4230 Vista
Pasadena, TX
77504
713-944-1730
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Pregnant Today?
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CPC is affliliated with the following agencies:
Know Your Options
If you are pregnant, you have several options:
- Parenting the child yourself
- Adoption
- Abortion
The following is a brief overview of each option. For more information, check the resources listed on our Info Links page.
Parenting the child yourself
The first option to consider is parenting the baby yourself. It may seem frightening to consider if you're alone or experiencing financial hardships. However, you're not in this alone. There are many people who support the Community Pregnancy Center and other centers just like it all over the country.
At the CPC, we have the Point to Success program that provides loving, caring support to young mothers and their babies. Clients can receive maternity and baby items through the Blessing Room and nutritional and parenting training in the classes, and that's just the beginning. The PTS program attempts to remove any barriers preventing a woman from parenting her baby.
In addition to helping women with parenting skills, the CPC also offers something for the dads. There are Daddy Classes and male counselors that offer training and support from a guy's point of view.
Open adoption
There are 3 big lies that have plagued adoption in the past:
- LIE - Adoption equals abandonment.
- TRUTH - Adoption is NOT abandonment. Adoption is one of the most loving, unselfish acts a woman can consider. There are countless childless couples who desparately want a family. With open adoptions, you can choose the couple that will raise your child based on ethnic background, religion, socio-economic standing and more. You have the power to ensure that your child is placed in a good home where he/she will receive love and be raised in the manner that you choose. You can also pick a family that will allow you to have as much or as little contact with the child as he/she is growing up.
- LIE - Adoption equals deception.
- TRUTH - Adoption is NOT deception. TV shows and magazines these days glamorize the concept of single motherhood. That is deceptive. Actresses and models make considerably more than the average single mother living below the poverty level and they can afford to hire help in raising the babies they are raising. The thing that those magazines and TV shows don't mention is the affect on the children of being raised in a single-parent home. The statistics about the effects of fatherlessness on children is anything but glamorous.
- LIE - Adoption equals an unbearable sacrifice.
- TRUTH - Adoption does NOT require an unbearable sacrifice. Again, today more and more adoptions are open adoptions. The biological mother has the power to choose the adoptive family and can stipulate that she be allowed visitation. She can become another member of the family - almost like an aunt to the child. While it is a sacrifice to give up your child, it is an unselfish act when it is done to ensure that your child will receive a stable, secure family who will love him/her and provide all the necessities of life.
The decision you must make right now is not going to be an easy one, no matter what you do. However, you must weigh all the options and decide what is the best decision for you and your baby.
Take a look at some common concerns and questions. There are also some great sites for birth mothers and adoptive mothers to find support or for pregnant women to ask questions about adoption. Check out these resources on adoption, including steps to take and things for the birthmother to consider while planning the adoption.
Abortion
Finally, we come to the option of abortion. There's a lot of hearsay concerning this option and what is really involved. If you are considering having an abortion, then you need to know your legal rights (according to state and federal law) and understand the different procedures and their possible complications. Abortion is not as "easy" as many people pretend it is. The Community Pregnancy Center provides pre-abortion counseling (one of your legal rights), including free ultrasound. Check our Info Links page for more sites containing relevant information.
During your pre-abortion counseling session, be sure to go through a pre-abortion health and safety checklist with someone who can explain everything to you. Especially on the following points:
- Be absolutely certain that you are pregnant before you make an appointment for an abortion. Things other than pregnancy may delay your menstrual period.
- Understand that an abortion may involve taking potent medications or having surgery. The techniques used may impact your health and well-being. You have the right to receive accurate information before you proceed with the abortion.
- Have the doctor explain the technique that he or she recommends to you. Then research that method and understand all that is involved. Know and understand the physical health risks associated with the abortion technique that is recommended to you. The immediate and long-term effects should be explained to your level of understanding.
- Be sure to tell someone that you are going to have an abortion. There are very serious possible complications from the abortion procedure and your life could be in danger. Don't keep it a secret.
You should also understand that there are real emotional, physical and spiritual after-effects to consider with abortion. You should understand what Post Abortion Stress Syndrome is and be aware of it's signs and symptoms. Seek help if you have these symptoms after an abortion. It is serious and there are people who can help you recover.
This page was last updated: September 7, 2009
