Callie was raised by divorced parents, and by the age of eight, she was living with her father while her mother struggled with addiction. Her family life was already in disarray when she became pregnant at 15 years old with a man who was using and dealing drugs.
Faced with limited support and overwhelming circumstances, Callie couldn’t imagine another path forward, except abortion.
“I was abortion-determined because I felt like that was the only option I had,” she recalls. “I definitely couldn’t parent. I didn’t have family support, I didn’t have friends, I didn’t have any of that.”
Eventually, her mother took her to an abortion clinic. But when they arrived, Callie encountered something unexpected.
“There were sidewalk advocates outside the abortion center,” she recalls. “They were obviously praying for me because I ended up walking out of that abortion center.”
The advocates outside the clinic provided Callie with information about open adoption, an option she didn’t know was available to her. Callie’s father, who held strong Christian beliefs, was deeply opposed to abortion and became a steady source of encouragement.
“My dad was very supportive of me choosing life — thank goodness,” she says.
Still, the decision wasn’t easy. Her mother continued to pressure her toward abortion, and the conflict between her parents’ views left Callie caught in the middle, torn and unsure.
She credits her father’s prayers and unwavering support for giving her clarity during that difficult time. He eventually made his stance clear and advocated for Callie to look into adoption.
God planting seeds: Callie’s friend speaks truth
Looking back at her situation 23 years later, Callie believes God put multiple people in her path to steer her to choose life for her son, Jonathan*.
Three of Callie’s friends had already undergone an abortion. Two of them were supportive of her initial decision for abortion, but one of them offered a different perspective.
During a private moment, Callie’s friend shared a personal conviction: “Listen, I’ve also had an abortion, and it was probably the worst decision I’ve ever made. I’m not going to shame anybody else that has had one because I had to have one. But I will say, even to this day, I regret that decision. I wish, I wish I had another choice.”
Callie explains that it was this friend who shed light on the aftermath of abortion – an issue that is not discussed enough. A study from the National Library of Medicine shows that 41-66% of women who had an abortion reported high levels of regret.
“It’s, ‘Oh, it was a walk in the park, it was a piece of cake, I had the abortion. I’m doing fine now. It was like nothing.’ But people – they don’t go into the truth of the matter,” she says.
Callie stays at a maternity home
Callie’s father brought her to a maternity home where she stayed for the duration of her pregnancy and continued her studies. It was there that staff showed her a video of what an abortion consists of, including the instruments used to kill an unborn child.
The maternity home also provided Callie with the tools she needed to understand what parenthood would be like if she chose to raise her child and what open adoption would look like. Over time, Callie’s heart began to soften toward adoption.
“It was a great experience … I was provided meals, a roof over my head. It was a good environment for me to grow up, to think about my decision of adoption, and I also wanted a place to hide my pregnancy,” she explains.
Callie didn’t have a ton of family, so she did not get many visitors at the maternity home. She also ended up losing a lot of friends.
“I wasn’t there partying with them … I wasn’t part of the cool club anymore. It definitely made me grow up a lot and realize who my true friends were,” she says.
Choosing open adoption for Jonathan
Callie handing Jonathan to his adoptive mother on placement day.
The adoption process may look different today, but 23 years ago, Callie looked through albums with prospective families who showcased their lifestyle and why they wanted to become parents or grow their family. She says her options were limited because a lot of families did not opt for open adoption.
“Open adoption for one birth mom could be different for another birth mom,” she explains, adding that it all depends on what the birth mom and adoptive mother decide.
It was important for Callie to find a family who was willing to go through with open adoption because she felt it was better for her child.
“If the child had questions, or you know, wanted to know more about his biological roots, his biological mother, right? I always wanted to be prepared to give him an explanation of why I had to choose adoption,” she says.
Callie went through 80 different albums before narrowing it down to two families whom she interviewed. After thoughtful prayer and consideration, she was able to choose a family for Jonathan*. But the decision to choose adoption was difficult and painful, especially after birth when she gave her son to his adoptive mother.
“It was very tough, very heartbreaking. I mean, it’s not a natural thing to really place your child. I don’t say, ‘give up’ because I absolutely don’t feel like I gave [him] up. I chose a family for him because that’s what I wanted for him to have,” she explains.
For the first year of Jonathan’s* life, Callie only communicated with him via letters and photos. As he got older, she met with him and his adoptive family at restaurants and during special occasions.
“After I had placed him, I didn’t just go back to the life before. It gave me motivation to want to do better, because I wanted to make him proud,” she says.
Callie today
Left: Callie ministering in front of a busy abortion center. Right: Callie at a March for Life rally.
Callie has used her lived experiences to help empower unexpected mothers to choose life and dispel the lies of abortion.
Today, Callie is a postpartum doula and the founder of Talk About Adoption, a 501(c)3 nonprofit she started in 2015 by ministering to women walking into abortion clinics. The organization advocates for life-affirming options for unplanned pregnancies and focuses on sharing birth moms’ stories while promoting the nuclear family.
“We want to not just be pro-life, we want to be pro-family and the importance of having a married mother and father together,” she explains.
Growing up with divorced parents, Callie knew the value a nuclear family brings to a child’s life.
“I wanted a family for my son. He deserved a family, a father and a mother, and he’s very close to his father,” Callie says.
Talk About Adoption also gives women the chance to speak with other birth moms who have gone through the same experience of an unplanned pregnancy but chose adoption.
“When these women come to me, they feel like their only choice is abortion, and they’re scared, and they want a quick solution,” she says. “Once the reality sets in, that allows them to be like, ‘OK, let me step back. I do have other choices. My only choice isn’t abortion.’ They at least cancel their abortion appointments, or they have time to think about their decision.”
Callie explains that most of the women who sought her help ended up parenting themselves. She also notes that the voices criticizing adoption can be especially loud, often instilling fear in mothers and framing a child’s disconnection from their biological roots as a major issue.
“That’s why open adoption is so important,” she says, “because it maintains that biological connection.”
Writer’s Note: A pseudonym was used for Callie’s son, Jonathan*.
Written by Amariah.
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