Options counseling is one of the free services offered at CHOICES. Counseling is done by trained peer counselors with the stated intent of helping women to recognize the miraculous life within them. Counselors recognize that each woman faces a very serious and difficult decision that will permanently affect both mother and child. In the safety of the counseling session a woman is able to share her fears, her uncertainties, and her hopes regarding her pregnancy. The counselor has the opportunity to listen, understand, and point the woman to the possibility of preserving the life within her while giving her information about all of her options.

When a woman is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, she has three legal options: to parent, to choose adoption, or to abort. The final decision is ultimately the woman’s, and she has many “voices” that speak to her during this time. She may face a myriad of familial, social, and internal pressures. The voice we want her to hear at CHOICES is not one of pressure, but of hope and a new perspective. While respecting the woman’s self determination every step of the way, we offer the truth about each option available to her. We seek to educate by providing accurate information about the joys and struggles of parenting, the adoption process, and the realities and risks involved with abortion. The reality is that most women we minister to seek abortion out of feelings of fear and doubt about themselves and their situation. They are overwhelmed and understandably so, with the pressures they face. A counselor is able to encourage the client to think realistically about her situation while offering empathy and support. It is our hope that each woman leaves CHOICES believing that continuing her pregnancy is the option she has the strength and support to choose.