Why T3C?
Why The Third Choice?
Because each and every year hundreds of thousands of women and men find themselves facing a pregnancy decision and overlooked in their moment of need. Meanwhile the focus of discussion, politics, and personal engagement are intent upon two things—making sure that access to abortion is available or convincing those with unintended pregnancies to carry to term.
But who is advocating for the women and men walking through the decision process and unsure of what to do?
Who is working to meet their needs and to alleviate the pressures in their lives?
Who is caring for them, making them feel seen and valued?
Pro-life vs. Pro-choice
Since 1973, the war over abortion has divided our culture, communities, and families into two camps—Pro-life vs. Pro-choice. But for millions of Americans, the political platforms, rallies, marches, signs, and slogans don’t fully represent their views, values, or how they would wish to express them. But with no alternatives, many feel either compelled to embrace language and approaches that don’t accurately reflect their feelings and convictions, while others simply distance themselves from the conversation altogether.
Annual poll results continue to reveal that America is fairly evenly divided on the issue of abortion—either supporting it as a fundamental right for women’s empowerment or opposing it on moral grounds.
Transcending Politics
But what the polling doesn’t capture is how individual Americans want to see themselves and their communities respond to individual women and men who are facing a pregnancy decision and unsure of what to do. Because in the moment of need, the signs, slogans, rallies, and even legislative efforts often do little to comfort, to love, or to provide tangible solutions for women and men overwhelmed by an unintended pregnancy and feeling as though they have no options.
T3C is not an alternative political camp or a replacement for those that exist. It is not meant to compete with the pro-life or pro-choice movements. Instead, it operates outside of the political arena, beyond the world of “pro” vs. “anti”—offering an oasis from the tensions, despair, fear, confusion, and noise.
“T3C transcends the boundaries of politics, religion, ideology, and culture; because at the end of the day, it’s all about relationship.”
Whether you identify wholeheartedly with either the Pro-life or Pro-choice movements or you tend to distance yourself from them, T3C is for you. How do we know? Because, it’s for everyone, from every background, from every belief, from every society, from every corner of the world.
T3C transcends the boundaries of politics, religion, ideology, and culture; because at the end of the day, it’s all about relationship. And that is something that everyone can get behind.
Decentralizing Care
The world of pregnancy care is almost entirely centralized around nonprofits, women’s clinics, and the professional medical community. But with 2.8 million women facing an unintended pregnancy each year, there simply aren’t enough organizations and clinics to reach every one of them. And for the women they do reach, they will never be able to address all of the diverse, complex, and unique needs in their lives.
For many, a pregnancy decision is an overwhelming and isolating experience. It’s one where the greatest need is not simply access to more services, but access to relationships—to be seen, heard, loved, and valued.
How do we reach Sally Sue who lives on Deadend Street in the middle of Nowhere? Not by setting up another brick-and-mortar down the road from her. That just isn’t feasible. And even if it were, it could not provide the safety, stability, and support that she would find in relationship with someone who knows and cares for her.
The way we reach Sally Sue is by mobilizing her friends, family members, and community to take personal responsibility for meeting her relational, emotional, and material needs. It’s by equipping them to play an active role in her life and to be present when she needs them most.
“The Third Choice empowers friends, families, and communities to reclaim the responsibility of relational support for those facing a pregnancy decision and to create a culture where they are fully seen, heard, and valued.”
Relational Care
The Third Choice decentralizes pregnancy care—recognizing that the answer for those facing a pregnancy decision lies with those who are already positioned in their lives and care about them. The safety of relationship allows for the obstacles and pressures faced by women walking through an unintended pregnancy to be addressed—giving them empowered ownership of their choices and futures.
Decentralizing an established industry may seem audacious, but it is not impossible. 20 years ago, the idea that you’d call up a stranger to give you a ride or to let you stay in their home was laughable. But then Uber® and AirBnB® came along and turned these paradigms upside-down—providing opportunities to millions of Americans that had never before been available to them and forever transforming the transportation and hospitality industries.
In the same way, the idea that solutions for women facing pregnancy decisions can be provided by individuals may seem counter-cultural. That’s because it is.
But while they may not be able to provide services like medical care, those who hold an established place of relationship in a woman’s life are best positioned to meet her relational, emotional, and material needs.
The Third Choice empowers friends, families, and communities to reclaim the responsibility of relational support for those facing a pregnancy decision and to create a culture where they are fully seen, heard, and valued.
"Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do."
— Steve Jobs
The Start of Historical Change
History has never been changed by the passive. Don’t miss your opportunity to adopt T3C in your life and to play a role in innovating the response of individuals, communities, and cultures to women and men facing pregnancy decisions for generations to come.
Communities, cultures, and nations change when individuals choose to take ownership of a message and mission and to be a voice of innovation within their spheres of influence.
T3C is a movement, a posture, and a perspective shift, which, as it is embraced within our culture, will change even the way our history books record the response to pregnancy decisions.