Sonogram leads to a decision for life

Sonogram leads to a decision for life

Talya and her daughter, Tezlyn, hold a printout of the baby’s first picture while the infant was in her mother’s womb. Seeing her unborn baby led to Talya’s decision to give birth. (Courtesy photo)

Young mother sees her daughter in utero and says no to abortion

Six years ago the Knights of Columbus state council paid for an ultrasound machine for A Better Choice, a pro-life ministry located at 3007 E. Central in Wichita. It was one of many the Knights have purchased in an effort to save unborn lives.

One of those lives saved was Tezlyn’s.

Her mother, Talya, recently shared her story with ABC and explained that her pregnancy was utterly unplanned. It resulted one day after she sought refuge at the home of an acquaintance after her abusive boyfriend hit her. “We drank the pain away,” she wrote. “I drank so much I blacked out.”

Six weeks later, after missing her period, Talya realized she had been raped. “I cried, I wanted an abortion so bad. All I could ask was how much an abortion pill was. I was only 17 and knew this random man for a week.”

She said she was terrified about what her parents would think, that her family would disown her, and that the police wouldn’t believe her. “But a little part of me knew I didn’t consent, so it couldn’t be my fault. I wasn’t just going to be a statistic-teen mom.”

Sonogram changes her mind

But then she visited A Better Choice. The agency offered her support, calmed her, and helped her understand the beauty of motherhood and the relationship she had with her unborn child.

“ABC gave me my first sonogram, and it was an emotional moment. I cried. I cried because I was terrified,” she said. “Then the sonographer showed me the baby’s heartbeat and I cried happy tears. The beating of the heart is what changed my mind completely. At that moment I knew I needed this little human in my life.”

Talya said throughout her pregnancy she was depressed and ill, and lost 40 pounds. Her baby also had some health problems that resulted in hospitalization. But after all of the challenges, she came to a realization: her love as a mother has overcome all.

“I realized her life depended on me, and ever since then she became my best friend,” she said. “I’d do it all again for her.”

A similar article has also appeared in Columbia, the Knights of Columbus online magazine.