It wasn't meant to happen, but it did.

You are not quite sure what to do next. It's hard enough just to get over the shock and confusion. You have to tell your parents. You have to start preparing.

You're pregnant, and life as you know it is over, right? Not necessarily.

Sometimes in life's tougher moments, what someone really needs is a helping hand. Gov. Jennifer Granholm is trying to give Michigan's young mothers that advantage by approving the Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act.

Signed last month, the act would create centers on university campuses where young women could go to receive referrals for services such as daycare and parental care for students. No time frame has been set for establishing these privately funded centers, but it is possible that one could be piloted on MSU's campus.

Although the centers come with a stipulation that they might not offer referrals to abortion centers, it is a step in the right direction that both pro-choicers and pro-lifers should be able to celebrate.

The 2004 National College Health Assessment recently reported that, of the 75 percent of MSU students who are sexually active, 1.8 percent have accidentally become pregnant or had unintentionally impregnated a woman. Considering these figures, there are certainly going to be students who can use some guidance.

Of those students surveyed, 9.5 percent have used, or their partner has used, emergency contraceptives - such as an abortion pill - within the last year.

It might not have been the choice all of them wanted to make. If they had a place to go for more guidance, maybe they would have made another decision.

Ultimately, no one wants to have an abortion, and the more that can be done to offer alternatives is a positive thing. Who doesn't have a family member or know someone who has faced this situation? It's a common thread through all peoples and cultures.

Unfortunately, this country is filled with a stereotype that unplanned pregnancy equals not receiving an education. It's great that Granholm sees this problem and is taking steps to resolve it. Initiatives such as this are the kind of progressive thought that will erase this sentiment.

No one, no matter what their life choices, should be denied the opportunity to better themselves. Some might argue that people should pay for their mistakes, but America values our youth. We don't want a nation filled with moms who were forced to sit out of college.

The only thing that could make this act better is the removal of the clause disallowing abortion information. Because, whether you go to your church or to Planned Parenthood, you are going to get information that is skewed. Establishing a non-partisan center in which every option is laid out would be ideal.

Regardless of what side of the issue you are on, this is a step forward for improving society.