Each week AFL posts an Anglicans in Action video, which gives practical suggestions, resources, and ideas for life-ministry. This week’s focus is on pregnancy centers. You can see all the Anglicans in Action videos on our YouTube Channel.
A common argument of pro-abortion advocates is that pro-lifers don’t care about women. Well, a new study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute provides evidence that says otherwise. Pro-aborts can say we don’t care about women all they want, but the impact of pregnancy centers in helping women is undeniable. Just consider that pregnancy centers have enlisted the help of 67,400 volunteers to serve their mission, ensuring that women and men are educated about options and have support when facing an unplanned pregnancy.
The truth is, abortion centers don’t help women. They claim to be pro-choice, when really, the only choice they want women to make is to have an abortion, because that’s what will make them a profit. Abortion clinics don’t actively seek to “help” women – they may seek to provide contraception, but they don’t seek to help women if they want to embrace motherhood. They aim to complete abortions, discharge the patient, and make a profit. They don’t care about a woman’s situation, what she is fearful of, about motherhood, or how they could partner with her to help her keep her child. Instead, each and every day, they participate and engage in the exploitation of a mother’s difficult situation. Pregnancy centers exist to combat that kind of evil and provide real services to women. According to the Lozier study, pregnancy centers served 2 million people and saved communities $161 million dollars in 2017 alone. There are 2,752 centers nationwide providing vital services including sonograms, parenting programs, and sexual risk avoidance education. More than 1 million students have benefited from the sexual risk avoidance presentations done in schools by center staff.
The focus of Pregnancy Center services is to provide information, emotional support, and local community resources and referrals. In addition there is on-going support for women who are pregnant through prenatal and infant care classes, professional counseling, baby and maternity clothing and supplies, emergency supplies of diapers and formula, and assistance to connect with community resources.
The most impressive part about pregnancy centers is that even when women leave their centers and choose abortion, their services are still available to them following the abortion when they feel the need for abortion aftercare ministry or professional counseling.
The study states that Pregnancy resource centers are quote, “Recognized as one of the greatest volunteer-based movements in history, pregnancy centers hand down a legacy of love to protect unborn children as well as assist women and men facing some of the most difficult situations life has to offer.”
So this week’s action idea is simple; join the volunteers at your local pregnancy center. Not all volunteers interact with the women, some help with bookkeeping, landscaping, or serve on the prayer teams. visit optionline.org to find a pregnancy center near you!
