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Janna is a 17-year-old high school senior who traveled an hour to our clinic because she was desperate for a confirmation pregnancy test and information on abortion. Janna appeared confused and very nervous because she was dealing with her unexpected pregnancy alone. The father of the baby was showing little interest in her pregnancy, and she was afraid to tell her parents that she was pregnant.
During her consultation, she sat quietly with the advocate and listened intently without questions. She told the advocate that she was very nervous, but she knew that the best option was to terminate her pregnancy so she wouldn’t have to tell her parents. She was also conflicted because she wanted to finish high school and attend college. Although she was abortion determined, she gladly accepted the literature on other options and was open to hearing about Jesus.
While in the interview with the medical staff, Janna spoke quietly about wanting to abort because she was “too young” to have a baby. She spoke about being alone on this journey and how she would not have a future with the father of the baby, so why would she want to continue with her pregnancy anyway.
After agreeing to have a sonogram, she lay on the table staring at the monitor waiting to see how far along she was in the pregnancy. The sonogram showed a viable pregnancy of 10 weeks and 4 days. Her face lit up when she saw the heartbeat and she was surprised that she could actually distinguish fetal parts on the image on the screen. The sonogram was not what she expected. She asked for a picture to show her boyfriend.
After the sonogram, Janna was given information about the abortion procedure, including the side effects. This information was an eye opener. She said she had no idea about the procedure and was now even more conflicted with what her next step should be. Her facial expression revealed her confusion. She stated that she had a lot of thinking to do now that she had seen the baby on the monitor.
We invited Janna back to the clinic for a follow up visit and to our surprise she brought two of her girlfriends with her. Her demeanor had completely changed and she told us that she was happy because she had a conversation with her mother about her pregnancy and now has full support to carry her baby to term. Her boyfriend was also offering support after seeing the sonogram picture. This support was what she was looking for.
Janna was appreciative of the time we spent with her and she was excited when she made a third appointment so that she could bring her mother and boyfriend to see the baby for her final visit with us.
*names are changed to protect patient privacy |
