I am sorry you’ve found yourself in this difficult situation. It’s never easy to have to struggle to pay the bills.

To answer your question, if someone doesn’t want to bring a child into the world, they must avoid conception. Once a child is conceived, he/she has already been brought into the world for better or for worse.

There is the option of putting a child out for adoption from birth. Though I cannot imagine how hard it would be to feel like that was the only option, I know that there are many couples that would love and care for the child. I have cousins who were adopted at birth and am so thankful that they were allowed to live.

But I guess the main thing I would want to do would be to encourage you that while it is normal and appropriate for a parent to want to give their child nice things and good opportunities, it is so important to remember that this is not what the child needs most. What a child needs most is a loving home where they are cared for and protected, where they are taught how to live well, and where they are taught their need of the Saviour, Jesus Christ. None of these things costs a lot of money.

Children are resilient and adaptable. They can enjoy life with money or without it. The standard of living provided by even a low Queensland income (which will include a sizeable baby bonus and child support payments) is more than enough to give the child what he/she needs because mostly what he/she really needs is you and her father: his/her parents.

I pray that you will have wisdom moving forward and please drop me an email (tojasonharris@yahoo.com) if there’s anything I can do to help.