Unplanned Pregnancy Resources in Georgia [Your 3 Choices]

Are you wondering what to do when you have an unplanned pregnancy in Georgia? These 3 unplanned pregnancy resources can help.

You have choices when facing an unplanned pregnancy in Georgia. And, thankfully, there are many unplanned pregnancy resources you can access.

The following are the three choices women facing unplanned pregnancies in Georgia have:

• Parenting
• Abortion
• Adoption

Let’s examine each of your unplanned pregnancy options in-depth so you can start thinking about which choice is right for you. If you’d like to reach out to a professional for help and support, contact us today.

Parenting in Georgia

Many women who find out they are unexpectedly pregnant choose to parent their children. You may decide to parent your child for many reasons, including:

• After the initial surprise of your unplanned pregnancy, you feel joy and excitement about the idea of becoming a parent.
• Although the pregnancy is unexpected, having a child is part of your life plan, and you are financially and personally ready to raise a child.
• There are many other very personal reasons why you may decide to parent your child after discovering you’re unexpectedly pregnant.

If you want to parent your baby but are uncertain if you have the financial means to do so and think you need additional help, consider reaching out to the Georgia Dept of Early Care and Learning. This government service provides low-income families financial assistance and unplanned pregnancy help. You also can contact a Georgia pregnancy center for help. 

There are also plenty of reasons you may decide that parenting is not the right choice for your life plan. These reasons include:

• You never wanted to become a parent.
• You are not financially able to care for a child.
• You are not ready to care for a child on your own.
• You are not ready to add a child to your family.
• You can’t add another child to your family.
• There are many other very personal reasons why you may decide that you do not want to parent a child.

The following options for unwanted pregnancy are for women who do not want to parent a child.

Abortion in Georgia

Women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy in Georgia can choose to have an abortion in some situations. If you want to have an abortion, remember that Georgia has abortion restrictions. Some of these restrictions include:

• You must get state-mandated counseling before the procedure. After receiving this counseling, you must wait 24 hours before having an abortion.
• You may have to pay for your abortion out-of-pocket. Many insurance plans only cover abortion in specific situations.
• If you are a minor, an abortion provider has to notify your parent before you have the procedure.
• You can only receive public funding for your abortion in the case of rape, incest, or life endangerment.
• You must have an abortion early in your pregnancy. The Guttmacher Institute reports that “An abortion may be performed at 20 or more weeks postfertilization (22 weeks after the last menstrual period) only cases of life endangerment, severely compromised physical health or lethal fetal anomaly.”

It is also important to note that abortion laws are constantly changing, especially in Georgia. Make sure to consult with a medical professional and, potentially, attorney before pursuing abortion.

It’s essential to act quickly and early in your pregnancy if you want an abortion in Georgia. But choosing abortion is a big decision. Try to give yourself time to think about what abortion means to you before reaching out to a Georgia abortion provider.

If you’ve decided that parenting is not the right choice for you and aren’t comfortable having an abortion, you can consider adoption. Although adoption is a great choice for women facing an unplanned pregnancy, many prospective birth mothers don’t know a lot about this option.

Adoption in Georgia

Any woman experiencing an unplanned pregnancy in Georgia can choose to place her baby for adoption. Adoption is truly one of the most accessible of all unplanned pregnancy resources.

Adoption is free to you, the prospective birth mother. You also can qualify for additional financial assistance in Georgia. A prospective birth mother can often get pregnancy-related medical and living expenses covered. An adoption specialist – a professional who works at a local or regional adoption agency or national adoption agency – can help determine what financial expenses you can get covered.

Contact any of the following adoption agencies in Georgia to get matched with an adoption specialist:

• American Adoptions
• An Open Door Adoption Agency
• Covenant Care Adoption Services
• Georgia AGAPE
• Gladney Center for Adoption
• Bethany Christian Services
• All for Children Adoption

Once you find an adoption specialist to work with, you can start to make your adoption plan. Your adoption plan will include:

• The type of family you’d like to have parent your child
• Where you’d like to give birth
• If you’d like to have anyone with you during the birth
• How much contact you want to have with the adoptive family before and after the birth

Anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy in Georgia can choose from three different adoption types. Each type offers various levels of communication you can have with your baby and the adoptive family.

Closed Adoption

If you choose a closed adoption, you will have no contact with your child or the adoptive family. You can still choose your baby’s adoptive family, but you will not have any of the family’s identifying information.

Many women facing an unplanned pregnancy think that closed adoption is their only adoption option. This is not true.  

Semi-Open Adoption

If you choose a semi-open adoption, your adoption specialist will mediate all communication between you, your child, and the adoptive family. The following are examples of the types of communication prospective birth mothers and adoptive families may engage in:

• Arrange a mediated call with the adoptive family before you give birth
• Exchange emails through the agency after you give birth
• Have visits with the adoptive family and a mediating social worker before the adoption is finalized
• Have some interaction with the adoptive family at the hospital before your baby is placed for adoption
• Letter and picture exchanges that are mediated through your adoption agency

Open Adoption

If you choose an open adoption, you, your child, and the adoptive family have each other’s contact information. Everyone can decide how they want to contact each other and how often they exchange information.

This type of adoption allows the mother to build her relationship with her child. She also gets to build a relationship with her child’s adoptive family. Common types of regular communication include:

• Pre-placement visits
• Hospital visits pre-birth, during birth, and post-birth
• Post-placement visits, video or phone calls, photo exchanges, and emails

If you’ve already decided that adoption is the right choice for you and your unplanned pregnancy, you can talk to an adoption specialist today.

Final Thoughts

There are many unplanned pregnancy resources that women can access in Georgia. You can use the resources that best suit your needs.

It’s important to remember that you can choose the best unplanned pregnancy option for your needs. When weighing your options, make sure that you select the best unplanned pregnancy option for your life plan.