Birthright International

(This is a start of another short series that I will do over the next few days. Pro-aborts claim that all those in the Pro-Life movement care about is topping abortion thus justifying the terms anti-abortion, anti-choice or abortion foe. While in the early days that was somewhat true, mainly because things were just getting off the ground, the reality is Pro-Life means much more than just stopping abortion.

That is why this series in which I will look at some organizations that help women find the alternatives out there so that they don't have to get an abortion. & like my other series on Pro-Life organizations, this is also a blatent plug for you to donate, time as well as money. Last week we celebrated Jesus' death & resurrection so that we might have eternal life. This is 1 excellent way to show our gratitude to Jesus for what He did.)

The 1st group I want to focus in on is Birthright International. From their website:

"Birthright began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1968, when Louise Summerhill, a busy housewife and mother of seven children, felt something should be done to help women through an unplanned pregnancy. The grassroots response to her idea was overwhelming, and the Toronto chapter quickly grew into Birthright International, the world's first international crisis pregnancy service. In 2003, Birthright International celebrated its 35th anniversary with over 400 chapters worldwide, including Canada, the United States, and others in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Colombia. Birthright is a fully independent organization, not affiliated with any church or public agency. Its name and logo are trademarks. An estimated 28,000 women make their first visit to a Birthright chapter every month. Birthright also operates a 24-hour North American hotline, at 1-800-550-4900.

Many Birthright volunteers and clients feel a special affection for Louise Summerhill-- an ordinary woman who did something extraordinary to help others. Events in her life helped her understand the feelings pregnant girls might experience, including feelings of loneliness, fear of criticism, tension with parents, and even the shock of finding oneself unexpectedly pregnant.

Birthright began very humbly in 1968, with a one-room office and only $300 in the bank. But Louise's steady leadership and powerful vision ensured that the new pregnancy service survived. In later years, Louise was glad the organization did not begin with a lot of money because it caused Birthright to rely on the "good hearts and hard work of volunteers" to provide "lots of love and common sense." Over thirty-five years later, Birthright International remains true to Louise's original vision of personal, one-on-one contact in helping relationships. Louise's Birthright means "approachability and informality" for clients and volunteers, instead of bureaucracy and meetings in highly structured, business-like environments.

Birthright takes a "non-moralistic, non-judgmental" approach toward helping women through their pregnancy dilemmas. Louise regretted the fact that some young unmarried mothers were belittled or ostracized by their relatives: "I can never see anything wrong with any of them." Louise recreated the supportive homelike environment they deserved to have. Moreover, Louise helped formulate a Charter, followed by all Birthright chapters worldwide, to define Birthright's services, to ensure that pregnant women receive the same considerate treatment at every Birthright chapter, and to help volunteers preserve Birthright's good reputation in the future."

The services Birthright provides:
Completely confidential help
Friendship and emotional support
Free pregnancy testing
Medical referrals
Legal referrals
Educational assistance and referrals
Maternity and baby clothes
Housing referrals
Referrals to social agencies
Referrals for professional counseling
Information on:
Prenatal development
Job search/career development
Adoption
Pregnancy & childbirth
Child care options
Child safety issues

As they say: "BIRTHRIGHT IS THERE ...for every woman who calls for help. Whether that call is for nothing more than an anonymous pregnancy test or for friendship and support lasting through the delivery and beyond, Birthright is there. Every woman is special and deserves to be treated as an individual."They will help"...any girl or woman regardless of age, race, creed, marital or economic status, who feels distressed by an unplanned pregnancy."

All of Birthright's services are provided to the women who use them at no cost to the woman. This means they are dependant on donations of money time & materials. You can go to their website for more info on Birthright, the nearest location, donate of volunteer. You can also call 1-800-550-4900 or e-mail them at info@birthright.org to find the chapter nearest you.

______________

1 last thing about the DBQ Birthright. They recently announced their Spring Non-Bake Bake Sale. Rather than spend the money for gas to go to the grocery store, the ingredients & for the gas/electricity to bake the items, they ask you to just donate the money you would spend to the DBQ office. The money raised will go for operating expenses as well as buying the layette they give to each mother. The DBQ office is at 1125 Main St. (52001) 563-556-1991.