Most people would think that teenagers are stroppier to talk to about their unborn babies.
Surprisingly, it is sometimes teenagers who are more pleasant and interested. Recently, ‘Beth’ a young teenager came looking for advice. She had got pregnant at the start of the summer, and was scared about going back to school pregnant. No one knew but her teenage boyfriend. She had told him she was pregnant, and he had instantly disappeared. She lives near him, and this makes things very uncomfortable.
She was quite heartbroken about this. “He sees me in the street and runs away. When I called his home, he got his mother to say that he didn’t know me.”
Beth had been told by teachers at school that if she ever got a positive test that she could have an abortion. “But I’ve no clue what that means. I’m really confused. For starters they tell me that I should have an abortion because I shouldn’t have a baby. But if I didn’t have a baby, why would I need an abortion?”
She saw pictures of unborn babies in the womb, and was amazed: “yeah, I knew that’s what the baby had to look like! He’s eight weeks, and see his lovely rib cage!” Beth was very open to seeing the pictures of the unborn baby and held the baby model close to her face. In my experience a ‘mature’ adult may react more harshly to seeing the unborn baby pictures. The worst reaction that I ever got was when a twenty five year old threw the baby model and the pictures at me.
During my time with Beth, we discussed what help we could give her, and what practical arrangements could be made for her to have the baby and stay on at school. She still felt threatened by her boyfriend's avoidance of her and by the mere idea of telling her parents. But she said, “I know that I’ll have to face World War Three, but I’m going to fight for my child.”
Surprisingly, it is sometimes teenagers who are more pleasant and interested. Recently, ‘Beth’ a young teenager came looking for advice. She had got pregnant at the start of the summer, and was scared about going back to school pregnant. No one knew but her teenage boyfriend. She had told him she was pregnant, and he had instantly disappeared. She lives near him, and this makes things very uncomfortable.
She was quite heartbroken about this. “He sees me in the street and runs away. When I called his home, he got his mother to say that he didn’t know me.”
Beth had been told by teachers at school that if she ever got a positive test that she could have an abortion. “But I’ve no clue what that means. I’m really confused. For starters they tell me that I should have an abortion because I shouldn’t have a baby. But if I didn’t have a baby, why would I need an abortion?”
She saw pictures of unborn babies in the womb, and was amazed: “yeah, I knew that’s what the baby had to look like! He’s eight weeks, and see his lovely rib cage!” Beth was very open to seeing the pictures of the unborn baby and held the baby model close to her face. In my experience a ‘mature’ adult may react more harshly to seeing the unborn baby pictures. The worst reaction that I ever got was when a twenty five year old threw the baby model and the pictures at me.
During my time with Beth, we discussed what help we could give her, and what practical arrangements could be made for her to have the baby and stay on at school. She still felt threatened by her boyfriend's avoidance of her and by the mere idea of telling her parents. But she said, “I know that I’ll have to face World War Three, but I’m going to fight for my child.”
Mary O' Regan
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