“This is really bad timing!”

Toria stated as she sat down to meet with our client advocate, Rita. Toria was feeling ‘very nervous’ and contemplating abortion when she appeared at our center with her boyfriend, Joel. The young couple had been in a relationship for several months.

Although Toria is working full-time at a job she likes, she is still concerned about her ability to support a baby . . . and her job does not offer medical benefits.

Toria lives with her mom who has stated that she will support any decision Toria makes regarding this pregnancy. It is Toria’s mom who urged her to get an ultrasound, to see how far along she was. At the ultrasound appointment at our free pregnancy clinic, Toria’s baby measured at 19 weeks.

As Rita, noted: “The ultrasound was pivotal. . . Both Toria and Joel were amazed at seeing their baby on the ultrasound. Toria asked our nurse a lot of questions: She was clearly curious about her baby and its development. And then – baby “flexed” her arm.”

“She’s showing off!” Toria exclaimed. Both Toria and Joel laughed as their eyes were fixed on their baby.

After the ultrasound, Rita sat with Toria and offered information about the various pregnancy options, as Toria had requested when she made her appointment at the center.

Because she was well into her second trimester, Toria would not be eligible for a chemical abortion. Rita explained the surgical abortion procedure to Toria, relying on informational materials from our state’s department of health. Included in the explanation was the baby’s ability to feel the pain of the procedure.

Toria listened, and she offered her input from the ultrasound: She talked about ‘how cool’ it was to see the four chambers of her baby’s heart, and about how the baby had hiccups during the ultrasound. Now that she had seen her baby live on the screen, she could not abort her, she said emphatically.

A life saved. A future preserved.

Toria and Joel left our center joyful and energized about their baby’s future. Toria thanked us for her prenatal vitamins and informed Rita that she would start taking them immediately. She signed onto our Learn and Earn pregnancy education program and Joel said that he wanted to watch our educational videos with her. We provided Toria with insurance information, a doctors referral list, and food support resources. Rita and Toria agreed to connect again in a couple of weeks.

The two women talked about how much Toria would learn as a first-time mom. As she left our center, relaxed and relieved with her decision, it was clear that Toria was now able to begin to celebrate the joy of becoming a mom and Joel – his broad smile speaking volumes -- was feeling the pride of being someone’s dad.