May 2012: Our Newest Center

We knew that the North Side Center would be busy. Situated in a store front on East Ohio Street, this Center is visible to both foot traffic and to a steady stream of cars and buses. It is surrounded by government subsidized housing whose tenants endure seemingly hopeless rates of crime, prostitution, poverty, drug abuse, and of course abortion.

Within two weeks of our opening date, we know we were reaching our target audience: abortion vulnerable women. Our first client to receive a sonogram at this Center was “abortion determined.” This is a label we apply to those clients who enter our Centers with a fixed plan to abort if pregnant. At first, this young client, “Reba,” even refused to look at the image on the screen. For her, the sonogram was merely a way of determining exactly which abortion procedure she will choose. She simply wanted to know “how many weeks.”

The ultrasound is only a tool. It can be used for good or for evil. In the hands of a skilled, caring professional, the sonogram reveals the truth in a gentle, loving way. It is the sonogram along with the entire program, the caring staff, and the power of prayer that leads mothers to choose life. The team watched as “Reba” began to soften. She started to question her plan to abort. Her heart began to open. We continue to pray for her as she wrestles with her decision about her pregnancy over these next critical weeks. God's work in “Reba's” heart has just begun and we are anticipating great things.

Thank you so much for your support. You are the reason we can reach into high risk neighborhoods and bring light into darkness. You are the reason young women like “Reba” can break the cycle of hopelessness and death. Please stop by any of our 6 locations. We'd love to give you a tour and thank you in person!

What’s Wrong With Contraceptives?

For many who’ve been puzzled by the recent barrage of stories about Susan B. Komen, Planned Parenthood, and the Catholic response to President Obama’s health care requirements, I have a question, What’s wrong with Contraceptives? Since the 80’s we’ve heard that pills, injections, devices, and hormones that prevent pregnancy will protect women’s health, stop everything from AIDS to unwanted pregnancy (even acne), and create a happy, healthy, sexually fulfilled generation of men and women. After thirty years of government subsidized contraceptives, why shouldn’t we welcome additional health care packages that mandate an assortment of miracle drugs and preventative hormones? Perhaps the answer lies in the stunning facts about the failure of these products to deliver on their promises:

• According to Planned Parenthood’s Guttmacher Institute, 53% of women obtaining an abortion were using Birth Control when they got pregnant;
• At the Women’s Choice Network Centers, almost 65% of our pregnant clients were using birth control when they got pregnant;
• Hormonal birth control methods do not prevent STDs or AIDS and condoms are virtually useless against many viral forms of STD such as Human Papilloma Virus;
• Teens using Birth Control pills and injectables feel safer and engage in sex more frequently that teens who are not using BC;
• While one highly touted study indicates that 99% of sexually active women 15-44 have used at least one type of birth control, the number of “unintended” pregnancies has not been reduced.

As we consider whether our future health care should include contraceptives, let’s remember that many who suffer because of a previous abortion or STD infection have relied on its false promises. The pursuit of true sexual intimacy, joyfully building a family, and strengthening a lifetime commitment has been replaced by a false notion that given the proper health care, we can control the inconvenient “outcomes” of sex.

So what’s wrong with contraceptives? Before even entering into the moral, economic, or social arguments, the answer is clear: It simply doesn’t work as promised. Contraceptives have become the gateway drug to abortion yet birth control proponents are stuck in the 80’s clinging to the tired excuse that if we just spend more, educate at an earlier age, and use it “better” the desired outcomes will one day “kick in.” After three decades of government-funded birth control and all of the efforts to create a world where sex has no consequence, are we any better off? Has teen sex decreased? Do our children feel more loved? Are post abortive women happier? Do marriages last longer? Are we really better human beings?

March/April 2012

It's amazing what a handful of change will do. When a small group of Girl Scouts began a service project for our Centers, collecting change in a Baby Bottle seemed like a strange way to help babies. But with great optimism, these young ladies presented the Baby Bottle Campaign to three local parishes. All three agreed to allow the girls to hand out bottles to be filled by parishioners.

Within one month, one handful of change joined with hundreds of others who gave cash, generous checks, and spare change. The grand total was over $10,000. That amount “sponsored” over 35 days of ministry at one of our Centers! Within that one month (January 2012) in our Oakland Center , over 85 clients were seen. There were 30 Pregnancy Tests, 9 STD Tests, 7 Sonograms and 6 lives saved!

Can spare change change the world? It did for these clients. We are so thankful for our Baby Bottle Partners and for friends like you who donate so that others might live. Thanks for changing hearts and saving lives.