In 1988 I was a 17 year old whose period was late....

In 1988 I was a 17 year old whose period was late. I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend a few times but I thought you needed to have sex alot in order to get pregnant so I hadn’t considered pregnancy as a reason that I was late. I was driving around with a friend on a Saturday, we were going shopping. I mentioned that my period was a few weeks late and she became alarmed. She said she knew that Planned Parenthood had an office about 5 minutes from the mall and that they might be open. We drove there and she accompanied me inside. I was very nervous that I would need an appointment or that they would want ID and then call my mom. They were very nice and didn’t question me when I shared that I was there to get a pregnancy test. (At that time they weren’t easily available in drug stores) I was asked to give a urine sample within minutes. I was then called into a room where I was told that my test was positive. I thought that meant I wasn’t pregnant so I got really excited and proclaimed that I would never have sex again. The lady quickly figured out that I didn’t realize what she told me so she explained that I was in fact pregnant. I then started crying instantly as my world crashed down around me. She comforted me and just listened as I shared all the reasons why I couldn’t have this baby, insisting that I needed an abortion. She didn’t judge me or lecture me. Instead she urged me to consider all of my options before making any decisions. She encouraged me to talk my parents or other adults in my life who cared about me. I didn’t tell my parents that day, but I did stop drinking and smoking. It was the most difficult decision of my life, but I decided to keep my baby. A few weeks later I told my mom and began receiving prenatal care when I was about 8-10 weeks pregnant. If I hadn’t received free help at Planned Parenthood that day, I know I wouldn’t have figured out that I was pregnant so soon. I know that I would have continued to abuse drugs & alcohol and I would not have received prenantal care so early. As a result my son was born full term and healthy. Planned Parenthood made a tremendous difference in my life, and I’ve never forgotten the supportive ear and great advice I received from their staff. Thank you Planned Parenthood!