Pregnancy Options
Planning a family and a future is not an exact science. Unfortunately in most heterosexual relationships between cis-gendered individuals the responsibility for deciding when to get pregnant, and how not to in the meantime, falls to the woman. Sometimes birth control options are the last thing on a busy woman's mind as she tries to navigate the daily parade of subtle mores and traditions, not to mention laws and regulations which have traditionally all been decided by cis-gendered white men. This culture around socializing our youth into strict binary gender roles has resulted in a society where cis-women in hetero relationships have gradually garnered the expectation to manage the constant, shark like perpetuity of tasks they must accomplish in an effort to balance family planning, parenting, career, relationships, appearance, identity, health, and home. And additionally, there will also be times when even our best efforts to be mindful of our fertility and use reliable protection fail, because no method of birth control is 100% effective.
What I´m trying to say here in that unplanned pregnancies still happen. Of course they do. It takes an egg and a sperm to make a baby, and yet one half of that equation is still, really, only expected to show up and provide genetic code. Parenting was not designed to be a solo job. We, as a society, need to teach boys and men to nurture and love and to desire to be parents as much as we girls, who have those feelings forced on us relentlessly as we grow up. Until males are taught to take some joy and responsibility in the prevention and planning of pregnancies mistakes will still happen.
When unplanned pregnancies happen the decision for how to proceed can be difficult to make and is always fraught with emotion. I believe that pregnant people from all walks of life deserve non-biased information and support to educate themselves, process their feelings, share and discuss resources and information with their partner, if appropriate, and space to make the decision that is best for them and their path forward. Sometimes that means carrying a pregnancy to term and choosing to parent. Sometimes it might mean choosing to carry a pregnancy to term while making a plan for adoption- either familial or outside of their family. Other times a person might choose to terminate that pregnancy. Entera Doula offers free abortion support and discounted rates to individuals carrying a pregnancy to term and making a plan for adoption.
Entera Doula strives to be a source of non-biased support for relinquishing mothers and those choosing to terminate a pregnancy. We know you did not come to your decision lightly. Below are some good resources for those who are struggling to decide what to do, and then how to do it.
What I´m trying to say here in that unplanned pregnancies still happen. Of course they do. It takes an egg and a sperm to make a baby, and yet one half of that equation is still, really, only expected to show up and provide genetic code. Parenting was not designed to be a solo job. We, as a society, need to teach boys and men to nurture and love and to desire to be parents as much as we girls, who have those feelings forced on us relentlessly as we grow up. Until males are taught to take some joy and responsibility in the prevention and planning of pregnancies mistakes will still happen.
When unplanned pregnancies happen the decision for how to proceed can be difficult to make and is always fraught with emotion. I believe that pregnant people from all walks of life deserve non-biased information and support to educate themselves, process their feelings, share and discuss resources and information with their partner, if appropriate, and space to make the decision that is best for them and their path forward. Sometimes that means carrying a pregnancy to term and choosing to parent. Sometimes it might mean choosing to carry a pregnancy to term while making a plan for adoption- either familial or outside of their family. Other times a person might choose to terminate that pregnancy. Entera Doula offers free abortion support and discounted rates to individuals carrying a pregnancy to term and making a plan for adoption.
Entera Doula strives to be a source of non-biased support for relinquishing mothers and those choosing to terminate a pregnancy. We know you did not come to your decision lightly. Below are some good resources for those who are struggling to decide what to do, and then how to do it.
- BASC- Boston Abortion Support Collective. www.bostonabortionsupportcollective.org
- The EMA Fund- The Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund. www.emafund.org
- ABCD Health Services Department- Action For Boston Community Development. www.bostonabcd.org
