The Latest News: Unexpected, but not unwelcome

The Latest News Archive 2013

Unexpected, but not unwelcome

The single mother. A teen pregnancy. A surprise pregnancy later in life. No matter what the circumstances, facing an unplanned pregnancy at any stage in life is challenging. Understandably, women can be overwhelmed with insecurities, doubts and fears. The abortion industry uses these negative emotions to prey upon vulnerable women. Then, abortion is presented as a “solution” to the “problem.” What can break that vicious cycle? It may take someone being an encouragement, empowering her to realize her own potential. Consider what might happen if a woman is presented with the positive, rather than just the negative.

Surprisingly, the radically pro-abortion site, Jezebel, recently published an article entitled, Ten Advantages to an Unplanned Pregnancy. In blunt fashion, littered with profanity, author Tracy Moore describes finding herself facing an unplanned pregnancy at age 33. Her lifestyle had consisted of a career, smoking cigarettes and bar-hopping. She says, “I was one of those people who are pretty sure they aren’t going to have any kids. As a result, I lived my life like someone who doesn’t need to ever grow up.” Yet, here she was being thrust into parenthood. And through her experience, she discovered a surprising number of advantages.

1. You’ll Get Healthier, Faster — Because of the pregnancy, Tracy made healthy changes in her life, eliminating alcohol and cigarettes. And she also thought better about her food choices.
2. You’ll Get Emotionally Sorted Out — It’s a bit presumptuous to make this blanket statement, however the author’s assertion is basically true. While you won’t be rid of all of your emotional baggage, pregnancy will cause you to focus on another human being, rather than being consumed with your own drama.
3. You Have an Excuse to Get Out of Things — Yes, it seems humorous, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying even the simplest of pleasures. There’s also a serious side as Tracy notes, “It’s a legit reason to stop doing a bunch of bad stuff you always meant to quit.”
4. You’ll Simplify Your Life — “You think pregnancy just made your life infinitely more complicated, but looked at from another angle, it just became ridiculously clear what matters,” says Tracy. Pregnancy certainly presents a compelling reason to reprioritize your life and eliminate those things that aren’t really important.
5. You’ll Figure Out Your Career — Having a child causes you to examine your career goals. Some women even use this as a reason to have an abortion. But the author offers an alternative point of view, “This baby is not an impediment so much as a very squirmy piece of the puzzle.”
6. You’ll Finally Clean Your House — The emphasis here isn’t so much on the task itself, but rather the significance. It means you are doing what’s necessary to prepare your home for your child. That type of care has a positive emotional influence.
7. You’ll Figure Out Your Finances — This is another step of responsibility. There’s no mistaking the financial impact of having a baby. Pregnancy gives you time to work out a budget. It may mean making sacrifices, but it will be well worth it.
8. You’ll Figure Out Your Relationship — For good or bad, pregnancy will test your relationship. Tracy’s advice is, “If having a kid together on the fly screws up the relationship, you must consider it a sad, but positive lesson learned.” She also notes that it may make your relationship stronger and calls it a blessing.
9. You’ll Embrace a Roll-with-It Kinda Attitude — Any parent knows that you have to be flexible. But the article actually shares how that’s beneficial, “The study, published in the British Journal of Medical Psychology showed that unexpectedly pregnant ladies who rolled with life’s tiny little kicks and punches had vastly greater scores for ‘cementing relationships with their partner, family and friends, of improving their work and social life, and even of getting better housing.’”
10. You’ll Get All Focused — This final point is intangible, but important. In the midst of all the craziness a pregnancy can bring, there’s a sense of pride and fulfillment that only a child can bring to your life. Focusing on that is truly a beautiful thing.

The bottom line is that choosing life is a positive choice. What I think this piece communicates is that women will respond to a reassuring voice when facing an unplanned pregnancy. Recently, a website was set up called, Pregnant and Unplanned. It’s a place where women can read and share stories about their unplanned pregnancies, including adoption, teen pregnancy, unsupportive fathers and even rape. These stories reveal that women are strong enough to reject abortion. With affirmation, I believe we will see more and more women making the choice for life.

One more thing. Just this morning we welcomed an addition to our pro-life family at Life Issues Institute. Kaden Cairo Rueul Shelton, was born to Kevin Shelton on our staff. Dad, mom and son are all doing well and we rejoice with them in one of God’s richest blessings.

For all mothers and babies,

Bradley Mattes
CEO
Life Issues Institute

10/25/13

Life Issues Institute is dedicated to changing hearts and minds of millions of people through education. Organizations and individuals around the world depend upon Life Issues Institute to provide the latest information and effective tools to protect innocent human life from womb to tomb.

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