Your second choice is to raise the child. This may seem like a good idea. You know that mom and dad will help you out - after they get over the initial shock. However, you must consider what your life will be like, not just six months from now when everyone will be making a fuss over a newborn baby, but in the years to come. "How will I feel when I must give up my life plans to work a job that I hate, while caring for a four-year-old child?" Perhaps you already have children, and you know that another child will mean further stretching of your limited time and money.

Another option is to make adoption plans for the child. This may seem like the most difficult choice because you believe that you will never know what happens to him or her. However, pregnant women today who make adoption plans have many choices - choices that were not available years ago. You can take control of this situation, and you can personally select a loving family for that child.

Not only will you know the family who will adopt the child, but you can also keep in contact through pictures and letters. In fact, most adoptive couples are very happy to send progress notes and pictures every few months. There is a variety of openness in adoption today.

Making adoption plans in our society is not easy. In an effort to be entertaining and attention-grabbing, TV shows often distort adoption and show the one-in-a-million worst case scenarios. Only you can decide what is best for you and your baby. Like having an abortion or choosing to parent, adoption is a permanent decision.

So please make your plans carefully.