One day, Gracie* called our scheduling line, unsure of where else to turn for her unexpected pregnancy. She had found out she was pregnant a couple months prior, and when she initially found out, was positive she needed an abortion. But she had slowly been able to process the news, and was now leaning toward parenting.
Gracie had been seen by us before, and she came back to us because she loved how comfortable she’d felt the first time. I remember the first time she came in—she was not in a good spot in her life, dealing with some of her life decisions and in the process of getting help. Gracie, a believer, mentioned she turned her life around but recently found out about her pregnancy – which was totally unplanned. Her initial reaction was to have an abortion, though she’d had an abortion before, and didn’t want to do it again. As we mentioned adoption, she said that she couldn’t imagine carrying her baby to term and then giving it up.
When we offered her all our options brochures, she seemed well-acquainted with the information in the abortion brochure, since she had visited us previously. Because of Gracie’s life choices, she knew she hadn’t been the best parent to her existing children, so she eagerly accepted the parenting brochure to see if she could glean anything from it, which was encouraging to our staff. Throughout the beginning of the appointment, she was so emotional and indecisive. It was clear that she didn’t want to abort, but bringing a baby into this situation was just not ideal.
As we moved into the spiritual discussion, she was open. She shared that this was one of the things she liked about us last time; we were encouraging and supportive and just cared about her whole being, which led to really good conversation. Through her processing, she concluded that she’s got an amazing support system, including a couple women at church that walk with her.
When she left the appointment, we felt that Gracie’s language insinuated much more comfort with carrying to term.
Women like Gracie exist all over Portland; pregnant and unsure how to move forward. Your support allows us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these women. We are so thankful for your ongoing partnership with this sacred mission.
*Please note: Patient’s name has been changed for the sake of confidentiality.
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