By Carrie Brown McWhorter
The Alabama Baptist
The U.S. abortion rate is at a historic low but the ministry of crisis pregnancy centers in Alabama remains a vital part of pro-life advocacy in the state.
“As great as it is to hear that the abortion rate is down the reality is that too many abortions are still occurring and the number of women considering abortion is alive and well,” said Lisa Hogan, executive director of Sav-A-Life Pregnancy Test Center in Birmingham.
The mission of pregnancy test centers throughout the state is to help women see their options in a time of crisis, Hogan said.
“Our staff members and volunteers are called to serve these women and men and just love on them,” Hogan said. “That’s our goal. … God is at work and lives are changed as a result of what we are able to offer.”
A January 2017 news release issued by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization affiliated with the abortion movement, reported that the number of abortions in the United States dropped below 1 million in 2013 for the first time since 1975, two years after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion. According to Guttmacher, 958,700 abortions were performed in the U.S. in 2013 and 926,200 abortions were performed in 2014.
Abortions in Alabama are also down from 8,080 in 2014 to 5,899 in 2015, according to the Alabama Center for Health Statistics. However, those numbers are a bit misleading, said Sue Turner, executive director of Alabama Physicians for Life, because the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, which performs about 60 percent of the state’s total abortions, closed for seven months in 2015.
Abortion clinics
“Women aren’t having abortions if there is no access to an abortion center,” Turner said.
Alabama has five abortion clinics currently open, one each in the cities of Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. Alabama law also places many restrictions on abortions, including counseling, waiting periods and parental consent for minors.
Alabama law requires a woman to have an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, though the law does not require her to view the image.
Providing free ultrasounds is an important service offered at most pregnancy testing centers, Turner said, also noting the centers are pro-life and often Christian-based.
“Research tells us that 80–90 percent of women considering abortion decide against it after hearing their baby’s heartbeat,” Turner said.
The work of pregnancy centers doesn’t end when a woman makes her decision, however. Most centers provide referrals for needs such as food, clothing and medical care. They also offer education and training to help parents-to-be. Topics generally include the health aspects of pregnancy and childbirth, money management, healthy eating and relationship building.
Programs like “Earn While You Learn” allow pregnant moms to earn points, often called “mommy dollars,” for completing classes and keeping appointments. Dads can take the classes and earn dollars too. The dollars can be redeemed for supplies and equipment parents will need when their baby is born. Though the dollars are only good for baby supplies purchased at the pregnancy test center, the financial incentive helps remove one of the barriers to parenting that many women seeking an abortion face, Hogan said.
The parents get a lot of encouragement from shopping in these special “baby boutiques” for new cribs, clothing, diapers and other baby necessities, Turner said.
“Their eyes light up and they begin to think, ‘I can do this.’ They realize there’s help and begin to feel hopeful,” Turner said.
Providing hope is really the heart of crisis pregnancy centers, Hogan said.
“We want to give hope and help to anyone who seems to be facing an insurmountable obstacle in their lives,” Hogan said. “By the grace of God and with the help of folks like us to walk alongside them, we pray that each one realizes that God is in the midst of their crisis.”
In addition to free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, crisis pregnancy centers often offer referral services and education for those who choose to make an adoption plan for their unborn babies. There are also referrals for post-abortion counseling, a need that continually grows, said Cindy Harless, executive director of Abortion Recovery Alabama.
Need for volunteers
“Over a half million women in Alabama have had an abortion. Even if abortion ended today, our job would not,” Harless said.
Volunteers are essential to helping those coping with a crisis pregnancy and there is always a need for more, Turner said.
“There is so much to do and so few willing to get involved and commit,” she said. “Everyone can participate in this ministry. If you feel called at all to advocate for life, there’s a place for you.”
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5 ways to advocate for life
1. Know the options. Educate yourself about crisis pregnancy centers in your area so that you are ready to tell a daughter, granddaughter, neighbor or coworker considering abortion where to go for help.
2. Plan a 40 Days for Life campaign at your church. Get involved in a focused effort involving prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil to end abortion. For more information, visit www.40daysforlife.com.
3. Raise money. Get students and kids involved in raising money through creative fundraisers like Baby Bottle Boomerang. Give each family in your church an empty baby bottle to fill with money. Donate the proceeds to a local pregnancy testing center.
4. Purchase a Choose Life license plate. Available at your local tag office, these customizable tags are a significant source of funding for pregnancy centers and adoption agencies in the state. Since the tag debuted in 2004, more than $3.3 million has been raised. Choose Life tags “let Planned Parenthood and the rest of the world know that Alabama is a pro-life state,” said Cindy Harless, executive director of Choose Life Alabama.
5. Host a baby shower. For nine months, pray for women and their babies. At the end of nine months, throw a baby shower for your local crisis pregnancy or service center to help new moms.
(Compiled by Carrie Brown McWhorter)
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