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To Sam

15 and pregnant

Hello my name is A and I am 15 years old I am only 3 weeks pregnant but I really don't no what to do?! My boyfriend is supportive and I have told my parent they freaked out but now and helping me e.ct being nice hugging talking I only found out today but a soon as I saw the text came back with 2 lines I new I needed to tell my mum and dad and I am glad I got it out of the way insed of worrying and keeping it in side! Anyway my mum is booking me an appointment on Wednesday with the doctor they both want meto have an abotion but I don't no what I want and I can't deside? Like I don't want the baby because I'm only young got everything ahead of me but then I want to keep it because it's apart of me and it's mine! I might consider adoption because I couldn't kill a child it's not there fault I got pregnant at such a young age so it shouldn't suffer? Do you have any advice for me? Thank you x
Ask Sam

Sam

Hi A,

Thanks for your letter. I’m really pleased you’ve been able to talk to the important people in your life about being pregnant. It takes a lot of courage to do something you think might be scary.

It’s great to hear your boyfriend is being supportive. It sounds like he really cares about you. Your parents sound like they want what they think is best for you too, but that might not be the same as what you want. Being pregnant can seem scary, but it's really good that  you've already started to talk about your options.

Your mum is doing the right thing by taking you to see a doctor. No matter what you decide to do, it’s important that you’re properly looked after. A doctor can talk to you about the different options you have - but they can’t make you choose what to do.

Your parents can’t make this choice for you either, even though they’re still responsible for looking after you. You are the only person who can decide whether to carry on with the pregnancy or not.

Deciding if to have a child at your age could be tough. What’s important is that you feel able to talk to people who can give you the best information possible to make that choice. We have more information on our pregnancy page - having a look at that could be really useful for you. It could also help to talk to someone who isn't directly involved in your situation - this could give you a clear idea of your options.

You will need to think about your feelings about abortion. But you may also need to think about whether you will feel able to give up a baby if you have it. If you do keep going with the pregnancy, but don’t want to give the baby up for adoption, how will you manage? If you do what your parents want, how will you feel afterwards? All these things need talking about.

You could always talk to a ChildLine counsellor who will listen to you and offer support without judging you. It’s confidential and you can choose how to contact us - you can call on 0800 1111, have an online 1-2-1 chat or send an email.

We have more information about pregnancy, adoption and abortion which may be useful for you.

Another place to get advice and support is Brook. There should be a Brook or other young person’s clinic in your area where you could go to get free, confidential advice.

You can also get in touch with them by text, phone, email or online chat.

I hope this helps.

Take care,
Sam

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