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Unplanned Pregnancy: Your OptionsAt bpas we accept that unplanned pregnancies happen and that every woman has the right to decide for herself how to deal with the situation. We know that you might be finding it hard to make a decision about what to do. The ideas presented here are based on our experience of talking to over 55,000 women every year who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy. It's not meant to encourage you to make any particular decision - instead it offers ideas that we know other women have found helpful. Have you confirmed your pregnancy? If you have confirmed you are pregnant, then you have three options open to you:
So how do you feel about being pregnant? You can ask yourself questions like these below: "What are my hopes and plans for the future? How would I feel about achieving those plans and hopes if I...... become a parent / place the baby up for adoption / end the pregnancy?" "What are the two or three things which matter most to me in my life now? Will I have to lose or give up something if I....... become a parent / place the baby up for adoption / end the pregnancy?" "What are the two or three things that I hope to achieve over the next five to ten years? What will I lose or give up in the next five to ten years if I...... become a parent / place the baby up for adoption / end the pregnancy?" "How would other people who matter to me (such as partner, family and friends) react to me if I.... become a parent / place the baby up for adoption / end the pregnancy" "Most importantly, considering my own values and beliefs, how would I feel if I....... become a parent / place the baby up for adoption / end the pregnancy?" Your choices Becoming a parent  Having the baby and putting it up for adoption or fostering  Having an abortion  So how do you feel now? Making a decision can be difficult and frightening. Our experience in talking to other women in the same situation is that it helps if you can be clear about your feelings and why you have them. You could list some questions like the ones we have shown here and explore how you feel. To see how you are feeling at the moment, try to finish each of these sentences: "The idea of having a baby makes me "The idea of placing the baby for adoption makes me "The idea of having an abortion makes me What if I still don't know? Ask yourself "Can I live with those feelings?" If the answer is "Yes", then you are ready to decide. If you are still unsure, you may need more information about your choices or talk to someone you trust - they won’t be able to decide for you but may be able to help you decide what you think will be best for you. That person could be a parent or another member of your family, your partner or a close friend. Alternatively you can make an appointment to talk to someone impartial at bpas. Try not to put your decision off for too long. If you do decide to continue with your pregnancy, it is important that you start having antenatal care so that you and your baby are healthy. If you decide to have an abortion, the earlier it is carried out, the easier and safer it will be. If you need more information You can contact a number of organisations for advice or written information, although bpas accepts no responsibility for the advice or information given by other organisations. Please be aware that some organisations advertising free pregnancy testing and counselling on the internet and in phone books are strongly opposed to abortion. They will not discuss all the options available to you in an unbiased way. If they talk about abortion as an option for you at all, it may involve unevidenced or untrue claims, or statistics that are not reliable. They may not provide you with any information on how to access abortion treatment. Before you make any pregnancy counseling appointments, we would recommend that you ask the organisation whether they will be able to refer you for abortion treatment if you decide on that option. There is a list of registered Pregnancy Advice Bureaux on the Department of Health’s website. These have all met the Department of Health’s required standards on accurate and balanced information-giving, because they refer for abortion. Click here to view the list of registered Pregnancy Advice Bureaux, which includes bpas centres. Although there are other reputable organisations that are not included on this list, it's a good place to search for impartial pregnancy counselling. bpas You can book an appointment with bpas to talk things through, or to explore the abortion options available to you dependent on your stage of pregnancy and circumstances. Click here to make an appointment at bpas. bpas can help in the following ways:
fpa (Family Planning Association) Brook Citizens Advice Bureau Rape Crisis Benefits For information and advice if you continue your pregnancy:National Childbirth Trust NCT Helpline (for information and advice on pregnancy and birth): 0870 444 8709. Click here to visit the NCT website. For information and advice on adoption and fostering:British Association for Adoption & Fostering The Government Adoption UK Social Services |