Courageous Moms Share Gratitude with U.S. Lawmakers: "Pregnancy Centers are Good for America"

Virginia Cline : Jan 30, 2012
Heartbeat International

"I owe Crossroads Pregnancy Center my life, because without that ad in the phone book and that first initial contact, I don't know where I would be today. I do know that I would not have my son, who is the light in my life, nor would I have the support system that I have found in those who helped me in my darkest hour."

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'd like to reiterate the great need for pregnancy centers. I was not married when I became pregnant with my first child, and her biological father tried his best to convince me to have an abortion. Fortunately, God had already made it very clear in my heart that this was a baby who had every right to live, and with my parents' invaluable love and support I made it through that time, and now have a beautiful 27-year-old daughter who is a blessing to all who know her. However, at the time I was pregnant, there were NO pregnancy centers in my area. Looking back, I could've benefitted so much by their practical help and support. For that reason, I will always do what I can to support them now. -Aimee Herd, BCN.

(Washington, DC)—Women faced with unexpected pregnancies who chose life, rejecting the choice to abort their babies, are delivering a powerful message of gratitude to Congress on Jan. 24, 2012. Heartbeat's Babies Go to Congress® gives women, served by their local pregnancy centers, the opportunity to bring their babies, who were at risk of abortion, to Capitol Hill to tell U.S. lawmakers that "Pregnancy centers are good for America."

Every woman deserves love and support during an unexpected pregnancy. No woman should feel so alone, so coerced, or so hopeless that she ends her child's life through abortion.

Women have been thanking pregnancy centers for this life-affirming help for decades and Heartbeat wanted to give these women a chance to tell their stories of how pregnancy centers helped them through a difficult situation. These are real mothers with real names and real appreciation.

"I owe Crossroads Pregnancy Center my life, because without that ad in the phone book and that first initial contact, I don't know where I would be today. I do know that I would not have my son, who is the light in my life, nor would I have the support system that I have found in those who helped me in my darkest hour," said former client Krista Garner of Huntingdon, PA. "I also know that I DO deserve my son, my son deserves life, and that every girl deserves a place to go where she can feel safe, supported, encouraged, and educated to reach her goals and head in the right direction."

The pregnancy center's purpose is to provide the emotional help and practical resources needed to welcome a new life by surrounding the client with unconditional love and compassion. This includes helping each woman to recognize her own inherent value and the inestimable value of the child she carries in her womb.

Pregnancy help centers affiliated with Heartbeat International serve women with unexpected pregnancies without any financial motivation. Heartbeat affiliates provide all the facts on abortion—from possible medical complications to post-abortion trauma—that abortion facilities often choose to leave out.

Heartbeat International, founded in 1971, is a Christ-centered association of 1,200 pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, non-profit adoption agencies, and pregnancy help medical clinics across the nation and in 50 other countries. Heartbeat connects those in need of compassionate assistance with their closest pregnancy center at www.OptionLine.org.