In an effort to make sure that all women needing support are getting the help they need, Student for Life’s Regional Coordinators have gotten creative and are responding to women seeking help in online platforms. Karlie Lodjic, our Washington Regional Coordinator, was just about to close out of one of the platforms when a post caught her eye titled, “Help/guidance/encouragement needed.”

The post was by a woman who just found out she was pregnant and it was unplanned. The child’s father had told her he did not want the baby and asked her to consider having an abortion. She said she was not financially or mentally stable enough to raise a child alone, but knew that, whether she chose life or abortion, it would completely change her life. She was, “feeling so lost, alone, and completely overwhelmed.” The woman requested advice and prayers.

“It completely breaks my heart to see the huge number of women who post about their partners being unsupportive of their pregnancy and requesting, or even demanding, that they abort,” Karlie said. “What a horrific situation to be faced with when you are carrying a baby. Expecting, betrayed by your support system, and only having random strangers on the internet to lean on.”

Karlie commented on the post to sympathize with the woman and let her know that she is not alone. Karlie encouraged her to catch her breath, do some research, and offered to help find community resources to aid her in parenthood. Karlie let the woman know that she is strong and capable.

The woman replied the same day and was grateful for Karlie’s encouragement, expressing her concern over raising and providing for a child all by herself. She was interested in looking for community resources.

Just this week, she made a post looking for support from other single moms to be! She says she knows this won’t be easy, but, “I’m not the first and not the last single mom either.”

Often, we hesitate to reach out to someone because we’re scared that they may react poorly, or we feel that we don’t know them personally so we shouldn’t. The truth is that, as pro-lifers, we have been given the tools to give women resources and material and emotional support.

Just ONE message of encouragement can be all one woman needs to push through the thoughts of despair or defeat. If you would like training or help on how to help women considering abortion, visit www.pregnantoncampus.org. We’ve got all the resources you need to be a bridge to help women choose LIFE!