04:58
Faizan
Learning your teenager is pregnant can be a devastating blow. Even if she isn't, discussing abortion helps her make informed decisions about her body. Whatever your own feelings about abortion, the most important thing you can do for her is give her accurate information in a neutral manner. If she knows you respect her right to control her own fertility and that you won't judge her decision, she's more likely to come to you should an unplanned pregnancy occur.
Ask your daughter what she knows and how she feels about abortion. Listen to what she has to say without interrupting. If she has just told you she's pregnant, give the news a day to sink in before you have the discussion.
Explain the difference between medical and surgical abortion. If she is no more than nine weeks pregnant, she can abort at home using two medications taken a day or two apart. If she is more than nine weeks pregnant, prefers to have a 10-minute in-office procedure and wants sedation, she can opt for a surgical abortion.
Discuss your own beliefs regarding abortion, but make it clear that the choice is ultimately hers, and you won't shame or judge her. Tell her you love her unconditionally.
Talk about the other options and the pros and cons of each. Teens often romanticize parenting, so she needs to know that the odds are stacked against her in terms of education, money and a fulfilling, long-term relationship with the baby's father. Explain the difference between open adoption, in which she will know the baby's parents and have occasional contact with the child, and closed adoption, in which she will not know the names of the baby's parents.
Take her to a gynecologist for a prenatal exam or a prescription for birth control. The gynecologist can discuss any concerns she can't discuss with you, explain abortion and contraception in detail, and give the two of you materials that can help you make an informed decision.
Ask your daughter what she knows and how she feels about abortion. Listen to what she has to say without interrupting. If she has just told you she's pregnant, give the news a day to sink in before you have the discussion.
Explain the difference between medical and surgical abortion. If she is no more than nine weeks pregnant, she can abort at home using two medications taken a day or two apart. If she is more than nine weeks pregnant, prefers to have a 10-minute in-office procedure and wants sedation, she can opt for a surgical abortion.
Discuss your own beliefs regarding abortion, but make it clear that the choice is ultimately hers, and you won't shame or judge her. Tell her you love her unconditionally.
Talk about the other options and the pros and cons of each. Teens often romanticize parenting, so she needs to know that the odds are stacked against her in terms of education, money and a fulfilling, long-term relationship with the baby's father. Explain the difference between open adoption, in which she will know the baby's parents and have occasional contact with the child, and closed adoption, in which she will not know the names of the baby's parents.
Take her to a gynecologist for a prenatal exam or a prescription for birth control. The gynecologist can discuss any concerns she can't discuss with you, explain abortion and contraception in detail, and give the two of you materials that can help you make an informed decision.
Posted in: Teen Dating & Sex
