termination

If you have terminated your pregnancy, we grieve with you knowing that in the end, we have all suffered the same loss- a loss which no one should ever have to bear. We are so very sorry. We extend our deepest sympathies to you, our sisters in sorrow.

Lumina is a faith based outreach for women who have chosen to end their pregnancy, which hosts retreats for women who have terminated for a poor prenatal diagnosis.

 
If you are considering your options, we invite you to read our stories and explore those options thoroughly- most families will make the decision to terminate within three days of a diagnosis, and this decision will last a lifetime. In the case of LBWC, many make this decision under the impression their future fertility will be impacted. We have families in our group with a variety of extenuating circumstances and who may be able to answer questions about your specific concern. We would be more than happy to put you into contact with someone who may have been affected by an issue that may be impacting your decision not to carry to term- this includes mothers who have gone on to successfully carry babies to term after their LBWC baby (in fact, almost every mother in our group has gone on to have a successful pregnancy, or multiple successful pregnancies, after her loss). We can not promise to give you the answers that you need to ease your mind about continuing your pregnancy, but at least you will be making a medically informed decision, understanding all of the possible outcomes- which does include a joyful pregnancy. More and more women are choosing to continue their pregnancies after a diagnosis of LBWC- it can be done.

See here to learn more about why we believe that not only is continuing your pregnancy what is best for your baby, but we believe it's what's best for you as well.

Please remember that this is a pro-life, carrying to term website- there are a multitude of other support sites available for people who choose to terminate their pregnancies. This is a non-negotiable policy. We will not publish any stories of termination or early induction. For information about our Carry to Term philosophy you can see our "About our Facebook Group" page.

We also can not respond to emails sent to us by post-abortive women. We have attempted to in the past, and it has been a less than helpful experience for all involved.. There are support services

here 

for post abortion issues.

Because of our general inexperience in dealing with post-abortive grief, we do not have the knowledge to support those who have made a different choice. 

Because of our choice to continue our pregnancies, our conversations about issues surrounding pregnancy and labor are going to be different than the woman who has chosen to terminate. 

Many of us have belonged to groups where those conversations can occasionally become contentious. No grieving mother should be faced with support persons who may add to her distress- no matter which side of the issue they fall on.  

In addition, while we can empathize with the grief that every mother goes through when finding out that her child has a fetal anomaly that is incompatible with life, we can only tell the stories of families who have chosen carry to term with LBWC. Our focus is on nurturing the woman who has continued her pregnancy.  

We pass no judgement on anyone mother's choice, and hope that every mother finds healing after the loss of a beloved child.

Our requests come about as the effect of extraordinary pressure to terminate our pregnancies, even after some of us had clearly stated that our intention was to carry to term. 

We only ask that our wishes to create and nurture a safe haven here be respected, and treated as kindly as possible.