Pregnant Minors Who Don’t Want an Abortion Should Show Their Parents This

She called out of the blue.

“My parents have scheduled for me to get an abortion. The abortion is scheduled for tomorrow. I want to keep my baby. Can you help me?”

“Shay” was 17, still in high school, still very much dependent on and under the care of her Dad and Mom — and desperate. How she got our phone number, why she chose to call us, how she was funneled to me — we don’t know. The best explanation, it seems, is God’s grace, His sovereignty, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction. She called and cried out for help. She lived in another state, and, literally, lived across the country from where our ministry, the American Family Association, is located. Well, what could we do?

In considering this situation, many people in our country don’t realize that it’s against the law for anyone — a parent, a guardian, a boyfriend or even a husband — to try to force or coerce an abortion. If a mother is carrying a baby, whether she is 14 years old or 34 years old, and wants to have her baby, it is against the law for anyone to try to force or coerce her to abort her baby. The law is clearly on the mother’s side, no matter how young she may be.

We immediately emailed Shay a copy of a letter we wanted her to show her parents. We had her cell phone number, so the following day, after not hearing from her right away, we called her back. We wanted to follow up and check on her. Shay answered the phone and she was at the abortion clinic that very moment. Her mother had brought her. I thought to myself, Why didn’t you show your mother the letter before you went to the clinic? But I didn’t share my thoughts with Shay. I encouraged her to still show her Mother the letter. We then ended our conversation.

Later in the day, Shay called back. I listened to her share the story of what happened.

“We didn’t get an abortion,” she said. “I showed Mom and the people at the abortion clinic the letter. The clinic workers let us know that they could not do the abortion in view of my NOT WANTING to have an abortion. Mom was not happy, but the abortion did not happen.”

Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! Shay continued. “They did an ultrasound on me. We found out that I was carrying twins.” Praise God! The Holy Spirit used the courage of a young lady and this simple letter — the DEAR PARENT letter (PDF) — that day to save not just one but two babies.

I would encourage every reader to do this, and to do it today. Click HERE (PDF) to view the “Dear Parent” letter. Get a copy of the DEAR PARENT letter. Then read it. Then read it again. Then pray, and ask the Lord who you should send this letter to, either by email or hard copy. Many people — parents, pastors, youth pastors, high school principals, and high school counselors — just don’t know that this is the law. It is also true that many pregnancy clinic employees, sidewalk counselors, and the like do not know this is the law. Finally, even many in law enforcement do not know the law in this matter.

I would encourage you to pray about whom you should send a copy of this letter. Then send out at least 12 copies or more to people you know who are in places of influence. If you do this, the Lord will use you to save the lives of babies — maybe many, many babies.

Would you consider doing this? I trust that you will.

Photo credit: American Life League (Creative Commons) – Some rights reserved

Joseph Parker serves as the pastor of Greater Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church in Greenwood, Mississippi, and the Director of Outreach and Intercession with the American Family Association. He has been in the ministry for almost 40 years and hosts the radio broadcast, “The Hour of Intercession,” on the Urban Family Communications Radio network.

The views expressed in opinion articles are solely those of the author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Black Community News.