The Scripture tells us to "stand in awe of God," and a few weeks ago we had one of those awe-inspiring moments at First Choice. Leila* was 41-years-old when she learned she was pregnant. She already had a 16-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy.

Leila was completely overwhelmed and distraught by the thought of being pregnant. She would wake up crying and would go to bed crying. She worked in New York City in the financial district and had no interest in having another baby. A devout Muslim, she believed that abortion was wrong; however, she didn't want another baby, and since it was so early in her pregnancy, she reasoned it would be easy to "take care of it." Her husband brought home some pills from the pharmacy for emergency contraception, but she didn't know enough about the pills and didn't take them. Her husband told her that he would support whatever she decided, the he searched for information on the Internet and found a listing for First Choice.

Leila called and scheduled an appointment for the next day. When she came to the clinic, she met with Erin, who educated her about various abortion procedures and reviewed all of her options. Unlike others she had talked with, Leila said that she most appreciated the fact that we didn't just say that we would support whatever she decided. Instead, we gave her facts and information and laid out each option clearly for her consideration.

After Leila met with Erin, she had an ultrasound with our nurse, Midge. Today, Midge is an R.N. trained in limited obstetrical ultrasound, but 20 years ago she herself was a client at First Choice with an unintended pregnancy, and so she could identify with some of the fears Leila was expressing. The ultrasound revealed that Leila was about 6 weeks pregnant. She just saw a heartbeat, but it was enough to change her mind. As she says, "The heartbeat was only a dot, but it was moving. I knew then that there was no way I could have the abortion. This was my child."

Leila returned to First Choice a couple of times after that. She is excited about the baby girl that is due to arrive on May 13, 2009 and enjoying seeing how her daughter and son are also anticipating her arrival and picking names. She is so grateful to First Choice and says that she has never felt so loved as when she came to us.

Leila visited First Choice Women's Resource Center.

* Leila is not her real name.

Faces of Option Ultrasound Index

All Pregnancy Medical Clinics in the Option Ultrasound Program provide limited obstetrical ultrasound as medically indicated.  Clinics are licensed to operate under the supervision of a physician, using only trained sonographers. Focus on the Family does not endorse the use of ultrasound outside of a medical clinic setting and does not endorse the use of ultrasound for non-medical reasons.  Patient referrals are made to physicians for follow-up diagnosis and care as needed.