Hopefully this will assist you in making your decision about what to do if you find that you are pregnant. I have listed all the pros and cons I can think of for keeping the baby, adoptions, and abortions trying to put my opinions aside.         

Keeping the Baby:

PROS:

You are able to give life to a child and become a mother. There is nothing more beautiful than that.

You have the opportunity to raise your baby in your own special way. You can do everything in your power to give him/her a wonderful life and it's great to know you are 100% responsible for that.

Being a mom usually helps you stay on track and allows you to mature greatly. Some young teens become pregnant because their lives are not going the way they should be going. Becoming a mom a lot of times helps you realize the true meaning of life.

You will have someone who you can unconditionally love and who will feel the same way. It's wonderful!

No matter what has happened or happens in your life, you always have someone to live for.

Being a mother opens your heart to so many feelings you never knew you could experience. You become instantly wiser about life.

Being a successful single mother brings you a lot of respect from people who know how difficult being a parent truly is.

Having a child may help weed out the men that are not truly right for you. It takes a true man to stick around and be loving and accepting of your situation. (Although there is a downside to this. See Cons)

CONS

Pregnancy can be difficult and childbirth will be painful.

Forget about being a kid anymore. You instantly have to grow up. No more taking crazy risks in life. It's not about you - it's about your new family.

Having the baby is the most noticeable of all decisions. You may be able to hide an abortion or maybe an adoption from you peers, teachers, (parents), but keeping the baby allows everyone to see you are a teen/single mother - sometimes causing a (false) negative reputation.

A child is incredibly financially straining. Any extra money you have goes to the baby. You have to buy double the groceries, clothes, shoes, furniture, etc. (Although there are many options for financial help available on my page for moms)

Unless you have parental support or the dad around (who is willing to stay in to "babysit") forget about going out and still acting like a teenager. Your days of partying are over - maybe before they even begin (like in my situation) . No irresponsible drinking, smoking, and definitely no drugs.

Dating has a new meaning all together. Unless you have money for a sitter or someone to help you, your dates will be limited to what you can do with your baby. It is also not healthy to constantly reintroduce new men to your child. On a similar note:

Men might 1. have the impression that you will easily have sex because you’ve done it before and/or 2. not even attempt to get to know you because of your situation. (But it may be helpful in finding the right man. See Pros)

Adoption:

PROS:

You will always know that while you were unable to provide the right life for your child, you did not simply decide to ignore it but were proactive about it. Your baby is taken care of by a family who really wanted her/him and could provide everything she/he needed.

You made one family (who possibly was unable to have any kids on their own) INCREDIBLY happy. That is something to know and be very proud of.

You were able to give life while not having to change your life completely around for a child you were unable to care for.

One less unwanted child was aborted because of your decision.

Many adoption agencies will cover all of your expenses for your pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

There are many adoption options available - you can even chose to have an open adoption where you are a large part of your babies life forever.

CONS:

You do not get to keep the baby but still must go through the labor and delivery.

You may always wonder where your baby is and if he/she has a good family (if you opt for a closed adoption)

In the future if your child decides to find his birth parents you will be asked difficult questions. (ex. Why didn't you want me?)

Although you are not keeping the baby many people may notice you are pregnant and it can negative affect your reputation.

Having more children may remind you of the child you put up for adoption.

Emotionally difficult for a lot of woman. Some suffer a long time, others are quicker to recover.

Abortion:

PROS:

You will not have a child from an unexpected pregnancy.

Quick procedure, the rest of your life does not change completely (although one may argue with this - see cons)

No one has to know.

CONS:

Morality issues: Do I want to kill my unborn baby? Is it even a baby yet?

Can be painful

Many women go into depression and have a very hard time dealing with their decision.

May be expensive.

Safety issues, risks to the pregnant woman

Emotionally difficult for a lot of woman. Some suffer a long time, others are quicker to recover.

Difficulties finding a place that will safely abort (because of age, state you live in, financial issues, etc.)

If people find out you got an abortion/were pregnant it may negatively affect your reputation.

*Whatever decision you decide to make, there is support.  There are support groups/sites for single mothers, women who have put children up for adoption, and also women who have had abortions.