Question and Answer

My pregnant daughter has her whole life still ahead of her. Would it be better for her to place her baby with a family through adoption, parent her baby or have an abortion?

Your daughter faces many options. Guide her as she considers:
Adoption
- How much do you and she actually know about how adoption works today?
- Would this option free her to continue the life she'd planned for herself?
- Have you considered the statistics which dramatically demonstrate the importance of a father in a child's life?
- Help her weigh the pros and cons.
Parenting the child
- Will she move out and raise the child on her own?
- What are the financial implications?
- What role are you willing to take in the child's upbringing?
- Will she depend on you to help her raise the baby? (Explain that, as the mother, she is the parent.)
- Sort through your own feelings and only offer that with which you feel comfortable.
Marriage
- Is your daughter in love or simply trying to remedy the situation?
- Are they mature enough to bear the responsibilities of marriage and be effective parents?
- What are the long-term implications? Another mistake divorce?
- Objectively and lovingly share your concerns. Then give her freedom to make the decision.
Abortion
- Refuse to worry about your family's reputation. It does not matter what other people may think when they see her pregnant.
- If you and your daughter believe as the Bible clearly states that life begins at conception, your faith and convictions will eliminate abortion as a "choice."
- Serve as a steady, rational voice when your daughter is tempted to overlook her beliefs.

Excerpted from How to Really Love Your Pregnant Teen by Focus on the Family. Copyright © 2001 Focus on the Family.
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