Decision Making Process

Once your suspicions have been confirmed with a positive pregnancy test, you must decide many things.

This can be an overwhelming process, complicated by the fact that it is very much an emotional process.

We encourage you to find at least one person who will give you support without passing judgment.

This section provides you with a decision making structure and questions geared toward helping you sort out your rational and emotional feelings about the options available to you.

Every option has emotional, social, spiritual, and physical considerations. When a pregnancy is unplanned there is no such thing as an easy way out. Each choice represents gains and losses. Each person must weigh their perceived gains and losses, in their particular situation, in order to make a decision that is best for them.

Decision Making Structure

To make a wise and responsible decision, you must be:

COMPREHENSIVE
Examine the options of adoption, parenting, and abortion as thoroughly as you feel is necessary for you to understand their consequences. Examine the impact of each option on your life as well as your ability to accept the responsibilities and commitments involved.

REALISTIC
Examine each option and resource of support realistically without using “wishful thinking.” Accept what others say as truth without assuming they will change later. Accept what each option offers you even though it may not be the way you “want” it to be. Focus on what is true rather than what you fear.

HONEST
Be honest with yourself about how you feel and what you believe. Recognize that it is normal to need support and ask for help, it is responsible to understand your limitations and strengths, and it is healthy to own and express your feelings regardless of what they are.

CARING
Trust that whatever choice you make, you are making it because you care, not because you don’t care. How you make your decision and what is in your heart will make your choice one which will honor your pregnancy and yourself.