Free Republic

Imagine a young woman riding the subway, consumed by her thoughts: she is pregnant, considering abortion, but unsure of where to turn. She looks up midcommute and notices a sign with three bold words, one beneath the other: “Free abortion alternatives.” At the bottom of the sign are several phone numbers that will lead her to any one of 12 E.M.C. FrontLine Pregnancy Centers around New York City. The centers — crisis pregnancy centers — provide support for women who would like to continue their pregnancies but are in dire financial straits. They provide useful social service referrals and offer...

Pregnancy Center in Arizona Severely Burned in Apparent Arson Attack Whiteriver, AZ -- A pregnancy center in rural eastern Arizona that serves a predominantly native American population was severely burned in what appears to be an arson attack. The Living Hope Women's Center clinic has closed indefinitely as a result of a fire that gutted a portion of the building on December 20. http://www.LifeNews.com/state4688.html

Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and 10 members of the council are sponsoring a bill that Catholic leaders believe harasses pro-life pregnancy support centers. City Council Bill 09-0406, “Limited-Service Pregnancy Centers –Disclaimers,” would require pregnancy support centers to post a disclaimer noting that they do not provide abortion or contraceptive services. Centers that do not comply would be fined $500 per day. In an Oct. 16 letter to Rawlings-Blake, Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien said the bill targets non-profit organizations whose mission is to help women carry pregnancies to term. He said it is “well-known” that pregnancy support centers are...

WASHINGTON—In the wake of concentrated campaigns against crisis pregnancy centers—which detractors have termed “fake clinics”—a new report details the healthcare service they provide for women. The Family Research Council, Care Net, Heartbeat International, LIFE International, and The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates commissioned the study over two years ago, one of the first of its kind. It examines the role that 2,300 “pregnancy resource centers” (PRCs) across the country have had since the first center opened in California in 1968. The report describes community-based, faith-based organizations that provide not just medical services but also counseling for 1.9 million...

LANSDOWNE, Virginia, July 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- Care Net, an organization that supports a network of 1,090 pregnancy centers in North America, commented today on the passing of its founder, Dr. Harold O.J. Brown on July 8, 2007. "It is with sad but joyful hearts that we reflect on the passing of Dr. Harold O.J. Brown," said Care Net President Kurt Entsminger. "By founding Care Net in 1975, originally Christian Action Council, Dr. Brown was instrumental in touching the lives of millions of women facing crisis pregnancies with the compassion of Christ." Melinda Delahoyde, Board Chair Emeritus for Care Net,...

Colorado Springs, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Focus on the Family announced Thursday that it has placed the 200th ultrasound machine in a crisis pregnancy center in order to dramatically increase the percentage of women opting against having an abortion. The machine placements are part of a national campaign. Since the pro-family group launched its Option Ultrasound program, it has helped 200 pregnancy centers get the machines, which show amazing pictures of babies before birth. Statistics show that 84 percent of women decide against an abortion after seeing an ultrasound of their baby. Kim Conroy, is the sanctity of life director for...

Due to a shortage of both funds and volunteers, East San Jose's Community Pregnancy Center, a non-profit clinic that provides free and comprehensive pregnancy information and support for women, will be closing its doors. Other CPCs in the Silicon Valley remain open, but rely on donations and volunteers to continue and expand their services. 79% of women who receive an abortion say they were not counseled on alternatives. In fact, 84% of post-abortive women believe that they did not receive adequate counseling before having their abortion.* The Community Pregnancy Centers seek to fill this need by providing complete and comprehensive...

Abortion opponents won a victory last week at the Capitol, when lawmakers approved a bill requiring women to wait 24 hours and receive counseling before undergoing an abortion. But for more than a year, a Columbia counseling center advocating abortion alternatives has been employing a new strategy. In August 2002, Open Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center began offering free ultrasound exams to women who visit the clinic. Their idea is that women who see their baby on the ultrasound monitor will be less likely to choose abortion. Nile Abele, executive director of the center, said that in the first six months...

Pregnancy center offers free first trimester ultrasounds The Bakersfield Pregnancy Center welcomed a new edition to its facilities Thursday. Mayor Harvey Hall was on hand to introduce the Christian nonprofit agency's new first trimester ultrasound capability. The center helps women and teenage girls deal with unplanned pregnancies. It also offers free pregnancy testing, individual and group counseling, as well as healthcare referrals. With new ultra sound equipment, the center hopes to encourage pregnant women to consider options outside of abortion. “We can offer women in their first trimester a free ultra sound and give them a chance to see...