Pregnant and Don’t Know What to Do? Here Are Your Options in South Carolina
Life rarely follows the script we write for it. Sometimes, the biggest changes arrive without warning, leaving you with more questions than answers. If you’re here because you’ve just found out you’re pregnant and didn’t plan to be, it’s okay if you don’t have your next step figured out yet.
This moment belongs to you, and so does the choice of what comes next. Whether you need to understand the latest laws in South Carolina, explore what support is really available, or just find a safe place to start, this guide is here to help you find your footing. Let’s walk through your options together, so you can move forward with clarity instead of worry.
Why Medical Confirmation is Your First Legal Step
Before making any permanent decisions, confirm the pregnancy medically with an ultrasound. Home tests are accurate, but they don’t provide the specific details required by state law.
You need to verify a few critical facts that home tests can’t tell you:
- Viability: Is the pregnancy developing normally? About 10-20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage naturally.
- Gestational Age: Exactly how far along are you? This date dictates your eligibility under South Carolina’s 6-week abortion limit.
- Location: Is the pregnancy in the uterus? An ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency, not an abortion situation.
Local health centers often offer these ultrasounds for free. This step gives you the official dating you need to understand your legal options.
Clinics Offering Free Verification in Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville
For free or low-cost testing, check out the South Carolina Department of Public Health, which offers family planning services at clinics in most counties, including Greenville and Charleston. Community organizations like Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (Columbia and Charleston) and Prisma Health OB/GYN Center (Greenville) provide professional testing and dating ultrasounds.
Alternatively, pregnancy centers like Daybreak LifeCare Center in Columbia or Lowcountry Pregnancy Center in North Charleston offer free testing. Just be aware that many of these centers do not refer for abortion, so if you want unbiased medical advice, ask about their policies upfront.
Overview: Parenting, Abortion, and Adoption in SC
Once you have the medical facts, you have three primary paths. None of these roads are easy, but one of them will be the right one for you.
You might choose to carry the pregnancy to term and raise the child yourself. You might decide to end the pregnancy through a medical procedure or medication. Or, you might carry the pregnancy to term and place the baby with a permanent adoptive family. Each route comes with different legal and practical realities in our state.
Parenting Support: Healthy Connections Medicaid and WIC
Considering parenting raises big questions about survival. “Can I afford this?” and “Where will we live?” are the big ones. South Carolina has several programs designed to help women who want to parent but need a financial safety net.
Housing and Financial Assistance for SC Mothers
Money is often the biggest hurdle. Healthy Connections (South Carolina Medicaid) typically covers pregnant women with a household income up to roughly $3,455 per month for a family of two, covering prenatal visits, delivery, and postpartum care.
Then there is the WIC program, which helps with healthy food, formula, and nutrition education for pregnant women and children under five; if you qualify for Healthy Connections, you automatically qualify for WIC. For housing, organizations like St. Clare’s Home in Greenville and Charleston provide shelter and educational support for expectant mothers who need a safe place to land.
Raising a child is a lifelong commitment that requires emotional stability and money. If you have a village behind you and the desire to parent, these resources can help. But if looking at your bank account or your current living situation makes parenting feel impossible, it is okay to look at your other options.
South Carolina Abortion Laws: The Fetal Heartbeat Act
For those asking, “What are my options if I’m pregnant and don’t want it?”, accurate information is vital.
As of 2025, under the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act, abortion is banned in South Carolina after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which usually happens around 6 weeks of pregnancy.
- The 6-Week Limit: Many women don’t realize they are pregnant until they are close to or past this 6-week mark. This makes getting that early ultrasound vital. Knowing your timeline gives you power.
- Waiting Period: South Carolina law requires a mandatory 24-hour waiting period after your initial consultation before an abortion can be performed.
- Exceptions: There are limited legal exceptions for rape and incest (up to 12 weeks), fatal fetal anomalies, or to save the mother’s life.
Abortion Travel and Exceptions for SC Residents
Crossing the 6-week mark restricts in-state access, but you can still legally travel to another state where abortion is legal, such as North Carolina (legal up to 12 weeks) or Virginia (legal up to 26 weeks).
If you are past the 6-week mark and cannot travel, or if abortion just doesn’t sit right with you personally, adoption might be the answer.
Understanding Private Adoption in South Carolina
Adoption isn’t what most people think. It’s not about “giving up” or losing your baby forever. It’s about making a plan.
You get to choose the family, decide how much contact you want, and ensure your child has the future you envision, even if you aren’t the one raising them every day.
Birth Mother Benefits: Paid Living Expenses and Counseling
Placing a child for adoption is entirely free for the birth mother. In fact, financial aid is often available to ensure you are safe and healthy during your pregnancy.
In South Carolina, adoptive families can pay for your pregnancy-related living expenses, which can help with:
- Rent and Utilities: Keeping a roof over your head and the lights on.
- Groceries: Ensuring you have nutritious food during your pregnancy.
- Maternity Clothes: Providing comfortable clothing as your body changes.
- Medical Bills: Covering prenatal care and delivery costs not paid by insurance.
Throughout the process, you call the shots. You choose the adoptive family by looking through profiles until you find the people who feel “right.” You also decide how much contact you want through open adoption—whether that means photos, letters, or visits. Most importantly, your decision is not final until after the baby is born. You can make an adoption plan at any time, even while you are still at the hospital, ensuring you retain your legal rights until you are ready.
Adoption can be a way to move forward with your life feeling supported rather than overwhelmed. It can help you regain your footing, both financially and emotionally. If you aren’t ready to parent but abortion isn’t the right path, adoption offers a middle ground where your child is loved and cared for, and you can still pursue your life goals.
Licensed Adoption Agencies Serving South Carolina
Finding the right agency is the first step in exploring this path. As an independent resource, we suggest looking for agencies that are fully licensed in South Carolina and offer comprehensive, 24/7 counseling. Take a look at what that future might look like right now. Browsing profiles is free, private, and you aren’t obligated to do anything.
Here are a few established organizations that work with women in South Carolina:
Evaluating Your Personal Resources and Goals
Making this choice is personal. There is no algorithm that can tell you what to do, but asking yourself a few key questions can help clarify things.
Start by looking at your resources: do you have a stable partner, secure housing, and the ability to provide for a child if you lost your job tomorrow? Next, look at the calendar. If you are less than six weeks pregnant, all options are open to you; if not, your primary in-state options are parenting and adoption.
Finally, think about your long-term goals. Where do you want to be in five years, and does raising a child fit into that picture right now? When you close your eyes and imagine your future, which path brings you a sense of peace, even if it’s mixed with sadness?
Unbiased Pregnancy Counseling Services in SC
Sometimes you just need to hear a human voice. An unplanned pregnancy counselor is a professional who can help you process your emotions without pressuring you into one specific choice. Unlike friends or family who may have their own opinions, a counselor’s only goal is to help you figure out what you want.
Accessing 24/7 Helplines and Local Centers
Speaking with a specialist immediately can clarify the chaos. Resources like the 24/7 hotline 1-800-ADOPTION allow you to discuss your unplanned pregnancy options and ask questions about South Carolina laws at any time.
For local support, centers like Daybreak LifeCare Center (Columbia) and Birthright of Columbia offer confidential, non-judgmental counseling and referrals.
Directory of South Carolina Health and Support Services
Here is a list of local organizations available right now:
- American Adoptions of Charlotte (North Carolina): Provides financial aid, legal consultation, counseling, and other benefits to women pursuing or considering adoption.
- Planned Parenthood – Columbia Health Center (Columbia): Provides abortion referrals, pregnancy testing, and women’s health services.
- Planned Parenthood – Charleston Health Center (Charleston): Offers family planning and testing services.
- St. Clare’s Home (Greenville & Charleston): Maternity housing and support for women choosing to parent.
- South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: To apply for Medicaid (Healthy Connections).
- Birthright of Greenville (Greenville): Free pregnancy testing and emotional support.
Get Personalized Help Today
This is a lot to carry by yourself. Whether you need a listening ear, financial help, or just a clear explanation of the law, support is available. Don’t stay stuck in the panic. Reach out to a professional who can help you sort through the noise and find the answer that’s right for you.
Connect with a trusted professional to get unbiased answers about adoption and your rights in South Carolina.