December 6, 2011
Dear Friend,
This is a child. This is not a tadpole or a clump of cells. This is a child. This is the unspoken message of the fetal models on our desk. It is one of the best ways we’ve found at Birthright to address the issue of abortion. We help women look up from the pit of desperation to see other alternatives. We take this opportunity to explore all her options.
Distressed clients have a hard time seeing these options at first. A client, who I’ll call Teresa, came to Birthright hoping for a negative result on her pregnancy test. She had two children with one in his teens already. Life seemed balanced and manageable up to now. As a single mom she feared a third child would devastate her financially.
Reading the pregnancy test as positive, she was crushed. She told the volunteer that she felt pressure to consider abortion for this pregnancy, despite the fact that she had experienced an abortion years before.
Together they discussed Teresa’s concerns, prenatal development, and abortion. The volunteer was impressed by Teresa’s honesty and the depth of her searching. Teresa agreed to come to the office again to talk some more.
After the second appointment she was still ambivalent and torn. She talked with the volunteer at length and admitted that she had kept the pregnancy a secret for three months. Teresa spent some time studying our life like fetal models. She later said that this, along with our friendship, resulted in a changed mind about abortion.
Although some women continue to feel overwhelmed with the complexities of an unplanned pregnancy, many have a remarkable change of heart. While a woman talks with our volunteers, her situation doesn’t suddenly change. Her husband or boyfriend doesn’t become more trustworthy. Her parents don’t become more accepting. She doesn’t win the lottery and lose all fear of poverty. The only thing that changes is her heart. She now regards her unborn child with a mother’s protective heart. This is what crisis counseling offers. The importance of this service cannot be measured in words or numbers.
In 2012 we will need about $85,000 to finance the needs of Birthright. To achieve our goal we need your help. Please pray and consider helping with the ongoing needs of this ministry. I cannot think of a better investment for life.
On behalf of Birthright, I pray you have a Blessed and Merry Christmas holiday.
Carol Maglov, Director
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