Who should you turn to if you are dealing with an unexpected pregnancy? Who can you talk to? Who will help you learn about your options, offer support, and not make you feel pushed into making choices you don't agree with?
If you don't have any close family or religious affiliations to turn to, there are many professionals available to help for little or no cost to you.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers - Where you can go to talk with a counselor. The center may have a maternity center attached where you could live until the baby is born. Read material or ask questions on the crisis pregnancy center's focus is geared towards. Are they pro parenting or pro adoption? What are the statistics for the center? Do they have a higher percent for placing children for adoption or helping young women parent their children?
Family Planning Clinic - Provides birth control information and pregnancy tests.
Adoption Agency - A good choice if you are already leaning strongly in the direction of adoption.
Health Department or Social Services -; A welfare or social worker can offer a lot of help. He or she can also help you apply for different government programs like Medicaid so that you can parent your child.
Independent Living Programs - Many states have these available for youth up to the age of 21. Here you will have the opportunity to have a place to live, learn new skills, find a job, and finish school. What a great opportunity to discover if parenting is an option for you as you learn to live on your own.
Crittenton Centers - Located throughout the United States offering a variety of programs. Find programs dealing with pregnancy, teens as parents, emancipation, and education.
Mental Health Center or Family Services Agency - Counselors can offer a vareity of services to people in all kinds of situations.
Churches - Many churches have services in place to help pregnant women.
It is important that you make this decision and not feel swayed by any counselor. If at any point you feel that your needs are not being met and your opinion/choice is not being respected, than seek help elsewhere. The agency or counselor should be able to explain how they can help you in any situation but you choose whether abortion, adoption, or parenting is for you.
