Tough Question

I'm still in the middle of unpacking. There's so damned many books! I'm still figuring out how to organize them.

Anyway, I decided to treat myself a little today after working so hard, so I started reading Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult.

As usual, reading got me thinking.

It doesn't actually happen in the book, or maybe it does but I haven't gotten to that part yet, but I had a hypothetical question.

If you were fifteen year old, and you lost your virginity to someone you really, really loved, and he died in an accident a couple of days later... And you found out you were pregnant a couple of months later...

Would you keep the baby? Or would you abort?

Let's assume that we're all pro-choice here, none of that abortion-is-murder crap, ok.

Looking at the pros and cons of it;

on one hand, you are only fifteen and the father is dead. You're definitely going to be alone in raising the baby, except of coz, if your family supports you in keeping it too.

on the other hand, he's dead, and the baby will be the only thing you'll ever have to remind you of him and to carry on his "legacy".

Would you keep it? Or would you abort?

The romantic part of me says I'll keep it. The practical part says I'll abort it. But then again, if the man I love just died, I'd probably be in the "tragic-romantic" mode, rather than the practical mode, so in all likelihood, I'd vote to keep it.

But then again, while I would be grief-striken and unable to think practically, I'm sure my parents would still be able to think properly "on my behalf", and I'm pretty sure they'll tell me not to ruin my life because of some tragic-romantic notion.

In that scenario, would I rebel and run away and have my dead lover's baby anyway and regret it for the rest of my life? Or would I do the practical thing and abort it and regret it for the rest of my life?

Honestly, I don't know, but I'm so glad I never have to face a situation like that.

It would make a good story though. I'm just not sure if Songs of the Humpback Whale is already telling that story, or am I running away with my imagination?