Abortion and Adoption Decision
This was exactly the situation Cari found herself in. During her senior year in high school, Cari was accepted to Texas Tech University. However, she decided to stay in her hometown in order to be close to her boyfriend. It was crushing for Cari when this boyfriend soon left her. She started dating around and living recklessly, but Cari felt in her heart that the way she was living wasn’t good. She just didn’t know how to change.
It was in October that she missed her first period. She told herself it was nothing. It was just a fluke. She didn’t want to admit that anything was wrong. After a while, though, she began to come to terms with what was really going on. She stole several pregnancy tests from the grocery store where she worked, and a trusted friend took her to a pregnancy center to obtain absolute confirmation. Cari was pregnant, and she was terrified. She didn’t know who the birth father was, but she did know that she needed to make this go away. She made up her mind: she was going to have an abortion.
When she got home, her mom approached her about her pregnancy. She had heard about it from a friend, and she convinced Cari to talk about it. Cari’s Nana told her about the Gladney Center for Adoption. After just one visit, Cari knew that adoption was what she needed to do–for herself and her baby.
Cari and her caseworker were able to find an amazing couple to become her daughter’s adoptive parents, and over the remainder of her pregnancy she became very close with them. So close, that they decided to pursue an open adoption. Now Cari regularly receives pictures, letters, and phone calls from her daughter and her adoptive family. Cari even sees her daughter, who is now 14 years old, several times a year. These glimpses into her daughter’s life provide Cari with constant affirmation that she did the right thing.
After her adoption, Cari completed her college degree in Criminal Justice and today she works at a student housing management company as a Regional Supervisor. Cari believes that her adoption enabled her become far more successful than she would have become on her own. Her daughter’s adoptive family has become her second family, and she can say with confidence that her daughter is deeply cared for.
Cari’s advice to others thinking about abortion or adoption is this: Be strong. Know that you are giving the greatest gift of life to your child and giving a family their missing puzzle piece.
If you would like to talk with one of Gladney's Options Counselors, please call or text 800-452-3639.