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Want other alternates? (It's okay if you don't.)

Hmm, sounds like you've already decided the baby's fate here either way, so the question is what do you want to have happen to the mother? Do you want her to live through this experience? If so, what is the rest of her life like afterwards? How does her life effect your heroine's life? That should guide you as to which event should take place.

Also, just some other things to think about:

I don't know of any modern school that would kick out a student for becoming pregnant. It would have huge ramifications on the student's life, she might have trouble keeping up with her work, and therefore, could be kicked out or leave on her own because of suffering grades.

Same thing with the church. She might be frowned upon by many members, but I can't imagine there wouldn't be at least a few people who'd try to reach out to her. Again, she could leave on her own, not wanting either to be a subject of sympathy or looked down upon.

Also, why would she be trying to abort the baby herself? Is she afraid to go to a clinic? Does she think she can't afford an abortion? Make sure she has a reason for trying something like this. If she waits until the baby is born, there must be a reason for this too. Does she think she wants the baby after all? Has she fallen into complete denial that she's pregnant at all? Either way, she's got to have some serious psychological issues if she turns murderous after the birth. Is this the type of character she is?

Not trying to be overly critical, just trying to point out that this is a really complex issue you're dealing with here. Lots of possibilities and angles to consider. (Note that I'm assuming this book takes place in modern day. If it doesn't, obviously, my points might be totally invalid.)

You could make the baby a stillborn.

I'd go for two personally. When it's not a big deal how the baby is killed, I'd take politics out of it and not mention a thing about abortion.

Something you might want to consider is most of the teenage mothers who kill their infants after they are born often don't believe or want to believe they are pregnant. They detach themselves from the pregnancy and live their lives normally. The sudden realization that they are pregnant occurs when the baby is born, causing them to panic, which results in them deciding to kill the infant as a way to make the whole situation go away. Personally, I would believe that scenario more than a pregnant teenager who decides to abort the child on their own.

I think 1. is the best idea, feels more powerful than the others.

The_Ink_Goddess said:

I know it's a slight suspension of disbelief, but this is a very very conservative Christian school. I've read about schools in the '50s (even non-religious) that would kick their students out if they had reason to belief that they'd had sex. This school is one that emphasises the "moral values" of times gone by and essentially belief in upholding dead standards. So that's just my $0.02. It's kind of just something you have to accept for the story.

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An older friend of mine became pregnant at the age of 17 (back in the 50's/60's) with half a year of school to go of her senior year. She hid her pregnancy and marriage from her family and school, knowing that if she did tell she'd be kicked out of school.

I think the idea of this school would work if it's set up as a private school and the rest of the community is set up in a similar fashion.

I'd say the abortion attempt would work if the character is embarrassed or angry about becoming pregnant. The suicide attempt works better if she's ashamed of her actions leading up to getting pregnant. So really you would just need to consider her emotional state after discovering she's pregnant.

Good Luck!