Pregnancy Centers Reduce Abortion

By: Melinda Delahoyde

Two days after President Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, the nation commemorated the 36th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. As expected, the new President, seeking not to be too divisive too soon, spoke in moderated tones and employed rhetoric about “reducing” or “reducing the need for” abortion.

So, taking President Obama at his word that he truly wants to see this devastating procedure chosen less frequently, what policies and ideas should he promote to accomplish that goal?

As you can imagine, there are a host of voices on this topic. Abortion rights advocates generally want more funding for contraception and sex education. Pro-life activist groups call for funding abstinence education, promoting adoption, and protecting legislative restrictions, such as informed consent and waiting periods. Other groups want more support for anti-poverty programs.

These voices will debate over which policy is best, but there is another voice not being heard – mainly because those championing it are too busy actually reducing abortion! In 2008, news headlines pointed to a 25% decrease in abortions from 1.6 million in 1990 to 1.2 million in 2005. Commentators asked why this might be happening, and some pointed to the growth and effectiveness of the nation’s more than 2,300 pregnancy centers. With statistics showing fewer pregnancies ending in abortion than in years past, TIME magazine said, “That would seem to be evidence that the quiet campaign for women’s hearts and minds, conducted in thousands of crisis pregnancy centers around the country, on billboards, phone banks and websites, is having an effect.”

So, if you missed TIME’s cover story in 2006, pregnancy centers are known as the “compassion wing of the pro-life movement,” and they work. After receiving the help of a pregnancy center, nine out of ten women served are empowered to carry their pregnancy to term, according to statistics gathered by Care Net, a network of 1,160 centers. The secret of their success is the compassionate, nonjudgmental support of volunteers who serve as mentors to women facing unplanned pregnancies – walking with them every step of the way. 30,000 such volunteers serve in Care Net pregnancy centers alone. Like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity, pregnancy centers embody the great American tradition of volunteerism and care for the weak and forgotten ones in our society.

Their effectiveness also stems from the fact that they are deeply rooted in the local community and well-connected in partnerships with a host of agencies caring for women and children. By working together to provide education, emotional support, and practical help to pregnant women in crisis, pregnancy centers and their community partners help moms welcome their children into a more stable and healthy environment. This in turn has a positive impact on extended families and the entire community.

Another feather in the proverbial pregnancy center “cap” is their financial independence. In order to keep the lights on as well as offer a wide variety of free services – from parenting classes and baby cribs to ultrasounds and STD testing, pregnancy centers rely almost entirely on private donations from local individuals who simply want to do something to help a neighbor in need (rather than expect Uncle Sam to do it).

So, with this notable background in mind, Care Net and our national network of pregnancy centers are after one thing from the new administration and Congress (and it’s not funding).

We’re simply asking for this, that those leading the “abortion reduction” discussion merely acknowledge the contribution of pregnancy centers in helping to achieve this goal and promote a national environment that allows us to do what we do best – help women in need in our local communities.

Respecting the work of pregnancy centers may be “out-of-the box” thinking for an Obama administration, though it would be consistent with the bridge-building promises he made during his campaign. Though obliged to the abortion advocates who helped elect him, the new President should simply listen to the stories of women who were helped by a local pregnancy center and decided against abortion. Instead of rushing to judgment about who we are, let the women speak! By better understanding the work that we do, the President and those engaged in the abortion-reduction discussion will recognize, like TIME magazine, that our community based, volunteer-led work “is having an effect.”

Melinda Delahoyde is president of Care Net, a national network of 1,160 pregnancy centers across North America.

Reprinted with permission by Care Net: www.care-net.org

Pregnancy Care Center Partners with Clothing Ministry

The Pregnancy Care Center of Decatur County and First Christian Church of Greensburg has partnered together to provide clothing to children in the community in need, at no cost.

God’s Little Lambs Clothing Ministry is open from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church. Located at 425 North Broadway in Greensburg, they provide clothing including onesies, tees, socks, shoes and coats for children sizes 18 months to 5T.

“This partnership has been such a blessing to the Pregnancy Care Center and our clients. We had been providing size newborn to 2T clothing to our clients, but lacked space to store it. In addition, clients were in need of even larger sizes than we could offer. Now we can serve those in need of clothing up to 12 months here at the center and refer those needing larger sizes to the church,” says Darla Goodman, Pregnancy Care Center Director.

“First Christian Church of Greensburg is pleased to be partnered with Pregnancy Care Center of Decatur County,” says Gary Buell, an elder at the church. “This clothing ministry is just one small way of helping to meet a need in our community. Psalm 127 tells us ‘children are a gift from the Lord’. Our desire is to help those in need, and serve Him, through this ministry.” For more information about God’s Little Lambs Clothing Ministry, contact the church at 812-663-8488.

Teresa Russell, Director of Marketing

Parents Matter

I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of parents recently. As a member of the Leadership Bartholomew County Class of ’09, I recently attended a class session focused on Education. We talked about public schools and what we as Americans want from our schools and the challenges the schools face in trying to meet those expectations.

We often tend to want the education system to teach our children everything they’ll need to know to be successful in life; however schools only account for 20 percent of a student’s achievement while their background accounts for 80 percent. I wonder how many parents fully grasp how important and vital their role is in the success of their children’s education.

Often at the Pregnancy Care Center you’ll hear Lisa Newton and Tracey Pike who oversee our abstinence programs say, “When you know better, you do better.” So often what seems like common sense and human nature to most isn’t even on the radar of others as being a standard truth. I honestly believe in the majority of situations, it’s not out of laziness or because of an “I-don’t-care-attitude” that parents aren’t involved in their child’s life. It’s because they have never been TAUGHT how to be parents. This leaves them repeating the cycle of what was modeled in their own home which more often than not wasn’t a healthy, stable, encouraging environment.

Praise God the Pregnancy Care Center is in our communities reaching men and women with education so they (and their children) can have a fresh start equipped with the tools and education necessary to have a successful life. We are teaching parents to “know better” so they can “do better”. Every day at our centers, we’re teaching men and women about a variety of subjects such as:

· The importance of not smoking during pregnancy
· The importance of going to the doctor and getting prenatal care
· How to effectively discipline your child
· How to make a budget and the importance of doing so
· How to manage anger issues in a healthy way
· How to care for your newborn infant

Thank you for the part you play in helping us get this education to those who need it most. We are so thankful for you, our prayer, volunteer and financial supporters. You make this work possible and are equipping our clients to know the significance of their role in parenting.

Teresa Russell, Director of Marketing

The Importance of Knowing

For her book, Sex and the Soul, author Donna Freitas surveyed and interviewed students at seven different American colleges and universities representing Catholic, Evangelical, nonreligious private and public institutions. She provides a tremendous body of statistical information about the sexual activities of American college students—statistics which include information about religious identification and religious practice. One finding that is particularly unsettling and surprising is the number of students who see little connection between sex and religion:

“Both Catholic and mainline Protestant students tended to perk up when our discussions turned to what their religious…traditions teach about sex, love and romance, though not in the way one might imagine. In interview after interview, students laughed out loud when asked what their faith tradition might have to say about these matters…at the idea that their faith had anything to say about sex…They laughed because they see religious views about sexuality (at least what they know of them, which is typically not very much) as outdated and irrelevant. And they laughed because they were confused about the prospect of their faith having anything useful to say about these things.”

The Pregnancy Care Center is committed to being proactive in helping both students and parents understand God has much to say about sex, love and romance. His plans, as revealed in Scripture, are far from being useless, outdated or irrelevant. On the contrary, God’s design for sexuality is always in our best interest. Our prayer is that we can assist families in seeing God’s truths as foundational to making healthy decisions regarding their sexuality. In the words of the psalmist, we ask God to, “Open our eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law…You made us; you created us. Now give us the sense to follow your commands….Your decrees are perfect; they are entirely worthy of our trust.” (Psalm 119:18, 73,138 New Living Translation)

At every stage, parents have the responsibility and privilege to challenge, encourage and equip their children to become the people God designed them to be. Much of this equipping involves communicating truth about sexuality so the presuppositions and mistruths of society do not mold their understanding; making sure what they know as they grow are facts based on truth. By their openness and willingness to dialogue, parents can establish themselves as the loving authority—the partner in truth.

Having effective, age-appropriate conversations about sex in loving and spiritually mature ways provides the foundation for students to make wise decisions—even when they are on their own. In fact, recent surveys of college students show that parents can influence their decisions about sex even more than their friends do. (Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children by Dr. Joe McIlhaney and Dr. Freda McKissic Bush). Teaching children about healthy sexuality is a continuing process—no matter at what age the dialogue is started. It is never too late to move closer to God’s best. The important thing is that parents seek to know and live out God’s design for themselves, and teach His design to their children.

“Love God with everything you are. Not with just by what you say, but love him desperately with every fiber of your being. God has given us commandments that we are to take so seriously that they become our character. Teach your children the importance of this Godly character. Talk about Godly character when you are just hanging out at home, when you watch T.V., even when you are in the car, up until the time you go to bed and starting again when the alarm goes off in the morning.” Deuteronomy 6: 5-7, Message Paraphrase.

Lisa Newton, Director of Christian Education

Real Life Teachable Moments

Recently I was “ripping” through the latest issue of Glamour magazine, tearing out all the editorials and innuendos regarding sex because my 16 year old daughter likes to look through the 13 pages left of fashion. I ran across an article entitled “Have More Sex: It’ll Make You a Better Person.” As you can guess, being an abstinence educator, it caught my attention.

The author states that the brain chemical oxytocin is often called the “love hormone” due to its release during intimacy. This I know to be true. I researched oxytocin on www.wikipedia.com and it states “oxytocin released into the brain of the female during sexual activity is important for forming a monogamous pair bond with her sexual partner” (emphasis mine). In addition, the article stated research has found that people given a dose of oxytocin were more giving and sensitive to others. The author concludes with this statement; “A self-improvement plan that requires more sex? Sign us up!”

As parents, family and friends of youth, we have a rich opportunity before us to utilize popular publications such as this as a teachable moment. The pages are filled with numerable examples of the ill-logical thinking (having sex will make you nice) of which our culture has indoctrinated this generation. The time has come for us to openly and honestly talk to our teens about the message the media is portraying to them about sex—and the influence these ideas can have on their thinking and eventually their behavior.

Here are some practical suggestions you can implement. Talk to your teen about how Glamour is marketing towards teens who are not married. Yet this article, and our culture at large, encourages teens to engage in casual sexual activity, chemically bonding (through oxytocin) to several partners before finding their spouse. They make it sound like this kind of sexual behavior will never have any consequences and it’s just a game. Then ask conversation starting questions such as “how well would you expect a marriage to work when the husband and wife have chemically bonded with several other people prior to their wedding night?” Guide them to really think through the information the culture is feeding them and help them to compare it to the truth of Scripture.

Keep your eyes and ears open to these teachable moments and be proactive in helping the teens you love recognize the lies by always pointing them to the truth. Let’s be the ones teaching our kids about true love, marriage, commitment and faithfulness, and ultimately help them attain it for themselves. When our kids know better, they do better. Seize the opportunity today to speak truth into the lives of our youth. Our kids and their futures are worth it!

Tracey Pike, Director of Community Education