The Care Coordinator (CC) sat across from her as she shared what was happening in her life. "Sheila" was ambitious, intelligent, beautiful, and independent. The CC sat across from her because she had a positive pregnancy test at home and felt that all her dreams were crashing down. It wasn’t the right time. Would her dreams of becoming a healthcare provider happen if she decided to continue this pregnancy? Sheila would have to put off one of her science labs because of the pregnancy, and again she said this just wasn’t the right timing.
She held herself together as she gave the reasons she would choose abortion at the beginning of their time together. But eventually, Shelia felt safe enough to let her tears fall. It was obvious she wasn’t normally a cryer as she apologized through her sobs. Her CC reminded her that this was why Hope Clinic existed. To provide her a space to express her fears and let her tears fall without judgment. Shelia and the CC discussed her strengths and ability to become a mother and still have her dreams. They talked about making decisions out of fear and how to make a decision rooted in God’s love for her. Because “Perfect love cast out all fear.”
She had wiped her eyes and taken a breath. By the end of being able to talk about her fears and process God’s truth, she was doubting abortion more than when she came in. We provided an ultrasound, and the decision to choose life was becoming stronger for her. She left and processed all the information she gained during her time at Hope Clinic, and a few days later, when we reached out to check on her, she had made a choice for life; life for herself and her baby.