All Options’ Needed When Facing an Unexpected Pregnancy
May 20, 2015When someone faces an unintended pregnancy, they need to know how to make the best decision and what option to pursue: becoming a parent, adoption or abortion. But that information is becoming increasingly hard to find these days.
Few clinics counsel women through that decision, and far too many “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) offer misinformation disguised as help and medical advice. That lack of options and CPC’s deceptiveness led Backline — a national nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California operating a hotline for callers wanting to talk about their experiences with pregnancy, parenting, abortion and adoption — to open the All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center in Bloomington, Indiana, on May 2. The center provides “open-hearted and open-minded support” for everyone making decisions about their pregnancies.
“Our callers tell us how rare and important it is for them to find this kind of open-hearted support and get to bring their whole selves into the conversation,” said Parker Dockray, executive director of Backline.
The All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center employs trained staff who can refer clients to inclusive adoption agencies, support groups, local parenting services, breastfeeding classes, as well as abortion funding and providers. They will also offer free pregnancy tests, everyday-parenting supplies like diapers, and baby clothes. More than 60 percent of women having abortions are already parents, and as Dockray stressed, “these are not separate needs — the truth is that families can need diapers and formula and an abortion referral and support all at the same time.”