Why would you not want to have this baby?
Updated: Oct 11, 2022
By Bob Hershey
We were good Christian kids from the suburbs. Our families weren’t struggling financially. We had strong relationships with our parents, and we attended church regularly. No one would have expected we were pregnant out of wedlock. This is my story.
We hadn’t been going out for very long, but we already knew that after college, we would probably get married. It was our second semester of college when we found out that we were pregnant. We were both raised in Christian families. We knew what we were supposed to do, but there was another side that said we didn’t have to face this. We could take care of it and nobody would know. We could “solve the problem” ourselves.
We went to a doctor to get some answers. When we walked in, my mind went blank. I couldn’t tell you what he looked like. I couldn’t even tell you what town we went to. My girlfriend took the pregnancy test and it was positive. The doctor looked at us and said, “You are two, intelligent young people. Why would you not want to have this baby?”
When we got back to the car, I finally came to my senses. We looked at each other and knew that the doctor was right. Why would we not want to have this baby? I told her I needed to take responsibility and we needed to get married. Embarrassing? Yes. Hard? For sure. Telling your future father-in-law, oh boy. My future in-laws were disappointed when we told them, but they were supportive.
Now, 40 years later, we’re still married. We have three children who are also married, and we have four grandchildren. All of it would not have been possible if that doctor hadn’t asked us, “Why would you not want to have the baby?” forty years ago. Our story would have been very different. I don’t even like to think about it. It saddens me to think that we might not have had what we have now. I truly believe God has redeemed our story and that’s why he has me at the pregnancy center now.
When I meet the men who walk through Cleveland Pregnancy Center’s door, I can relate to them. I can have good conversations with them because I have sat in the same chair. I know what they are thinking. I know they need someone to ask them, “Why would you not want to have this baby?” That question changed my life and the life of my family.
What is a question that someone has asked you, that has changed your life?
