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Pro-Choice? Then You Should Be Thankful for Pregnancy Centers

Posted by Ardee Coolidge on Nov 21, 2017 7:00:00 AM

 Without Care Net, 71,000 women this year would have lacked the support they needed to make the choice to give birth to their child.

Don’t like the terms pro-life and pro-choice? If so, you are not alone.

Many Americans believe abortion is morally suspect, but an “unfortunate necessity” for women facing difficult pregnancies. The so-called “mushy-middle” on abortion do not want to ban abortion, but also do not want it to become more common. Members of this third category in the abortion debate would likely say “abortion is not right for me, but I can’t tell a woman facing poverty that it is wrong for her,” or, “I think women should be empowered to make informed pregnancy decisions, ones that are best for their situations. That may be abortion, but it also may be adoption, or raising the child.” An op-ed of this third position can be read here.

If these statements describe you or someone you know, it is my firm belief that Care Net is not your enemy, but your close friend.

The mission of Care Net is to offer “compassion, hope, and help to anyone considering abortion by presenting them with realistic alternatives and Christ-centered support.” This mission means that we serve the women and men in our communities facing unplanned pregnancies, not a political party or agenda. Our desire is to empower clients to make the best choice for them and their child.  

“Compassion” means we must present truthful, medically accurate information, in a confidential and caring environment—not deceive clients.

“Realistic alternatives” means we must provide pregnancy decision coaching that recognizes the situation a client is in and the limitations faced by her and her partner—we can’t gloss over the difficulties they face.  

“Christ-centered support” means that we look to Jesus Christ as our model. He never manipulated anyone he served. He was not harsh or judgmental, yet he spoke truth about a person’s situation and demonstrated radical love for all, even those who mistreated him. Christ was other focused not selfish.

If these words were not embodied in the actions of the 30,000 staff and volunteers of our network of 1,100 affiliated pregnancy centers, they would be empty promises. Thankfully, these are not just words for our affiliated pregnancy centers or the coaches at the Pregnancy Decision Line, the only national call center for real-time pregnancy decision coaching.

Our client feedback confirms that we keep these promises.  

During the last nine years, Care Net pregnancy centers have provided more than 948,000 free ultrasounds and 2.5 million free pregnancy tests. Over one million women and men received parenting support and education and 1.5 million received material support like diapers, car seats, cribs, and other items.

Even with such a massive number of clients, our client satisfaction rating is 97%. That is a higher satisfaction rating than Netflix’s or the iPhone’s. Many clients refer their friends to their local pregnancy center. Why? Because these centers provided them with the empowerment they needed to make the decision they felt was best for their situation.

Those in the “mushy-middle” often say that abortion is an “unfortunate necessity.” Many of our clients discover after visiting a Care Net affiliate that abortion is not necessary at all.

80% of our pregnant clients leave the center choosing life for their unborn child.  Clients like Amy*.

Amy was addicted to drugs and discovered she was pregnant. She had no idea how she could have a child while struggling with an addiction, so abortion seemed like the only option. Then she met the caring staff of her local Care Net center. The staff knew that abortion would not solve the underlying issue: her addiction to drugs. They helped her become part of a rehab program specializing in pregnant clients, connected her with job training, and empowered her to get her life back on track.

Amy did not need an abortion; Amy needed help with her drug addiction.

As a result of the compassionate care of her pregnancy center, Amy realized that she could beat her addiction and give birth to her child. If you believe that women like Amy deserve the empowerment to make their best pregnancy decisions, then Care Net centers are a vital part of any community. Moreover, if you want women who “don’t need an abortion” to get the help they need, then the biggest alternative to Care Net is simply not getting the job done.

Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report shows that they focus on one pregnancy decision: abortion. For every instance of pre-natal services rendered, Planned Parenthood performed 34 abortions. For every adoption referral, they aborted 113 babies.  Unless more than 90% of women facing unplanned pregnancy want abortions instead of prenatal care, Planned Parenthood does not adequately support the myriad of options women and men have when facing an unplanned pregnancy.

Last year alone, 71,000 Care Net clients discovered that abortion was not the best option for them or their children, saving 71,000 unborn babies from abortion. The abortion industry wants people to think that our “lives saved statistic” confirms that we are anti-choice. Yet, our satisfaction rating shows that these pregnancy decisions were not caused by manipulation, but by empowering clients to make their own choice, a choice that Planned Parenthood is simply unequipped and seemingly uninterested in supporting.

So, if you don’t like the terms pro-life or pro-choice, if you think abortion is a necessary last resort for women in difficult pregnancies, then Care Net deserves your support because Care Net is a huge network of pregnancy centers empowering women and men so they don’t have to make a “last-resort” decision.

Without Care Net, 71,000 women this year would have lacked the support they needed to make the choice to give birth to their children.

That is something to be thankful for, regardless of whether you are pro-life or pro-choice.  

Do you believe followers of Christ should stand for the unborn?

Every year, nearly one million babies die from abortion. It's our duty as Christians to stand in the gap for these children and protect their right to life. As a believer, will you publicly proclaim your belief in the sanctity of life and sign this pledge?

Sign the Pledge:

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