We have the honor of hearing stories from life-affirming agencies we work with about courageous women and men who reject societal and family pressure to abort their children.

One such powerful story came in last week. I’ll share it with you to encourage you.

A 19-year-old woman (I’ll call her Abby) went online in PA searching for an abortion provider.  Already the mother of a 3 year old, she told herself, “I’m just not ready for this.”

And, practically speaking, she wasn’t ready for another child.  She had already dropped out of high school to care for her first child.  The father of both children had left her, but was also clear he wanted Abby to abort the second child.

She hadn’t yet told her father about the pregnancy and she was afraid to do so.

What Abby really wanted was to get her life back on track.  She was preparing to get her GED, then head off to college, get a job to support her first child, and buy a house.

She wanted what many of us have – a normal, stable life.

A second baby wasn’t part of that dream.

Abby had taken responsible steps so far.  She had been to the doctor, had two ultrasounds to confirm the pregnancy, and was now ready to terminate the baby’s life so that she could continue on with her plans.

Human Coalition met her on the Internet at this crucial moment in time and encouraged her to speak with her local pregnancy center.

Late last month, Abby agreed to meet with the counselor at the center and have one more ultrasound to confirm everything.

The counselor listened to Abby with compassion, care, and understanding.  She heard Abby’s concerns about raising another child without a high school and college degree.  She encouraged Abby for being a great mom to her first child and for genuinely wanting to improve their family’s quality of life.

The counselor also shared information about local organizations that wanted to help Abby with those very plans  – even as a single parent of two children.

Often women abort their children because of financial pressure.  They don’t realize there are numerous people in the community willing to help in very tangible ways. In this case, a local college had special resources for unwed, single moms and their children.

The ultrasound had a powerful impact on Abby. However, she completed her appointment and left without comment.  The pregnancy center didn’t know what to expect.

Just last week, the center called up Abby and spoke with her mother, who (thankfully) had been supportive of Abby and the baby.  Abby’s mom let the center know that Abby had rejected the idea of abortion, was going to carry the baby to term, and had decided to parent her second child.

We rejoice with Abby, the pregnancy center, and you that this coming Christmas, Abby will receive an extra special present – a new baby.

Give a gift here to help save babies from abortion.  We cannot do our life-saving work without YOU.