Deciding what to do when you discover that you have an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy can be one of the toughest decisions you will ever have to make.
Your body is undergoing immediate and dramatic changes. You may feel like someone has pulled the carpet from beneath your feet. This is the time to seek support so you make the right decision for yourself.
The right decision is based on INFORMED CHOICE and considering your options – keeping the child; giving the child up for adoption; and abortion.
You may have a partner or you may not. Even if you do, it is YOU who is going to be most affected by the choice you make. It is important to be truthful about how you feel.
SEEK ADVICE
The best advice you can get is from someone who is unbiased, and non-judgmental, such as a trusted friend or a professional counselor.
In helping you to make the right choice, a counselor may ask you:
• How do you feel about the pregnancy?
• How do your personal beliefs and life experiences around abortion, adoption and parenting affect how you feel?
• What are your goals, plans or dreams?
• How will these goals, plans and dreams be affected by having a child?
The National Pregnancy Support Helpline
Counseling on this helpline is free, confidential and professional, and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A counselor will provide support when you who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy or if you are uncertain about continuing with a pregnancy.
Call: 1800 422 213
Or check out the support group for unplanned pregnancies:
www.childrenbychoice.org.au/
Being a parent is a commitment and a responsibility that not everyone is able to deliver on. If you decide to keep the child, your parenting starts while the child is growing inside you. How you take care of yourself and the attitude you have will greatly affect the health and wellbeing of the child.
Adoption
Adoption is a legal process transferring the legal rights and responsibilities of parenthood from the child's birth parents to his or her adoptive parents.
You may feel positive about giving the child up for adoption or you may feel a sense of loss. You may experience a mix of these feelings. At some stage most birth parents will think about the child and wonder how it is doing.
Abortion
Abortion laws are different in all states and territories, but generally whether or not a pregnancy can be terminated is up to the doctor. Abortions can be performed up to 20 weeks gestation in QLD, NSW, SA, WA, VIC and 14 weeks in the ACT, TAS and the NT.
The National Pregnancy Support Helpline provides counseling and support to women, their partners or their families, who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy or who are uncertain about continuing with a pregnancy.
Face-to-face counselling services
You may prefer face-to-face counseling to a phone call. Medicare will cover counseling related to pregnancy. Ask your GP or contact your nearest family planning centre for advice.
To find a counsellor, call the family planning clinic in your state using the links below, or you can access grief counselling after a termination here:
www.grieflink.asn.au/e_topsupports.html
Keeping the child
When making a decision that will affect you for the rest of your life, it is important that you get as much advice and support that you can. Talk to your GP, a counsellor and people close to you who you can trust.
If you are pregnant, your body is immediately undergoing dramatic changes, and you may be feeling emotional and vulnerable.
Ask Family Planning planning about who to go to for advice and support when deciding to keep the child.
Follow the links for each state below.
National Info and Advice
Family Planning Australia
Call: 02 6230 5255
ACT
Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT
Call: 02 6247 3077
NSW
Family Planning NSW
328-336 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield NSW 2131
Call: 02 8752 4300
FPA Healthline
Telephone information and advice
Call: 1300 658 886 (Mon - Friday, 9am-5pm, NSW callers pay only the cost of a local call)
Call: 02 8752 4360 (TTY for deaf is 02 8752 4360)
NT
Family Planning Welfare NT
Call: 08 8948 0144
www.fpwnt.com.au
YWCA of Darwin, Palmerston and Rural Parenting Support Service
Provides parenting programs, information and support to parents. Young mothers are also invited to come along to SHEIRA (Support Health Entertainment Information Relationships Art) which is a peer support group for young mothers before and after birth. There is also an education program to assist women finish their year 8 – 12 studies at the centre with childcare available on site for babies 0-18 months old.
Family Resource Centre
Driver Avenue
Driver NT 083
Call: 08 8932 6866
Email: parpass@ywcaofdarwin.org.au
QLD
Family Planning QLD
Call: 07 3252 0240
www.fpq.com.au
SA
SHINE (Formerly Family Planning South Australia)
Sexual Health Information, Networking and Education
Call: 08 8431 5177
www.shinesa.org.au
TAS
Family Planning Tasmania
Call: 03 6228 5244
www.fpt.asn.au
VIC
Family Planning Victoria
Call: 03 9257 0100
www.fpv.org.au
WA
Family Planning Western Australia
Call: 08 9227 6177
www.fpwa.org.au
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