By Susan Ciancio
Twenty-four years ago, Virginia native Callie Jett was a 15-year-old pregnant mom who walked into a Planned Parenthood abortion facility with her mother. But a chance encounter with a sidewalk advocate who handed her a pamphlet saved more than just her baby’s life that day. At the time, neither could have known the impact that conversation would have, and now nearly 25 years later, the number of babies saved as a result of that encounter has grown to over six hundred.
Witnessing the beauty of the preborn
In a phone conversation about her experience and the ministry born from it, Callie explained to Celebrate Life Magazine that her mom felt that abortion was the only option for her, as that was “all she knew.” Callie said she felt forced into having an abortion but was so young that she had limited knowledge of options.
When she and her mom approached the Planned Parenthood building, she saw sidewalk counselors outside but had no idea who they were or what they were doing. The entire abortion scene was foreign to her. She explained that the advocates were kind and loving, and one gave her a pamphlet that highlighted a preborn baby’s developmental stages. Callie took it to read inside.
She remembers that the inside of the facility was dark and somber. The staff barely looked at her, didn’t respond to questions, and gave her very little information about what was about to happen. She said they were rude and the whole atmosphere felt like “something was not right.” As she sat waiting, she read the pamphlet the sidewalk counselor had handed her. Inside were images of a preborn baby approximately the age of her baby, and for the first time she thought, “This is an actual human being!”
Knowing deep down that the Planned Parenthood employees weren’t there to help but the sidewalk advocates were, she got up and walked outside to talk to them, and that’s when she learned about open adoption. She said she talked to them for a while and eventually decided that placing her child with a family of her choosing was the best option for the baby. She knew she wanted stable parents—a mother and a father—who were married and could show love and support for her child. And she knew she couldn’t give this to him herself.
Callie left that day resolved to give life to her baby. Her father helped her secure a room in a maternity home, where she finished 11th grade then earned her GED. Soon after she turned 16, she gave birth to a baby boy, whom she placed with a loving family in an open adoption.
She explained that adoption has come a long way, and today it’s more common to have an open adoption where the birth mom can have some form of contact with her child and the adoptive family. How much contact depends on the mother’s choice and can range from simple updates once a year to taking part in regular family get-togethers.
Callie’s open adoption not only allowed her to get to know her son but also to have the reassurance that she had placed him with an amazing family. She told me that she would not change anything, as he grew up with a loving and stable family and is now a fantastic young man.
To read the remainder of this article, visit the Celebrate Life Magazine site at clmagazine.org/topic/adoption/adoption-saved-her-baby-now-shes-saving-others-through-her-ministry.
To read additional pro-life articles that will inspire and educate, visit our main page at clmagazine.org.