Claire grew up in a good family. She went to good schools, drove a nice car, and had a college fund to pay for her education.
Then her life changed completely when, at just 17 years old, she found out she was pregnant. This October, she shared her story with Students for Life.
Two things kept Claire from acting on the nagging thought that she should have an abortion, she told Students for Life. One was a student pro-life leader named Anja at Mississippi State University. The other was hearing her baby boy’s heartbeat.
Claire wrote:
There were so many days when I cried my eyes out, thought, and sometimes said I should just get (or have gotten) an abortion. I begged God to help me. My pregnancy sparked the most beautiful friendship with Anja, and when I was 11 weeks 6 days pregnant, she took me to the Center for Pregnancy Choices, and they gave me a free sonogram. (CPC is such an amazing place!) I saw my little bitty baby. I saw its heart beat. I did my nervous laugh, attempting to hold back my tears, as I watched my tiny baby jump and dance around. That’s when I knew that I was going to do this, whatever it took.
Claire’s journey wasn’t easy, though. She dropped out of school, lost two jobs, and broke up with her boyfriend before her baby was born, she wrote.
Then, Anja and Claire’s family offered the support she and her baby needed:
I told my mom when I was 16 weeks, after I found out that I was having a baby boy. My still tiny, growing baby boy sparked a brand new, better than ever relationship with my mom which we desperately needed. What a blessing it was when my mom decided to let me move back in with her on my 18th birthday; I was 8 months pregnant. My mom bought my sweet Taylan his first blankets, burp cloths, onesies, etc. It took a long time, but she finally accepted my pregnancy and was officially excited to be a grandmother for the first time. My aunt threw me a baby shower, and I was so thankful! I finally knew that my baby was accepted and loved.
Claire’s baby boy, Taylan was born on July 30. Though the experience was difficult, Claire said Anja and her mother helped her through it.
She wrote, “My pregnancy was filled with some of the hardest times of my life, but it’s had the best outcome. I do about 98% of it on my own with little help. But it’s so worth it. I’ve never loved my life so much.”
Claire told her story to Students for Life as part of their Pregnant on Campus Program, an outreach that offers comprehensive, life-affirming resources to pregnant and parenting college students.
