Am I ready to be a parent? What if I’m not sure how to decide to keep a baby or not? How do I decide what to do if I’m not ready to be a parent? What are my options if I’m pregnant in Connecticut?

An unplanned pregnancy in Connecticut — or anywhere else — can elicit lots of questions. Pregnancy can be stressful to anyone, particularly someone who wasn’t planning on having a child, so it’s understandable that these questions may be accompanied by some stress. Our first advice, though, is to breathe. An unexpected pregnancy is not the end of the world, and there are plenty of women who have been in your shoes. Our second piece of advice is that it can be helpful to educate yourself about your unplanned pregnancy options in Connecticut. 

As a pregnant woman, you will have 3 options: Parenting, adoption, and abortion. This guide will educate you on these three options. Anytime you have questions about your unplanned pregnancy or options for adoption in Connecticut, call 1-800-ADOPTION or fill out this online form to speak with a specialist from American Adoptions. Until then, continue reading to learn more about your unplanned pregnancy options in Connecticut.

1. Parenting

With any unplanned pregnancy in Connecticut, the first question you have to ask yourself is, “Am I ready to be a parent?” If yes, then great. No one should ever tell you not to parent your child if that’s what you wish to do. If, however, you aren’t sure if you’re ready to be a parent, you may want to consider some of these factors:

• In 2013, raising a child until the age of 18 cost an average of $245,340, according to the Wall Street Journal. That amount of money can be an extreme financial burden if you haven’t been preparing for it.

• What kind of support system will you have when raising this child? Will the child’s father be in the picture?

• Is raising a child going to affect any education or career goals you might have? Will daycare be available to you?

• Do you want to be a mother? Not all women do, and it’s completely okay to admit that. It’s also okay to know that you want to be a mother someday but that you aren’t ready quite yet.

2. Abortion

As an adoption agency, you might expect us to ignore that abortion is one of Connecticut’s unplanned pregnancy options, but that’s not the case. We do hope, however, that you’ll be sure to get any information about the subject from reliable sources, like Planned Parenthood, as it is such a sensitive subject. Some things to know about abortion in Connecticut are:

• In 2014, there were 59 abortion-providing facilities in Connecticut; 25 of these were clinics.

• Of the counties in Connecticut, 13 percent have no facilities that provide abortions.

• Connecticut has no major types of abortion restrictions found in many other states, such as waiting periods, parental permission or limitations on publicly funded abortions.

3. Adoption

As you might assume, we have quite a bit to say about the third and final unplanned pregnancy option in Connecticut. We think it’s especially important to highlight some of the benefitsof adoption that don’t come with the other two unplanned pregnancy options:

• The ability to remain in your child’s life with open adoption. With adoption, you can have a relationship with your child that lasts a lifetime.

• Adoption allows for an alternative to parenting, if you aren’t ready, and abortion, if you have strong feelings against it.

• Adopted kids are raised in homes that are financially and emotionally ready for them, which leads to them being more likely to participate in extracurricular activities or secondary education.

• Adopted kids will grow up knowing they are valued and loved unconditionally.

Of course, reading this article may not have magically illuminated which Connecticut unexpected pregnancy option is best for you. However, we do hope it helped you learn a little bit about your different choices. For more unbiased information, please contact American Adoptions at 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with an adoption specialist. 

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.