Alternatives
New Publication Tells Women's Stories, Offers Alternatives to Abortion
By Randall K. O'Bannon, Ph.D.
In the month of December, the 375,000+ subscribers to National Right to Life News received a special pre-Christmas present in their mailboxes. In the middle of the December 2003 edition of the "right to life newspaper of record" was a beautiful full-color eight-page insert. The title of this important examination of alternatives to abortion, prepared by the NRL Educational Trust Fund, is "The Choice I Made."
Why is this insert critically important? Too many women have abortions because they've never been told the truth and because they don't realize or believe there actually are positive, realistic alternatives to abortion. We believe this publication can help us begin to change that.
The insert features the compelling first-person accounts of three young, single teens who faced unplanned pregnancies. One kept her baby, one had an abortion, and one chose adoption. "The Choice I Made" helps the reader understand the thinking that led to the decision each made, and the consequences that followed.
Each young woman offers a riveting account. She tells of the pressures and obstacles she faced, the reactions of friends and families, the special challenges, what led her to the choice she made, and how things turned out.
"Candi," a 16-year-old from Massachusetts, who kept her baby, tells of her baby's narrow escape. Candi was literally up on the operating table before finally screaming out, "I can't do this!" She talks frankly about the challenges of single motherhood, but relates how she's grown up and overcome many obstacles.
Candi speaks joyfully about her daughter "Kinsey." "I love being a mother," she writes. "I could not imagine my life without her!"
"Gemma," of New York, was raped at a party at a friend's house. Afraid to tell anyone, feeling like she had no real options, she had an abortion at three months. Now, she admits that the abortion solved nothing and only made things worse.
"Rape is an awful thing for any woman to go through, but instead of salvaging the one good thing, the beautiful, innocent son, that came out of my awful experience, I added one tragedy on top of another," Gemma writes. "Now I deal with both the rape and the abortion."
Annie H. from North Carolina was a pre-med student and a cross country runner in college when she found out she was pregnant. She chose adoption. Annie recognized it could be emotionally difficult, but knew "there was no way I was going to violently kill my baby for my personal temporary comfort."
The insert also features a powerful essay by Trust Fund researcher Laura Antkowiak Hussey, titled "I Can Do It." She addresses the ways society has made the abortion "option" into a virtual obligation and denied the positive and empowering experience of motherhood.
An extended article on pregnancy care centers details the support and services offered by over 3,000 centers across the U.S. Here women have real choices, a complete contrast with abortion clinics, whose only "option" is death.
The eight-page insert also contains helpful short articles that address common fears and misconceptions pregnant teens may have, the different types of adoption, medical risks associated with abortion, and basic facts about the baby's development in the first trimester. The back cover provides 10 different toll-free numbers where a pregnant teen can call for help.
There is information about a website where she can find information on centers in her area or send in queries by e-mail. She can expect a quick, confidential reply. The reader will also learn about a website where she can read stories of other girls and women who have also faced a crisis pregnancy.
As mentioned, every subscriber to NRL News received a free copy of the alternatives insert as part of the December issue. The Trust Fund will be reprinting the entire insert as a separate full-color publication on heavier paper stock for those who would like additional copies. Price will depend on quantities.
Contact us as (202) 626-8829, or e-mail us at education@nrlc.org, to find out ordering details.