Meet Tonya: Boyfriend began pressuring her
Meet Courtney: Wanted the "Morning After Pill"
Meet Kathy: Glad we were here
Meet John & Marquita: Faced an unplanned pregnancy
Meet Emma: Learned about fertility and hormonal birth control

Meet Tonya...
Tonya, a young student, came for a pregnancy test. Upon discovering she was in fact pregnant, she was shocked but brave. Our Director of Counseling and Outreach, says that she primarily needed to provide Tonya with emotional support, because Tonya made the bold choice of life for her baby!

But things suddenly changed. Her boyfriend began to accuse her of lying and she started to feel stuck. She admitted that she had started to think that abortion might be a good option!

Tonya came to us for her first ultrasound, and has continued to follow-up with a local pro-life doctor.

We thank God for all of our supporters, who help us assist people like Tonya—and her unborn baby—every day.

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Meet Courtney...
In early June, Courtney, a 22-year-old young woman came to our center even before we officially opened our doors asking for “the morning after” pill. It was the usual worry: the condom broke the night before and they are “just not ready for a baby right now”. The “responsible” thing to do would be to take some form of emergency contraception right now so they won’t have to deal with the problem later.

I was immediately concerned for her body, her future, and simply her. Was there even a strong possibly that she would be pregnant from this single encounter? We started talking and I found out that she had just finished her period a few days before. Ok, this was good— because more than likely she would not be fertile now. I began to explain that fact, and it was evident that this was knowledge she had never really heard before.

I explained what you are really doing when a woman takes “the morning after” pill: That it increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy, that its effectiveness in preventing implantation is not high enough to take that risk, that it has been proven to cause an early abortion, and that it's a quick decision that has the potential for a ripple effect of consequences.

Courtney knew what I was talking about on some level because she had been on birth control at one point when she was younger, and this had caused a variety of unpleasant side effects. She was intrigued and was open to more information.
This story is about one of many young women who come into the University LifeCare Center asking for “the morning after” pill. They leave the conversation armed with a greater sense of the truth, and with personal empowerment about their bodies and their choices.

Getting Informed: Morning After Pill
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Meet Kathy...
Kathy just knew she was pregnant, but didn’t know what to do. We calmed the crisis and I learned that Kathy and the baby’s father were in love and had planned to marry even before this unexpected pregnancy. Kathy really did want the baby, but she was scared about her parents’ reactions for a variety of reasons. We discussed ways to help her tell her parents, and she resolved to keep the baby! However, the most amazing part of our counseling session that day came at the end of our talk. Kathy’s eyes welled up with tears, and with difficulty she said: “Tonight, when I just knew I was pregnant and didn’t think I could find anyone to help me, I just gave up. I said to myself, ‘I should just go have the abortion,’ and that’s what I was going to do. But something told me to call and just have a test, just to be sure, and then you answered and said you would help. I’m so glad I called.” (We’re so glad she did, too)!

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Meet John & Marquita...
John and Marquita came to us from a local hospital, from which a social worker had called me to explain that they had just learned that they were pregnant and that they could not afford housing. John is a U of MN student, and Marquita is a foreign exchange student whose visa would expire any day! As two poor students with the complications of immigration issues facing them, they were overwhelmed and had not yet been able to get even basic pre-natal care. Another resource connected them with an attorney to plow through the immigration headaches. We were able to counsel Marquita, give her information about how to care for herself and her unborn child, and give her a bottle of pre-natal vitamins. We also scheduled her for a free ultrasound the next day and enrolled her in the pre-natal program at one of our sister Life Care Centers. We connected them with the U of MN family housing office, where they found an apartment they could afford while still finishing their degrees. We explained to Marquita the decision whether to stay in touch with us is up to her. She could only exclaim with a happy smile, “I WANT to stay in touch with you! I don’t know anyone here. You’ll be like my family when this baby comes!”

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Meet Emma...
Emma, a 20-year-old college student, came to us concerned that she might be pregnant. Her life was already full, although she was ready to embrace this baby if there was one on the way. She was extremely relieved to find out that her pregnancy test was negative. Through an honest counseling session with us, Emma shared that she knew now was not the time for a baby, but she was not sure how she and her boyfriend would proceed with the physical side of their relationship. We invited Emma to watch a video on fertility appreciation. Emma learned about her own fertility, hormonal birth control use and its side effects, and the good news about natural family planning (including abstinence outside of marriage). Emma was amazed. When the short video had finished, she said, "...I pretty much have never heard any of that before!" You could tell that her hope had been renewed. She left grateful and empowered, with truth that others had not shared with her before.

Getting Informed: Birth Control