Guest Column
Guest Column
FOSTER CARE ADVOCATE: My first hero was my mom, who chose life
Tori Hope Petersen
·Spotlight Articles
She chose life for her children, no matter what the future might hold
(Unplanned Stories) At 19 years old, just after her parents separated, Shatoya found herself unexpectedly pregnant. Her mother had no income, and Shatoya helped care for her younger siblings while juggling college and a job. She spent most nights with her boyfriend – someone she had known since middle school.
When Shatoya told her family about the pregnancy, their reaction was devastating. Her father and best friend wanted her to abort the baby, and coworkers assumed abortion was the obvious choice.
Despite all the pressure and rejection, Shatoya decided to keep her baby.
“I personally would not have been able to live with myself if I had ended a life,” she says.
Shatoya grew up as the oldest of four in a disciplined military-brat household, with a Japanese-raised father and a mother with Southern roots.
“My father expected excellence in all things of my life,” she says.
At 18, after her parents divorced and her father moved out, she began dating her boyfriend. During this time, she was studying journalism while working as a waitress.
After settling into her new life, Shatoya discovered she was pregnant and felt the full weight of family expectations and societal pressures to get an abortion. She says her father did not approve of her boyfriend, saw the pregnancy as a threat to her future, and cut her off entirely.
“Everybody in my family was extremely devastated, especially my father, who basically ordered me to abort the baby [as] it wasn’t the future that he wanted for me,” Shatoya says. “I completely lost my relationship with my father for a long time because I decided to keep my baby.”
She says her best friend urged her to terminate the pregnancy, while coworkers treated it as the expected choice for an unmarried young woman. Only her mother offered steady support, reassuring her to keep the baby.
The criticism extended beyond family and friends. Raised in a Christian home, Shatoya turned to her childhood church for guidance, only to encounter judgment. Whispered comments about being an unwed mother and pitying glances left her feeling ashamed and isolated.
“I felt like I didn’t quite fit in anywhere … and my life was kind of over,” she recalls. “That was the beginning of a really dark time in my life – for several years. I felt rejected by everyone.”
A few years after the birth of her first son, Shatoya turned to the Bible and began reading it for herself.
“I want[ed] to know God for who He is,” Shatoya says. That was when my life really started to turn around. I recommitted my life to the Lord.”
At 27 years old, Shatoya faced another unplanned pregnancy from a relationship that had already begun to crumble. Once again, everyone around her — except her mother — pressured her to have an abortion, especially because she was already a single mom. She says she even scheduled an appointment at Planned Parenthood to explore her options.
The ultrasound changed everything. At eight weeks, the baby moved energetically across the screen, and even the technician commented on how unusually active the baby was.
Shatoya recalls leaving Planned Parenthood knowing she could not end the pregnancy. From that moment, Shatoya made a commitment to live for her children, no matter the challenges ahead.
After her second son was born, Shatoya says she thought she would remain a single mother. But not long after, she met her now-husband, a single father whose daughter went to school with her son. Their friendship grew into love, and from their first date, they became inseparable....
Editor's Note: This article was published at Unplanned Stories and is reprinted here with permission.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
She chose life for her children, no matter what the future might hold
(Unplanned Stories) At 19 years old, just after her parents separated, Shatoya found herself unexpectedly pregnant. Her mother had no income, and Shatoya helped care for her younger siblings while juggling college and a job. She spent most nights with her boyfriend – someone she had known since middle school.
When Shatoya told her family about the pregnancy, their reaction was devastating. Her father and best friend wanted her to abort the baby, and coworkers assumed abortion was the obvious choice.
Despite all the pressure and rejection, Shatoya decided to keep her baby.
“I personally would not have been able to live with myself if I had ended a life,” she says.
Shatoya grew up as the oldest of four in a disciplined military-brat household, with a Japanese-raised father and a mother with Southern roots.
“My father expected excellence in all things of my life,” she says.
At 18, after her parents divorced and her father moved out, she began dating her boyfriend. During this time, she was studying journalism while working as a waitress.
After settling into her new life, Shatoya discovered she was pregnant and felt the full weight of family expectations and societal pressures to get an abortion. She says her father did not approve of her boyfriend, saw the pregnancy as a threat to her future, and cut her off entirely.
“Everybody in my family was extremely devastated, especially my father, who basically ordered me to abort the baby [as] it wasn’t the future that he wanted for me,” Shatoya says. “I completely lost my relationship with my father for a long time because I decided to keep my baby.”
She says her best friend urged her to terminate the pregnancy, while coworkers treated it as the expected choice for an unmarried young woman. Only her mother offered steady support, reassuring her to keep the baby.
The criticism extended beyond family and friends. Raised in a Christian home, Shatoya turned to her childhood church for guidance, only to encounter judgment. Whispered comments about being an unwed mother and pitying glances left her feeling ashamed and isolated.
“I felt like I didn’t quite fit in anywhere … and my life was kind of over,” she recalls. “That was the beginning of a really dark time in my life – for several years. I felt rejected by everyone.”
A few years after the birth of her first son, Shatoya turned to the Bible and began reading it for herself.
“I want[ed] to know God for who He is,” Shatoya says. That was when my life really started to turn around. I recommitted my life to the Lord.”
At 27 years old, Shatoya faced another unplanned pregnancy from a relationship that had already begun to crumble. Once again, everyone around her — except her mother — pressured her to have an abortion, especially because she was already a single mom. She says she even scheduled an appointment at Planned Parenthood to explore her options.
The ultrasound changed everything. At eight weeks, the baby moved energetically across the screen, and even the technician commented on how unusually active the baby was.
Shatoya recalls leaving Planned Parenthood knowing she could not end the pregnancy. From that moment, Shatoya made a commitment to live for her children, no matter the challenges ahead.
After her second son was born, Shatoya says she thought she would remain a single mother. But not long after, she met her now-husband, a single father whose daughter went to school with her son. Their friendship grew into love, and from their first date, they became inseparable....
Editor's Note: This article was published at Unplanned Stories and is reprinted here with permission.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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