If I could use only one word to describe what we do at Pregnancy Decision Health Centers, it would be HOPE.
From our client’s perspective, I hope that someone will listen. Hope that there might be some resources that I desperately need. Hope that there are answers to my questions. Hope that maybe I am not really pregnant. Hope that an abortion is not my only option. Hope that I can reverse my decision to abort my baby after already taking the abortion pill last night.
And we do provide that HOPE to each and every one of our clients who walk through our door. We listen and ask God to show us what she needs the most (which is not always what she says). We take note of what we can provide or our community and ministry partners can provide and share these – often seeing hope rise as we do.
You don’t know about pregnancy resources until you need them! Diapers, wipes, cribs, car seats, mentors, friends, counsel.
You don’t understand about STIs until you think you have one. And if a client is not pregnant, what an opportunity we have to speak TRUTH about God’s best plan for their life as they pursue healthier relationships! The truth of Jesus, the truth of what it means to be in a healthy relationship, the truth of who they are in Christ — often cannot come until that hope is provided. It often cannot be heard until an inkling of hope arises.
And then … our clients who think abortion is the only answer, there is hope as we discuss that there is another way, other options, other choices – and other people who can and will come alongside them.
And for those who made the decision to take the abortion pill out of desperation and in a place of no hope, we can provide the ultimate hope – a chance to save their baby.
I had a client who came to came to us through the Abortion Pill Rescue network – she had been considering taking the pills for weeks, got the pills online with no medical oversight and kept them until the night before I met her. We will call her Grace.
Grace had one child and a stable and successful job. However, she had been recovering from a very significant abusive relationship in the past. The physical abuse was so bad that it resulted in several surgeries and therapy for years.
She was now in a healthy relationship with a partner who was thrilled that she was pregnant – who wanted to marry her — but she did not feel that she was worthy or ready to open herself up to marriage and did not think she could emotionally handle another child. And so, in a moment of crisis, she opened her medicine cabinet and took that abortion pill she had ordered weeks ago. But her “motherly instinct” caused her to immediately regret it.
She came to see us and we began the reversal process. It was successful!!!! Her case was complex, as although she did not want to end the life of her child, she also did not think she was healthy enough to handle another child. We discussed adoption at length and this was her plan. Hope again comes through.
Halfway through her pregnancy, she called me in a panic and said she was going out of state to abort her baby. As I discussed this with her, she revealed that this child was conceived in a rape and she had kept this a secret. She simply could not handle the emotion of it all.
Her partner stood by her side and still wanted to marry her regardless and raise this child as his own. What a man. We don’t see this often and I encouraged her with this TRUTH. As I pointed this out to her and offered other resources, hope arose again. The abortion was cancelled.
Fast forward to the hospital – a healthy baby boy is born – the adoption plan is in place and ultimately Grace cannot go forward with it. She brings her baby home – life is still hard, but she is working hard on healing and letting hope into her life again. The TRUTH: Every life is valuable no matter how it is conceived, no matter the circumstances.
Here at PDHC, we stand ready to usher in HOPE and share TRUTH with a world that desperately needs it.
Don’t miss PDHC’s Celebration for Life Galas on Thursday, Sept. 18 in Lancaster and on Thursday, Sept. 25 in Columbus. Attendees will hear other inspirational stories of truth and hope, hear from amazing guest speakers, and learn more about the impact of PDHC in central Ohio.
For more information and to register visit SupportLifePDHC.org or call Kate Hamrick at 614-888-8774 ext. 6117.
Pregnancy Decision Health Centers has been sharing the truth and providing hope for more than 44 years in central Ohio.