19 and pregnant!

The focus on 17 year old Bristol Palin has brought up some intense memories for me. I thought maybe I would give some insight as to what it is like to find out you are pregnant before turning 20. It is so deeply complicated. But in a nutshell when a young woman discovers she is pregnant it is sheer fear and desperation that causes her to abort her baby. Very few women abort because of an intense and happy desire to abort. (ps..check out the studies of David Reardon of the Elliot institute..link on the side of this blog). I found out I was pregnant when i was 19. My mother was a single mother and my Dad was not in our financial picture. My mother also had just remarried and made it clear that she had been looking forward to living on her own with my wonderful stepfather without any children at home. I had to support myself financially and had been doing so for a couple of years at that point. I had an incredible job singing and dancing at Disney. I was most rightly correct in believing I would lose that job and my benefits had I decided to tell them about the pregnancy. My mistake was to have premarital sex and live with a young man. Once I found out I was pregnant I felt that I had no one. And being alone without anyone saying "i will make it better. I will support you eventhough you made this mistake" is all that a young girl is longing for. Her greatest fear is rejection from her family and friends and inflicting disappointment on them. When young women with very little life experience are alone attempting to make this major decision for themselves run into a Planned parenthood that tells them 'this is the way to make it better,' they are so desperate that they believe the lie hook line and sinker. In a nutshell, the little angel falls and runs into the devil disguised as a caring sister or mother. THe girl then hears the rationale from Planned parenthood that this is the best choice and they don't even focus or acknowledge the real live human being living and growing inside. Sad still to admit my family was pro choice and as much as we all love eachother if we are being really honest the support I would have received would have been support in making my choice to abort. I have happily found forgiveness no doubt from Jesus. But the reality is that because of the complexities of the issue young women are given weeks to make a decision that requires mature and Godly counsel. In all honesty, many of us who oppose abortion also will oppose government support or welfare for unwed women facing a crisis pregnancy. It is hugely difficult for the women who choose to keep their babies as well and yet LIFE is the only proper choice. It also takes intense courage to come out with this news and greater courage to go through with the pregnancy when living in a pro choice family. These women need support because the largest demographic for crisis pregnancies are college aged students and minorities. Both of which usually have little financial support. I pray for more acceptance for young women who decide to make a positive choice in giving life to their babies. But look at what is going on in the media right now. The liberal media that is controlled by the same media that will champion women's right to choose will crucify a mother who chooses to support her daughter and the young mother choosing to keep her baby. Sarah Palin and her husband made such a positive statement regarding their support for their daughter Bristol and her young fiance. I want to say "amen' to that. But I also cringe at the media coverage and wonder how many young women today are saying to themselves "i am heading to the abortion clinic because I don't want to be attacked and met with the same venom as they are handing out to Bristol and her mother." Our society is hugely twisted. I wonder if someone can have the courage to ask Barack Obama if the reason he didn't choose Hillary for his running mate was because she was a mother. Or is it okay because she only had one child or perhaps she chose abortion in her past..you never know...but we really need to pray that God is victorious in moving the hearts, minds and souls of these young women that are pregnant today to seeing the potential for a world that is run by women who scream out and say "it is not pro women to allow us to kill our babies."