July 16, 2007 9:05 PM
Unplanned pregnancy - radio broadcast
From my friend Robin, director of the Pregnancy Resource Center in Marin County, CA:
Finally---someone speaks the truth about unplanned pregnancy!! Three of us will talk about the hard realities of being pregnant when you don’t want to be, at a difficult time in life---on Focus on the Family’s radio and internet broadcast this week, Wednesday and Thursday (July 18,19). The program is called “Hope in the Midst of Unexpected Pregnancy,” and is based on my book Surprise Child: Finding Hope in Unexpected Pregnancy. The three panelists are myself (2 unplanned pregnancies in my 40’s), Joanna, (an abortion as a teenager), and Michael, (two unplanned pregnancies, 5 children in 6 years.) We speak all the truth, including the ways we found strength and hope to carry and birth our babies, despite our circumstances.
You can find a station that broadcasts FOF by going to Focus on the Family daily broadcasts. If you miss the listening dates, the programs will be archived on their site.
Thank you for reading, for listening, and for supporting Life.
Grace and Peace,
Leslie Leyland Fields
Author, speaker, faculty mentor
Seattle Pacific University
Posted in Pro-Life Issues | Permalink
Comments
I'm not sure where that is on here in Canada. It sounds interesting.
Posted by: Janet | July 17, 2007 1:07 AM
To be quite honest, I found the broadcast rather upsetting. It seemed to me to spend a lot of time validating and justifying the anger and upset of Christian women whose plans are "interruped" by children. I don't know, but to me there was just something off.
I was really expecting something different from FOTF, and dh was also surprised by the interview.
Posted by: Margaret | July 18, 2007 10:52 PM
Should have waited for the second broadcast, which was slightly better.
Still, I wish the closing sentiment that *God* is in control, not us, had been repeated over and over from beginning to end.
Even families who have no moral problem with contraception need to recognize that children are blessings whether they arrive "planned" or not, and there is something that needs to be addressed if the first reaction to a "surprise" baby is anger, when one is a Christian.
Posted by: Margaret | July 19, 2007 8:30 AM
I have learned that the right thing to say upon learning that some one is pregnant is always "CONGRATULATIONS". No matter how dire their situation, the response needs to be congratulations. Children are Gods blessings and blessings are not always convenient. This is something I had to remind myself often during my 4th pregnancy at 42.
Posted by: Jane Duquette | July 19, 2007 1:34 PM
Dear friends and fellow mothers,
I wanted just to make a few comments. I am the author of the book highlighted in the FOF broadcast. I received an email from a young woman tonight--a christian, who is the mother of other young children--who has just discovered she is pregnant. she is considering an abortion because she is so dismayed and upset. I could tell her "all children are blessings from God." True? Yes. Does this help right now? Not really.I know--I've been there. 100,000 - 200,000 women who identify themselves as "born-again or evangelical" get abortions every year. Partly because we in the church just don't get the crisis. We think if a woman is a christian, she'll just feel blessed by another baby. No. Some can and do. Some don't. Dr. Dobson recognized that it was time the church gave permission to women in unplanned pregnancies to speak the anguish that they are experiencing. If we, the church, simply shut them up with dismissive cliches, well, that is why so many end up turning away from the church. And end their baby's life.
I am hoping to shed some light on this topic--and why Focus dared to allow us to speak our hearts. All three of us on the broadcast love our children and consider them blessings---now. There was a process, a journey that had to be traveled, and it begins with allowing the truth. If you haven't gone through an unplanned pregnancy that threatened so much that you hold dear---your own health, your other children, your marriage, etc.--you may not understand this. But I hope you will try.
Thank you for listening.
Leslie
Posted by: leslie leyland Fields | July 24, 2007 2:49 AM
