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What About Abortion?

Informed Choices

Counseling can help you decide whether abortion is right for you.

Potential Callouts:
A good counselor can help you recognize all the factors in your life that will affect your decision. They are trained to help you understand what having an abortion means to your life today-and your future. Support, whether from friends, family, or an understanding counselor, is key to successfully handling all the struggles and adjustments an unplanned pregnancy brings.

Your life certainly has been turned upside down, inside out, and spun wildly in circles. You need someone who will listen while you work through your emotions. Many women who are considering abortion feel unable to turn to family or friends. For others, their religious or cultural backgrounds make the subject taboo. But without support, you may face some emotional issues that you can’t resolve alone. Experienced counselors can help you focus, without pushing you one way or another, so that you can make a decision. So many sensitive issues surround abortion that it’s easy to lose sight of the most important person involved-you. You are the one who will be most affected by this decision.

Before you decide
If you think that abortion may be an option, seek out a counselor as soon as possible. Don’t stall, even if you are scared or unsure. Counselors are trained to help you understand what having an abortion means to your life right now and your future. And if you decide against abortion, you will want to have enough time to create an adoption plan or prepare for parenthood.

A good counselor can help you recognize all the factors in your life that will affect your decision. They also understand the religious or moral struggles you’re dealing with as you try to find the best choice for you. Remember, they deal with situations similar to yours each day. Counselors won’t make the decision for you or steer you toward one. Their role is to help you prepare for what happens after you decide.

You will want to find a trustworthy counselor who is familiar with abortion. You might look to friends who have gone through the same thing, or seek out adults whom you trust and who are supporting you through this experience to recommend a good counselor. You can also look up “Pregnancy Counseling and Information” or “Abortion Alternatives” in the yellow pages or check local government listings under “Human Services” or “Social Services.” Your physician or school counselor can offer suggestions as well. Most services provide free counseling or offer toll-free numbers and can send you printed information.

Looking toward your future
Thinking about the realities of abortion may be unpleasant right now, but counseling will help with any unexpected emotional and psychological issue that might surface later. Support, whether from friends, family, or an understanding counselor, is key to successfully handling all the struggles and adjustments an unplanned pregnancy brings. The more you understand how it can affect your life, the better equipped you’ll be to make this intensely serious decision.

Many women who choose to end their pregnancies find support from a counselor helps just as much after the abortion as it did when they were struggling with their decision. Life doesn’t automatically return to normal, and in fact there may be many things about your life that you will want to change. Some women find their lives unsettling and the experience not what they expected. Counseling or other post-abortion support groups can help you work through emotions or concerns that arise.

Getting pregnant when you’re not emotionally or financially ready is a crisis, but keep in mind that crises usually bring with them opportunities. A well-thought-out decision is your opportunity to make your life what you want it to be, and counselors are excellent resources to help you make your decision work for you.