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

An unplanned pregnancy in Iowa can bring on a lot of tough questions. Pregnancy can cause a lot of stress for anyone experiencing it, particularly when it wasn’t planned, so it’s completely normal for questions like those listed above to be accompanied by a little (or a lot) of stress. First, though, we’d like to remind you to breathe. The world is not ending, and plenty of women before you have experienced unexpected pregnancies in Iowa.

In general, you have three unplanned pregnancy options:

1. Parenting 
2. Abortion
3. Adoption

If you think that you're ready to talk to an adoption specialist about adoption in Iowa, call 1-800-ADOPTION or reach out to us through our free online form.

3 Unplanned Pregnancy Options in Iowa 

If you’re unsure of what to do, the next step is to learn more about your unplanned pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion, and adoption in Iowa. 

Continue reading to learn more about each unplanned pregnancy option. 

1. Parenting

When experiencing an unplanned pregnancy in Iowa, the first question you’re faced with is, “Am I ready to be a parent?” If that answer is yes, then you can stop reading this article right now. If you are ready and wish to parent your child, then no one should ever tell you to do otherwise. However, if you’re not sure you’re ready, parenting comes with some factors you may want to consider:

• Raising a child until adulthood costs an average of $245,340, and that’s a figure from 2013. That’s only going to rise as time passes, and it’s unnecessary to point out what a significant financial burden that can be if you haven’t been planning for it.

• Will the child’s father be around to help you raise him or her? If not, will you have a good support system?

• Is becoming a mother at this point going to affect any education or career goals you’re pursuing? Will daycare be available at your school or job?

• Do you want to be a mom? Do you want to be a mom right now? Some women never want to parent, while others prefer to wait until they feel more ready. Either is completely acceptable.

2. Abortion

Some adoption agencies will glaze over the fact that abortion is an option for you, but it’s important for you to know that it is. If this is a choice you consider, we hope you’ll get your information from reliable sources such as Planned Parenthood, as there’s a lot of sensationalized material out there about the subject. A few facts about abortion in Iowa are:

• In 2014, there were 13 facilities that provided abortions in Iowa. This was a 28 percent decline from the number of facilities in 2011.

• In 2014, 89 percent of the counties in Iowa had no facilities that provided abortions; 42 percent of Iowa women lived in these counties.

• Iowa law requires that the parent of a minor be notified before an abortion is provided.

• Before a woman obtains an abortion, she must undergo an ultrasound and the provider must offer to show her the image.

• Abortions can be performed at 20 or more weeks post fertilization only if the woman’s life or health is in serious danger.

3. Adoption

As an adoption agency, we could go on and on about the last of the unplanned pregnancy options in Iowa. Instead, we’ll list some of the benefits that aren’t necessarily associated with the previous two:

• Adoption provides the ability to remain in your child’s life.

• Adoption allows for an alternative to parenting that doesn’t include abortion, if you feel strongly against abortion but aren’t yet ready to parent.

• Adopted kids are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities because they are raised in homes that are both financially and emotionally prepared for them.

It’s unlikely that reading this article led you to make an immediate decision about which of the Iowa unexpected pregnancy options is best for you. However, we hope it’s helped you to learn a bit about your choices. To learn more, please contact American Adoptions at 1-800-ADOPTION.

Disclaimer
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