When Rahima found out she was pregnant, her world came crashing down.
Since arriving in the U.S. as a refugee, she’d worked hard in school and was now pursuing her studies at college. Her future was looking bright. But as two blue lines emerged on the pregnancy testing kit, darkness closed in.
There was no way she could tell her parents. As practicing Muslims, Rahima knew her pregnancy would bring them shame, and she feared they’d throw her out of the house.
Rahima’s boyfriend, Talib, told her they had only one option: termination. Rahima felt trapped, hopeless, and frightened.
Desperately searching for help, Rahima found Prestonwood Pregnancy Center online, and she courageously made a call. Clinging to her last shred of hope, she walked through the doors of our clinic in Richardson, Texas a few days later.
“Rahima was very quiet and timid,” said Doris, the client advocate who sat with Rahima as she looked at the first ultrasound images of her baby that day. “She didn’t show much emotion.”
But over the next few weeks, the unconditional love Rahima received began to break down barriers. Returning for more appointments and a second ultrasound, Rahima discovered she could trust the staff at the pregnancy center, and she began to open up about her feelings and fears.
“I was with Rahima when she came in for her third ultrasound,” Doris told us. “It was truly a blessing to see her again. This time, Rahima was overwhelmed by the 3D ultrasound. All she could do was cry and stare and say how beautiful her baby was.”
Like so many of our clients, this was a turning point for Rahima. Even though she still hadn’t told her parents about her pregnancy and remained very uncertain about the future, her heart and mind were changed.
“This was the moment Rahima made the decision to give life to the baby in her womb,” smiles Doris.
Rahima’s story is not unusual. Time and again, the moment when our clients see their baby’s face on the ultrasound is the turning point – inspiring and empowering them to choose life!
For nearly 27 years, Prestonwood Pregnancy Center has provided free pregnancy exams, ultrasounds and counseling services to women facing a crisis pregnancy. In the past three months alone, more than 1,600 women have walked through our doors — from teenagers to refugees and even married couples. But this is the best part: 93 percent of them chose life for their babies!
This Mother’s Day, we are announcing the addition of a new mobile sonogram unit to our operations that will travel into the heart of neighborhoods and communities where abortion is most prevalent. Our unit will literally bring hope, love and life to thousands of women in their time of need.
As we celebrate and honor our mothers this weekend, it seems appropriate we should also celebrate life itself. Because when you think about, Mother’s Day is a celebration of life.
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Leanne Jamieson is the director of Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, a ministry of Prestonwood Baptist Church providing care and medical care to women facing a crisis pregnancy.