Are there resources that can help me learn what to do if I’m not ready to be a parent in West Virginia? What are my options if I’m pregnant in West Virginia? Am I ready to be a parent? How will I know how to decide to keep a baby or not?

If you’ve found yourself facing an unplanned pregnancy in West Virginia, it’s completely normal to be asking questions like those above. A pregnancy can be stressful to any woman, especially if you weren’t planning to become pregnant. What you choose to do now will affect the rest of your life as well as your child’s, and that’s a lot of pressure. Our first advice, if you’re experiencing an unexpected pregnancy in West Virginia, is to take a deep breath. This is not the end of the world, and everything will ultimately be okay. You’re already asking yourself some important questions, so our second piece of advice is to research all of your unplanned pregnancy options in West Virginia.

This article will cover each of your West Virginia unplanned pregnancy options, but we want to be transparent before we begin. American Adoptions is, of course, an adoption agency. However, in no way is this article intended to sway you toward any particular unplanned pregnancy option. Adoption in West Virginia is not right for everyone, and our only intent in writing this article is to be an unplanned pregnancy resource to the women of West Virginia. You can also contact us online to learn more about parenting, abortion and adoption in West Virginia.

Option One: Parenting

Any woman facing an unplanned pregnancy in West Virginia must always ask herself one particular question first and foremost: “Am I ready to be a parent?” If you can confidently say that yes, you are ready to be a parent, then this article is not for you. If you are ready to parent your child, no one should ever attempt to convince you otherwise. You and you alone are capable of making this decision for yourself about your unplanned pregnancy. If, however, you are on the fence, you may want to consider certain details:

• In 2015, the Department of Agriculture estimated that it costs around $233,610 to raise a child until the age of 17. That’s a number that’s only going to rise as time passes, and it’s also important to note that it doesn’t account for opportunities like college. That’s a very significant amount of money to anyone, particularly if you haven’t been financially preparing for the expenses of raising a child.

• Will you have help in raising your baby? It is entirely possible to be an amazing single parent, but some women prefer to have their baby’s father around to help them. If the child’s father isn’t going to be a reliable help, do you have a strong support system?

• Will having a child right now interfere with your educational or professional aspirations?

• Practicalities aside, do you want to be a mom? Do you want to be a mom later, but not quite yet? Not every woman wants to become a mother, and that’s okay. It’s also okay to admit that you simply aren’t ready for that step in your life yet.

Option Two: Abortion

Abortion is easily the most controversial of the West Virginia unplanned pregnancy options. That doesn’t mean it’s not an option for you if you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy in West Virginia. If this is something you’re thinking about, make sure to stick to reliable sources like Planned Parenthood, and brush up on West Virginia abortion facts like the following:

• In 2014, there were 2,020 abortions provided in West Virginia.

• There was a 14 percent decline in abortions in West Virginia between 2011 and 2014.

• In 2014, there were five facilities that provided abortions in West Virginia. Approximately 98 percent of West Virginia counties did not have facilities that provided abortions. 

• A woman must receive state-directed counseling before having the procedure, including information designed to discourage her, and then wait 24 hours before having an abortion.

• A minor’s parent must be notified before an abortion is provided.

Option Three: Adoption

As an adoption agency, it would be easy for us to go on and on about the final unplanned pregnancy option in West Virginia, but that’s not exactly fair to the other two choices. To keep it short, then, we’ll focus on some adoption facts that aren’t always well-known:

• An adopted child will grow up with two sets of loving parents — not just one — who have both placed the child’s needs above their own.

• Adopted children are more likely to pursue extracurricular activities and higher education after high school, because they have grown up in homes that were financially prepared to afford these opportunities.

• A woman who chooses adoption can remain an important part of her child’s life and know that he or she is happy and healthy through open adoption.

Interested in learning more about adoption or any of the other West Virginia unplanned pregnancy options? Please don’t hesitate to contact American Adoptions at 1-800-ADOPTION to speak with a licensed social worker.

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.