we are so grateful for the opportunity to be the first contact for those in crisis, to sow seeds of truth in their hearts, and to provide a safe place for them to land when their world gets turned upside down.
Meet Jennifer
At the Women's Center we recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jennifer, an unexpectedly pregnant 15 year old, and talk with her about her options. Jennifer’s mom reached out to us looking for an ultrasound to date her daughter's pregnancy, telling us that her daughter was too young to have this baby. When Jennifer came into the center, we gave her the space to share her heart as she spoke about how the news of the pregnancy was affecting her. She wept as she shared with us her conviction that the baby growing inside of her was a life that deserved a chance to live, and her very real fears of how raising a baby while still being so young would affect her present life, her future, and her familial relationships. We talked with Jennifer about the realities of abortion, the opportunities available through adoption, and the ways in which we would come alongside her in support if she chose to parent the child. Finally, we offered to support Jennifer as she talked to her mother and boyfriend about how she was really feeling regarding the pregnancy. Later, after this meeting, Jennifer reached out to our office via text saying that she really did want to parent this child despite all the hardships that lie ahead. We reminded her that we will be with her every step of the way, supporting her in all the ways that we can.
Our interaction with Jennifer serves as a reminder of how critical it is for women facing an unplanned pregnancy to have a non-judgmental space to process their emotions and options, so that they can decide for themselves what they want without outside pressures influencing them. Many of our clients face very real difficulties with their unplanned pregnancies, but having a protected space to explore their feelings and options gives them the opportunity to make their decision with confidence.
Meet Tiffany
While we had our mobile unit at UConn for the day, we had a lovely, bright and engaging woman named Tiffany on the van who came for a pregnancy test. She was so anxious and said she didn’t know what she would do if the test was positive. It was negative, but she stayed on the van chatting for a while. We talked about how nervous she was when she came on and I asked her what she might do differently so that she didn’t have to experience that terror again.
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She asked about different birth control methods she had considered, but I was able to give her the statistics on how each one can fail at preventing a pregnancy. I told her that really, the only thing that was 100 percent was abstinence. The conversation continued with her religious beliefs and God’s love. We offered to pray with her and she instantly agreed. After prayer, she was beaming and said several times that the work we were doing on campus was vital.