The weightiness and surprise of my unplanned pregnancy was overwhelming. I looked at the test again, and they were still there. Those two blue lines. Pregnant, it told me. Pregnant, again.
There I was, with two toddlers and a three-month-old, and now a nearly microscopic child in my womb as well. I was equal parts bewildered and surprised, and more than a little terrified.
Our third child was born after a very stressful, very complicated pregnancy that was physically exhausting, and mentally traumatic. He was three months old now, not even eight pounds yet, and life was just beginning to settle down a little. My body and heart had just begun to believe normal could exist once again.
And then there were those two lines. “How could I go through it all again?” I asked myself.
It was in that moment that I began to understand what would make a woman consider having an abortion.
Here’s the thing — my husband Austin and I were stable, healthy, and in love. We had more than enough resources to support another child, and a loving family who would eagerly welcome another babe. We had actually even planned on having four kids. We had it good. Really good. But there are so many mothers out there, a multitude, for whom an unplanned pregnancy is a devastating discovery.
They don’t have a stable relationship.
They don’t have stable housing.
They are in deep poverty.
Or they don’t feel like they have the family support.
Perhaps they already have children, and they don’t feel equipped to tackle the challenge of raising another.
These women are in a situation with no easy solutions. For these women, abortion begins to look like the only answer to an overwhelming problem. Many of them would prefer not to have an abortion but cannot see another path forward.
There is a *reason* this woman is thinking of abortion. She is desperate. She is confused, and overwhelmed, and feels stuck in her circumstances. She is very likely alone in her feelings, grappling with a future she did not envision.
She needs help.
Unplanned Pregnancy Help
What if it was possible to create more options for a woman who feels stuck? What if barriers and roadblocks could be removed? What if we could remove some of that fear that is stuck in the pit of her stomach, so she could take a breath and be able to really consider the options available?
In honor of these women, and their beautiful, tiny babes, I’d like to invite you to be a part of the solution to offer free pregnancy help to those in need.
My husband Austin and I have been giving for many years to Care Net of Puget Sound. We love this pregnancy resource center because their heart is to walk alongside these women, no matter what choice they end up making for their pregnancy. They understand that no one wins when a woman is bullied into continuing a pregnancy; instead, their mission is to offer free pregnancy help and empower a woman to make the best choice for her situation, by increasing the options available to her!
This, my friends, represents the Gospel to me in ways I could never express. Christ brought healing, hope, and practical solutions, like a plentitude of bread and fish. He knew that laws do nothing to change our hearts or our circumstances: only love can do that. When we step out in love for women in overwhelming and helpless circumstances, we embody the good God that came to rescue us all.
DOUBLE your pro-life donation
We are offering a matching gift opportunity for all donations to Care Net, up to $20,000.
We would be honored to have you join us in this fight to support life, as we seek to bring love to all those who are affected by the difficulty of an unplanned pregnancy.
You can click here to give today, and your gift will automatically be doubled to provide 2x the love and unplanned pregnancy help to all those impacted by the difficulty of unplanned pregnancy.
Thank you for considering being a part of this work to support life with us!
Standing beside you,
Sarah Dean
Friend of Care Net of Puget Sound
