Here’s how the billboard subjects’ story starts:
I was 20 years old when I met my boyfriend at the time. We had been together about 3 months when I found out I was pregnant. Let’s just say I was less than excited with this news. I chose to ignore it for a while in the hopes that it wasn’t true, and as time passed, we knew we had to make a decision. I was from a very strict Catholic family, and I didn’t know how I was going to tell them or how they would react. Would they disown me? My boyfriend was very supportive and let me make the decision I felt we needed. I went for the easy decision and made an appointment at an abortion clinic; we asked a friend to borrow some money to be able to afford the procedure. We went to the clinic, and I checked in. I remember seeing a very young girl in the waiting room by herself and I wondered why she was there by herself. I waited anxiously and was finally called back. I had to put on the hospital gown and waited for the nurse to come in. As I waited, every so often I heard an odd sound. When the nurse finally came in, she had to do an ultra sound to see how far along I was. As she started, I noticed the monitor was turned toward the nurse and as I tried to look at it the nurse told me that I couldn’t [see] because I would get attached. It was at that moment I was attached to the little person that was growing inside me. I was further along than they expected so the nurse said they would have to do a 2-day procedure. They would have to insert some kind of contraption to open up my cervix and I would have to come back the next day to have the procedure. I was in a daze; and again, there was that sound. As the nurse left, I sat there for a moment gathering my thoughts and I knew that this was not where we needed to be. I got up, got dressed and walked out to the waiting room where my boyfriend was. He looked at me like, ‘That was quick!’, and I just said we need to go. I went to pay the bill and as we walked out noticed another young girl there with who I assumed was her mother. A wave of sadness hit me. We didn’t talk the whole way home (we had gone to Lansing so no one would know us) I just looked out the window and cried. I knew life was going to change, but I also knew that I could not take the life of the little person inside of me, no matter how selfish I wanted to be. Six to seven months later I gave birth to a beautiful little girl. I was eventually married to her dad, and we have been married 24 years now. As she grew up, we told her of our story and how we chose to keep her and instilled in her that she could come to us with anything, that we would always love her. Abortion was never the answer – the little life is a gift from God. Yes, Cait has been on a path of learning the last couple of years and we prayed and prayed. She distanced herself from God and family, but I always knew that God had a plan for her. When she told us she was pregnant, which she was scared to do, we didn’t yell …we hugged her and told her we love her. She was not in a great situation, but we were here for her.
And the sounds I kept hearing were the sounds of other babies losing their life.
~ Lori Beyer, mother of Cait (who we featured on our May 2021 billboard)
Editor’s note: When I first read the above story, I got to the line: “I gave birth to a beautiful little girl”, but stopped in surprise because up till then, I thought I was reading Cait’s story, who had a son. It was a real plot twist until I realized this was her mother’s story, and therefore her own—since she was able to have a story because she was saved from abortion.
Now for the rest of the story …
It was just last year (2020) when I found out I was pregnant. I was married to who I thought was the love of my life, but I soon found out that whom I thought I would be with forever became my abuser and also my son’s father. I was 24 when I found out I was pregnant and remember the day like it was yesterday. I had not been feeling too well for a few weeks, getting sick, having the worst cramps in the world, and had not gotten my period. A co-worker at the time told me I should take a pregnancy test… that he thought I might be pregnant. I thought he was crazy for saying that but in my head, I knew I hadn’t taken my pill for a few days so it could very well be a possibility. That night I went and got a pregnancy test and took it the second I got home. I locked myself in the bathroom in our house, alone I stared at the two pink lines like a deer in the headlights. I was in disbelief! I was not ready to become a mom. I’m young and had a whole lot of life ahead of me. I was not financially stable. I began to cry because I did not know what to do, but I knew in my head ABORTION WAS NOT an option having known what my mother went through and being an “abortion Survivor” myself.
I, like my mother, kept this news a secret for quite some time. I thought if I didn’t bring it out into reality, it would not be true. I was worried what people would think coming from a Catholic background, being young, and being married to a man my parents did not approve of. It was at 5 months that I finally told my mother and dad that I was pregnant and was expecting a little boy. They asked me what my plan of action was, and I told them I was not sure, but I did know one thing: that ABORTION WAS NOT AN OPTION. I contemplated adoption for my son in the worries of not being stable enough to give him the life he deserved. I told my husband of this at the time, and he did not agree with adoption– that we would figure it out and make it work.
A few weeks went by and my husband decided to get a few drinks with his friends at the bar. I’m not quite sure what happened during that time that he was there or how much he really drank but when he got home, he threw me into the bedroom wall and pinned me to the bed basically saying that he did not want me or our unborn son anymore. I called my mother and told her what had happened, and they came up the next day to make sure that my baby and I were safe. Another month went by, and I decided that the situation I was in was not safe for me or for my son and I filed for a divorce. Again, I was hit with a wave of emotion not knowing if I could raise this child, now by myself. I again contemplated adoption and wondered if that would be the best for this little life inside me. My life had been turned upside down and that is when I turned to God. I prayed and asked God to give me his guiding hand and lead me on the path he has for me. I decided to keep my son that I named Finn (short for Finnegan). My parents had told me to move home to get out of that situation and get back on my feet. I have been home ever since, trying to heal myself and raise my son with my family’s love and support.
I worked and am still working very hard to give the best life I can possibly give to my little boy. He is now nearly 7 months old* and just starting to navigate the world around him. It is so fun to watch him grow and learn. It’s crazy that the two little pink lines that once scared me to death became my whole world.
~Cait Beyer, single mother featured on our May 2021 billboard with her son, Finn
*Finn was almost one year old at time of publication. Happy birthday, Finn!