tonight -- as the battle over abortion rages across the country, the women caught in the middle. >> it's not that i didn't want kids, i didn't want kids at 18. >> with dwindling options, some women of turning to crisis pregnancy center. >> this is our ultrasound room. if she'd come here and seen this and chose abortion, we'd like her to see. >> it saved my life, really did. >> they are not replacements for clinics. if it was up to me, they'd be shut down and defunded entirely. >> women navigating a post-roe

america. >> i think i'm in the middle. i don't want to persuade. everybody's opinion is different. >> this special edition of "nightline," "the decision," will be right back.

♪ "nightline," "the decision," continues. here now, rachel scott.

♪ >> reporter: at just 18 years old, brooke alexander is embracing the beauty and monotony of motherhood times two. >> she's got a higher-pitched cry, olivia. kendall's like, she'll just start screaming. it's not really a cry, it's like a scream. >> i love you so much. i do. >> reporter: bottles, naps, tummy time. repeat. >> on a good day, we wake up and if they're still asleep i'll eat some breakfast, maybe take a shower. then i'll pump and feed them. by the time they usually pass out, they are my day. >> reporter: the texas teen runs a tight schedule. but it doesn't really leave time

for anything else right now. >> when i try to get them to go to bed, just like walk back and forth. it's been a really big adjustment. i was used to working. being able to go out and just kind of be free. >> reporter: today, millions of women feel their sense of freedom is in jeopardy. caught in a firestorm of uncertainty in a post-roe america. from states beginning to put the issue on the ballot -- >> i feel really proud to be a kansan tonight. >> reporter: to the president taking executive action. >> i said before, this fight is not over. >> reporter: behind the headlines, beyond the debate, hear from women caught between the law and a choice. >> me being able to access both my abortions did make me a better mother. i was able to choose motherhood on my terms. >> reporter: one mother who knows what it means to choose abortion. another who found herself facing the hardest decision of her life

as time ran out. >> abortion didn't really seem like an option because of the law. >> reporter: and what happens when you live in an abortion desert? >> our mamas come in and take classes. >> reporter: we go inside a crisis pregnancy center and mind out what makes some people call these places controversial, and others life-saving. brooke's unexpected journey into parenthood actually started last fall. at the same time texas was about to enforce what was then the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. >> i found out about the law on twitter. i mean, i think that i'm in the middle. i don't -- i don't want to persuade people. and everybody's opinion is different. >> reporter: texas senate bill 8 banned abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. >> it's not that i didn't want kids. i didn't want kids at 18. i wanted to wait until 25, 27, something like that. i was actually on birth control.

it was really heartbreaking. i really tried to not get pregnant. i felt like it -- it was going to ruin everything. >> reporter: she'd been seeing her boyfriend only a few months. billy was finishing high school. standout student and skateboarder. >> me and billy met at the skate park. we ended up texting each other on instagram and just kind of went on from there. we went to the mall and eventually he asked me to be his girlfriend. he was really responsible. and most boys his age aren't that way. and that was another thing that really attracted me to him. >> reporter: with time ticking, the young couple had a lot to figure out. >> i remember billy saying, i'd prefer that you get an abortion, but it's ultimately your choice and i want you to do what you want to do. i was just hoping that the pregnancy was under six weeks so i could get an abortion. but i knew that it probably wasn't. >> reporter: if she wasn't, brooke knew she was facing a

dilemma. keep her pregnancy or travel hundreds of miles out of state for an abortion. >> i have that, this is our sign -- >> reporter: like brooke, malia aziz knows what it's like to face an unplanned pregnancy young. >> let me know where. >> reporter: she was in college when her birth control failed. >> my first abortion was about eight to nine years ago, and i was new to the country, i was an immigrant. i didn't know a whole lot. i ended up traveling to colorado springs. thankfully i had a family member who could help me pay for it. if i didn't -- it scares me to think about what my reality could have been. not everybody can afford to hop on a plane and go to another state and access the procedure. we need health care in all parts of the country, in every state. >> reporter: malia's abortion experience led her to a career in advocacy. she's the community organizer for the texas equal access fund.

>> it's a pretty decent turnout. >> reporter: on this hot summer day, she's at dallas city hall to put on a rally just days after the supreme court overturned roe v. wade. >> can i speak to you? >> yes. >> i work with the intelligence unit. >> yes. >> a couple of groups that are coming out to canada. >> not surprised. >> if for some reason they start coming in or causing issues, please flag down an officer and let them know. >> we have been living this nightmare longer than most other people. and we are going to feel the impact of it more than some other states, unfortunately. where are they? where are the antis? texas is a very hostile state to abortion. minorities, people of color, are really going to feel the burden of overturning roe v. wade. despite the barriers, i could still have my abortion. doing so, escaping an abusive

relationship, graduate from college with honors, they are the family i have now and they are part of the career i feel passionate about. >> reporter: we first met malia last year. her daughter was just 1, maya. she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant again. she and her husband decided they weren't ready for another baby so fast. >> i have no shame, i have no regrets. my two abortions don't bother me. >> reporter: since the supreme court's decision to overturn roe v. wade, the laws in many states have been thrown into confusion and chaos. texas is one of at least 15 states that have ceased nearly all abortion services. >> help line operations and other funding operations -- >> they know who abortion bans will affect. >> we're focusing on advocacy right now and then moving forward, when we have more information, we hope to be able to legally resume a lot of our operations.

>> reporter: after finding out she was pregnant, brooke needed to know how far along she was. there are no planned parenthoods or abortion providers in the corpus christi area. so like many people, she turned to a crisis pregnancy center. >> it just seemed like a place where i could get an ultrasound and a pregnancy confirmation. and kind of just give me some information. >> reporter: brooke went to the pregnancy center. >> when i walked in, i wanted an abortion. that was my goal. >> i wasn't here that day. but heard about her immediately. so this is one of our five pregnancy centers. >> reporter: executive director janet penson gave us a tour of one location. >> this is one of our rooms where we take them through their options about adoption, about parenting, about abortion. as soon as we get that positive pregnancy test, we take them to the ultrasound room. this is our lab where we do

pregnancy tests, we do std testing. this is our ultrasound room. we show them what's exactly in their womb. and that speaks for itself. so she'd come to us and seen these babies and chosen abortion, we would have loved her just the same. nobody wants to have an abortion. you don't grow up going, man, i'd love to have an abortion someday. right? so it's a crisis, and it's a huge decision. >> reporter: there are more than 2,500 locations known as crisis pregnancy centers across the united states. they are nonprofit organizations, often faith-based, and advertise free ultrasounds and pregnancy information. while they sometimes employ doctors and nurses, they are not usually certified medical clinics. nationally, they outnumber abortion providers by a 3 to 1 margin. in texas, that ratio is at least 9 to 1. we asked penson to walk us

through how they assess clients when they arrive. >> if a girl walks into any one of our centers and she's abortion-minded or she's thinking about abortion that day, we'll send a nurse immediately. abortion-minded, that is the only thing they're thinking. like, they don't see another thought, another way out. abortion-vulnerable is someone who doesn't know what they're going to do. then we have likely to carry, we call them. those are the people that come in, they're just happy to be pregnant. >> reporter: it was on the ultrasound here that brooke discovered she wasn't just past the six-week mark, she was well past it. and -- >> she goes, do twins run in your family? i said, nope. she goes, i think there's two. and i said, are you sure? like terrified. are you sure? >> reporter: brooke says she left that day in shock. >> i think abortion was still on my mind. i think it took a little while for me to completely accept it.

still ahead, answering criticism. >> they are not replacements for clinics. they should be shut down and defunded entirely. >> we never force anyone to do anything. >> plus, brooke makes plans for the future. announcer: type 2 diabetes? discover the power of 3 in the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. announcer: ozempic® provides powerful a1c reduction. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right

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♪ "nightline," "the decision" continues. here again, rachel scott. >> reporter: at just 18, brooke alexander was facing the unthinkable. an unplanned pregnancy. >> i was just about to start school. i really wanted to kind of make a name for myself and make a good life for myself. and finding out i was pregnant

really felt like it would halt that. and it would be so much harder to achieve that. >> reporter: after finding out she was more than six weeks pregnant with twins, brooke knew if she still wanted an abortion, she would have to leave her home state of texas. that idea was daunting. >> i knew that i would have to go to new mexico or these states that allow abortion. and i knew it would be kind of a process to go on a plane by myself. it had been years since i'd been on a plane. and have this procedure done, you know what i mean? almost alone. >> reporter: a family friend recommended a place called the pregnancy center of the coastal bend. >> it was a place that seemed like they could help. and i didn't know, like, the whole idea behind it was to scare girls away from abortion. it felt a little steering, yeah, but nothing crazy. >> reporter: in texas, crisis pregnancy centers, known as cpcs, are not overseen or

regulated by the state's health and human services department. >> if you're wanting an abortion and you go to a crisis pregnancy center, that's not what you're going to get. they're not going to help you get an abortion. >> reporter: abortion rights advocate malia aziz is familiar with cpcs. she says they will say anything to stop someone from choosing abortion, including false advertising. >> they are not replacements for clinics. if it was up to me, asking my opinion, they should be shut down and defunded entirely. >> reporter: jana penson, who runs five centers in the corpus christi region, including the one brooke visited, says her centers don't operate that way. >> we never say anything that is a strong -- like, you need to choose life, we never say those words. we feel it in our heart. so the way people talk about it, like if you shores them to keep their baby, no. we've given them, actually, choice. the choice to choose life. to choose adoption.

and if they choose abortion, we love them just the same. >> reporter: the coastal bend website does advertise that they are the number one source of abortion information for the area, and penson says that is true. >> there is no abortion clinic anywhere in this area. we were named by the other side as the largest abortion desert. we used to have seven abortionists, and we haven't had one since 2014. >> reporter: penson says collectively her staff includes nine registered nurses, a nurse practitioner, and two medical directors who are ob-gyns. the website does include a disclaimer at the bottom of the page saying the centers did do not offer or refer for pregnancy termination or birth control. it also says information is provided as an educational service. the organization does receive funding from the state, but penson claims the bulk of her budget comes from donations. >> the funding has always been through individuals in churches. foundations.

>> we've got a beautiful baby boutique area. shoes, books, everything you would have in a full-scale thrift store. >> reporter: the center also runs a secondhand retail store. the employees are moms from the pregnancy center who can bring their babies to work with them, like adriana. >> there was so many girls that wanted this job, so i didn't think i was going to get it. it saved my life. it really did. >> reporter: the moms who work here can stay 18 months. during her time, adriana has been able to finish school as a certified nursing assistant and has started a new job as a lactation specialist. >> working here has changed my life. working on training skills. worked on a really great resume. building and training other girls. if i did it, you can do it too. >> this begins our parenting program. our mamas and dads can come and

do education. parenting classes, earn points while they do it. they'll come in, they'll watch a video. with those points they'll get, like, 48 diapers, a package of wipes, and four outfits. then if they needed, like, formula or food, we don't use points for those. some of our clients have never had to buy diapers at all. isn't that the best? >> reporter: brooke tried out the parenting program once but didn't feel like it was for her. >> we've always been unmedicated, without insurance, so with the girls it rolled over. >> reporter: she and billy did realize they needed a plan for the future. >> the next day he called me at work, "what if i join the air force?" >> reporter: >> reporter: billy enlisted and he and brooke got married. he's in basic training. >> i think he's going to stick by us. maybe when the girls go to school i can start working again. maybe i can start college even before then.

i think it will be harder, but that doesn't mean that i can't handle it. >> reporter: while billy's gone, she's thankful for the help at home. >> i'm not a witch, okay? i know i can be sometimes. >> reporter: billy's dad and wife, becca, help her juggle the challenges of two babies. >> she's doing great. we're pitching in a little bit more. she's hardworking at it. >> she's impressive for her age. just for being a mom in general. >> she's always calm and cool and does what needs to be done. for an 18-year-old mother, she's a pretty good dang one. >> reporter: brooke and billy's parents knew when the teens found out about the pregnancy, they were considering abortion. >> i believe it's a woman's -- you know, they have to discuss it, but nobody can tell her what to do. i think the mom is the boss when it comes to that. >> reporter: brooke realizes her story is happening at the same

time so many other people are facing tough decisions. she wants the world to know she had a choice. she chose to be a mom. and she's happy with the outcome. >> i love being a mom. i love it so much. i love my babies. im, of course at times it can be a little overwhelming. >> reporter: brooke says she also understands every person's life is different, and she wants everyone to be able to make that choice for themselves. >> i just want to be a good mom. and that's kind of my life mission right now. >> reporter: stay with us. moderate to severe eczema still disrupts my skin. despite treatment it disrupts my skin with itch. it disrupts my skin with rash. but now, i can disrupt eczema with rinvoq. rinvoq is not a steroid, topical, or injection. it's one pill, once a day, that's effective without topical steroids. many taking rinvoq saw clear or almost-clear skin while some saw up to 100% clear skin. plus, they felt fast itch relief

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