Almost every week I receive at least one letter from someone facing this problem, and my heart goes out to you during this difficult time. Perhaps your daughter’s sad experience will make someone who is tempted to take the same path she took to stop and reconsider.

My prayer is that you and your daughter will not end the life of the little child who is growing within her. Yes, abortion sounds like an easy way out—but all human life is sacred, and should never be taken without just cause. Yes, it was wrong for your daughter to have sexual relations outside the commitment of marriage—but two wrongs don’t make a right, and it would be wrong for her to end the life of this little child.

May you and your daughter carefully and prayerfully consider your alternatives. Every year, hundreds of thousands of childless couples yearn to adopt a baby, and I urge you and your daughter to consider this option. She then could have the satisfaction of knowing her baby will grow up in a loving, caring home.

Above all, may you and your daughter turn to Christ, and find in Him the forgiveness and peace He alone can give. God loves your daughter, and He wants to help put her feet on a different path in life. The Bible’s promise is true: In Christ “we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).