Mother's Choice was founded in 1987 by a small group of people concerned with the plight of Hong Kong's single girls, their boyfriends and families coping with crisis pregnancy.

It all began when four individuals living in Hong Kong saw a crisis and a solution.  A series of articles in the South China Morning Post in 1987 highlighted an alarming and sad situation that no one seemed to be addressing.  Hundreds of teenage girls every month were experiencing crisis pregnancies. With no one to talk to for good information or advice on their options, many were keeping their crises secret as long as they could, then slipping over the border to Shenzhen, China.  The abortions they got there often took place during the last trimester of pregnancy and therefore were risky and, for some, even life-threatening.

Back in the 1980s, there was a real stigma attached to these pregnant teenagers. They were perceived to bring disgrace and problems to their families.  In addition, there was a gap in the Hong Kong community and the schools with regard to sex awareness and education.  Many of these girls felt that their pregnancy had to be kept secret from their families or they would be kicked out of their homes by their parents.  They had nowhere to go, no support from the community and believed that they had no choice other than abortion.

With heavy hearts, the four individuals determined that someone had to step forward and offer a better solution for these young people.  Helen and Gary Stephens and Phyllis and Ranjan Marwah believed they needed to do something to help the many pregnant teenage girls in Hong Kong who were feeling lost and fearful because of the stigma attached to pre-marital sex.  Despite the challenges of creating a new non-profit organization out of thin air, Phyllis, Helen, Ranjan and Gary moved ahead with their idea and reached out to scores of other people for help.  Their vision was a safe and non-judgmental place where scared teens could pause and make well-informed decisions, get good information on the three challenging choices in front of them, and put their lives and those of their families back together again.  Through a miraculous outpouring of community support from their friends and volunteers from every sector of Hong Kong, Mother's Choice was born.  The new organization soon gained a reputation for a special kind of loving care and professional, holistic service. 

Today, almost a quarter of a century later, close to 35,000 young women, their parents and boyfriends, have benefited from counseling, information, and a caring heart at Mother's Choice.  We have gone on to provide loving care for thousands of babies on their way to adoption, and impactful education on sex and relationships for hundreds of thousands of young people across Hong Kong – so that they can avoid crises in their lives.  Through pregnancy services, care for babies and children awaiting homes, loving foster care, promoting good understanding of adoption, and care for children with special needs, Mother's Choice has changed lives and raised awareness of the ongoing, urgent needs of young people, children and families in need of a loving, helping hand…