Aaron* came to the center with his pregnant partner.
His partner shared in a 1:1 conversation with our staff that she was leaning towards abortion because of a few obstacles they'd be facing. However, it was clear it wasn't an easy decision for her.
When Aaron joined the conversation, he was asked what he thought they should do and he said ‘I’ll support her; whatever she decides.' It was clear he cared deeply for his partner in the way he interacted with her; we knew he wanted to support her. But what did he really think?
Woodbury Options' RN Liz* shared with the couple that she heard ‘I’ll support her' from fathers frequently but that they often said that because they felt like it was the ‘right’ answer. She informed Aaron that most women really wanted to know what their partner thinks before making such an important decision. And Aaron's partner agreed; she really wanted to know what he thought.
Aaron said, if it was up to him only, he'd keep the child. He admitted he'd never told her that before. Suddenly, his partner looked like she had hope and a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. This child of theirs was wanted.
Woodbury Options for Women's (WOFW) staff is trained to help couples like this remove the restrictions society has put on them and to facilitate truthful, deep conversations. Because of that, the odds of Aaron's child being born, have greatly increased.
*Names have been changed for confidentiality.
