It's often difficult to know where to turn when you are pregnant and afraid.
Well-meaning friends and acquaintances may recommend abortion as the easiest
solution to a difficult situation. Yet we at Priests For Life have received
hundreds of calls from women who have made this choice and later regretted it.
A November 1994 Reader Digest article by Mary Cunningham Agee reported that
91% of women surveyed in post-abortion interviews stated that they would have
carried their child to term if the support had been there. Items most frequently
mentioned were help with medical bills, ability to continue in her career or
education, and most importantly, understanding from family, friends, and the
father of the child.
Priests for Life wants to do what we can to help connect you with the people
and resources which can make the choice for life a practical one, as well as a
loving one for you and your baby, regardless of your financial or social
situation.
The Church's response: Radical
solidarity with the woman
Click here for a simple handout providing
numbers for abortion alternatives and post-abortion counseling
OptionLine
Option Line consultants refer each caller to a pregnancy resource center in
her area for answers to questions about abortion, pregnancy tests, STD's,
adoption, parenting, medical referrals, housing, and many other issues. The
toll-free number is available to callers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Callers from across the country can reach a trained, caring person and then be
connected to a pregnancy resource center near them for one-on-one help.
Option Line is a call center located in Columbus, Ohio, formed as a joint
venture between Care Net and
Heartbeat International.
1-800-712-HELP (4357)
Birthright
Birthright has a network of almost a thousand pregnancy help centers
throughout the United States, These centers offer pregnancy testing, counseling,
and resources, including medical, financial, and personal assistance. The
Birthright philosophy is that a woman coming in for help does not represent a
"statistic", or an "issue,", but is rather a human being looking for help and
support in a time of need. In addition to pregnancy help services, Birthright
also provides links to doctors and others in the local community who can help a
woman after the birth of her child.
1-800-550-4900
National Life Center
National Life Center's 24-hour hotline directs you to the closest Crisis
Pregnancy Center in the United States and Canada.
1-800-848-LOVE
Bethany Christian Services
Bethany Christian Services is one of the nation's leading providers of
adoption and crisis pregnancy support information. They operate a national
hotline which is active from 8 AM to 12 PM, 7 days a week. This hotline routes
callers to one of 56 local offices which can then provide local and regional
information.
On-going education and support for parents are offered through our adoption
support services. Bethany acknowledges that adoption is a life-long process and
that adoptive families sometimes have unique issues and concerns. Bethany's
adoption pre-screening and placement program is one of the most recommended in
the country, and they have placed more than 11,000 children in adoptive homes.
In addition, Bethany provides good community-based follow-up, both for women who
choose adoption or who raise their child themselves.
1-800-BETHANY
The Nurturing
Network
Some 32,000 volunteer member resources nationwide provide individually
tailored practical support to college and working women with unplanned
pregnancies including counseling, medical, residential, educational, employment
and financial resources.
Several Sources Foundation
Several Sources Foundation provides a 24-hour crisis pregnancy
help line which can connect any caller to their local pregnancy help resources,
including Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, and others. Their
database of pregnancy help resources is one of the most complete in the nation.
See for yourself at their great website!
1-800-662-2678
Gabriel Project
From the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Dr. Marcella Colbert
directs this Catholic ministry that evangelizes and saves lives, using the local
parish as the haven in which women who are pregnant and in need can hear an echo
of Gabriel’s message, “You have nothing to fear!”
Adoption Information, Support, Questions