{"id":156871,"date":"2016-11-18T16:35:06","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T21:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=156871"},"modified":"2021-03-18T14:51:13","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T19:51:13","slug":"pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>)\u00a0Faced with an unexpected\u00a0pregnancy, Michelle chose a path\u00a0precious few women take. Hoping to help her son\u00a0thrive in a loving family, Michelle made the choice to create an adoption plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted my child to have a mom and a dad,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Michelle walked through the doors of True Care Women\u2019s Resource Center this February. New to the community of Casper, Wyo., she searched online for an ob-gyn, but couldn\u2019t find a provider due to her financial situation.<\/p>\n

True Care, however, was listed as the third result under \u201cob-gyn.\u201d The pregnancy help medical clinic provided what she needed when she needed it: verification of her pregnancy through ultrasound, options consultation, and community resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue Care saved me time\u2014everything I needed was right there,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cThey determined the due date with ultrasound, helped me make my decision, and gave me support and resources. Being new to town, all of that was so important, so helpful. I didn\u2019t have to run around town to try to find places and agencies I needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll my questions were answered, and everyone was very nurturing, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. They prayed with me because I was a total basket case. I shed a lot of tears shed that day, both happy and sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the father of her baby was pressuring her to abort, and Michelle was considering abortion as her only way out, the visit to True Care, and the relationship that followed, helped her see she wasn\u2019t alone, and abortion was by no means her only choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was informed on my options and I was also educated on abortion,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cAbortion clinics will not educate any woman on the side-effects; it\u2019s a lot more than a termination of pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michelle was about seven weeks along when she came to True Care. The father left her when she refused to abort, and she had no local emotional or financial support. Through True Care\u2019s Early KinCare Resource Program, Michelle signed up for Medicaid and sorted through her emotions, processing her situation and options.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew I could live with adoption, not abortion\u2014I knew I\u2019d regret it,\u201d said Michelle, also the mother of a 2-year-old and a 14-year-old. \u201cWhen I knew there were other couples who wanted to adopt, I decided that was a big blessing I could give somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The staff at True Care became Michelle\u2019s steady anchor during the waves of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care how strong a woman thinks she is, this (decision) is hard,\u201d she said. \u201cI appreciate the follow-up True Care does. They are still my support. They have helped me in so many ways, even if it\u2019s just someone to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the summer, she met with a representative from a licensed adoption agency, ultimately choosing a couple who lives in another state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had tried for years to have a baby,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew I could give them a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to ChildWelfare.gov, the adoption rate among American adults has\u00a0steadily decreased<\/a>\u00a0during the past several years, from more than 140,000 children in 2001 to less than 120,000 in 2012. The organization\u2019s report also indicates that the number of intercountry and public agency adoptions decreased as well.<\/p>\n

According to AdoptiveFamilies.com, less than two percent of single mothers\u00a0place their children for adoption<\/a>, partly due to the stigma of single parenthood dramatically decreasing over the decades, but also owing to the prevalence of the abortion industry.<\/p>\n

Financial struggles,\u00a0which contribute to three out of four abortions<\/a>, were a significant reason Michelle chose adoption, entrusting her child into the arms of an adoptive family better suited to welcome a baby.<\/p>\n

The baby boy was born earlier this fall. Michelle admits the emotions have been challenging.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no regrets, but I do miss him,\u201d she said. \u201cPrayer and faith give me strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the birth and adoption of her son, Michelle has been finding ways to re-engage with her family and community. She attends counseling and she is searching for a job, as well as a church. She spends quality time with her two children, and since she chose an open adoption, she receives photos from the adoptive parents of her youngest son and will stay in contact with him and his family as he grows.<\/p>\n

As one of just\u00a020,000 U.S.-born babies placed for adoption each year<\/a>, Michelle, and the staff at True Care, hope her story can help other moms make the life-affirming choice of adoption in an unexpected pregnancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not always prepared for the emotions,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cBe prepared to not be prepared, and that\u2019s okay. It\u2019s a process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at Pregnancy Help News<\/a> on November 17, 2016, and is reprinted here with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Pregnancy Help News)\u00a0Faced with an unexpected\u00a0pregnancy, Michelle chose a path\u00a0precious few women take. Hoping to help her son\u00a0thrive in a loving family, Michelle made the choice to create an adoption plan. \u201cI wanted my child to have a mom and a dad,\u201d she said. Michelle walked through the doors of True Care Women\u2019s Resource Center […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":84526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nPressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Less than 2% of single mothers place their children for adoption, due to less stigma on single parenthood and to the prevalence of the abortion industry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Less than 2% of single mothers place their children for adoption, due to less stigma on single parenthood and to the prevalence of the abortion industry.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Live Action News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-18T21:35:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-18T19:51:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/hands-fingers-1-mom-baby.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"672\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"372\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gayle Irwin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@liveaction\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gayle Irwin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gayle Irwin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e29bb9ddd74f627912276bb7c124415f\"},\"headline\":\"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-18T21:35:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-18T19:51:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\"},\"wordCount\":814,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Guest Column\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\",\"name\":\"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-18T21:35:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-18T19:51:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Less than 2% of single mothers place their children for adoption, due to less stigma on single parenthood and to the prevalence of the abortion industry.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Live Action News\",\"description\":\"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Live Action\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png\",\"width\":701,\"height\":710,\"caption\":\"Live Action\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e29bb9ddd74f627912276bb7c124415f\",\"name\":\"Gayle Irwin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4fa99419924871d6837a14ac3df01f0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4fa99419924871d6837a14ac3df01f0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gayle Irwin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/gail-irwin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision","description":"Less than 2% of single mothers place their children for adoption, due to less stigma on single parenthood and to the prevalence of the abortion industry.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision","og_description":"Less than 2% of single mothers place their children for adoption, due to less stigma on single parenthood and to the prevalence of the abortion industry.","og_url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/","og_site_name":"Live Action News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","article_published_time":"2016-11-18T21:35:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-18T19:51:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":672,"height":372,"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/hands-fingers-1-mom-baby.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gayle Irwin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@liveaction","twitter_site":"@liveaction","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gayle Irwin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/"},"author":{"name":"Gayle Irwin","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e29bb9ddd74f627912276bb7c124415f"},"headline":"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision","datePublished":"2016-11-18T21:35:06+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-18T19:51:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/"},"wordCount":814,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Guest Column"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/","name":"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-11-18T21:35:06+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-18T19:51:13+00:00","description":"Less than 2% of single mothers place their children for adoption, due to less stigma on single parenthood and to the prevalence of the abortion industry.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pressured-abort-michelle-made-rare-decision\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Pressured to abort, Michelle made a rare decision"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","name":"Live Action News","description":"Covering Human Rights, Abortion, & Pro-Life Issues","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#organization","name":"Live Action","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Live-Action-Logo-Black.png","width":701,"height":710,"caption":"Live Action"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/twitter.com\/liveaction","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/liveactionorg\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/LiveActionFilms\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LiveActionFilms"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e29bb9ddd74f627912276bb7c124415f","name":"Gayle Irwin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4fa99419924871d6837a14ac3df01f0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f4fa99419924871d6837a14ac3df01f0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gayle Irwin"},"url":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/author\/gail-irwin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156871"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/478"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156871"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241873,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156871\/revisions\/241873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}