Pregnant and Need Help? Alternatives to Abortion

There are Alternatives to Abortion!

It's often difficult to know where to turn when you are pregnant and afraid.

Well-meaning friends and acquaintances may recommend abortion as the easiest solution to a difficult situation. Yet we at Priests for Life have heard from countless women who have made this choice and later regretted it.

And nearly all of them say that they would have carried their child to term if the support had been there. Items most frequently mentioned were help with medical bills, ability to continue in her career or education, and most importantly, understanding from family, friends, and the father of the child.

Priests for Life wants to do what we can to help connect you with the people and resources which can make the choice for life a practical one, as well as a loving one for you and your baby, regardless of your financial or social situation.

The Church's response: Radical solidarity with the woman

Click here for a simple handout providing numbers for abortion alternatives and post-abortion counseling

Option Line consultants refer each caller to a pregnancy resource center in her area for answers to questions about abortion, pregnancy tests, STD's, adoption, parenting, medical referrals, housing, and many other issues. The toll-free number is available to callers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Callers from across the country can reach a trained, caring person and then be connected to a pregnancy resource center near them for one-on-one help. Option Line is a call center located in Columbus, Ohio, formed as a joint venture between Care Net and Heartbeat International. 1-800-712-HELP (4357)

Birthright has a network of almost a thousand pregnancy help centers throughout the United States, These centers offer pregnancy testing, counseling, and resources, including medical, financial, and personal assistance. The Birthright philosophy is that a woman coming in for help does not represent a "statistic", or an "issue,", but is rather a human being looking for help and support in a time of need. In addition to pregnancy help services, Birthright also provides links to doctors and others in the local community who can help a woman after the birth of her child.
1-800-550-4900

National Life Center's 24-hour hotline directs you to the closest Crisis Pregnancy Center in the United States and Canada. 1-800-848-LOVE

Bethany Christian Services is one of the nation's leading providers of adoption and crisis pregnancy support information. They operate a national hotline which is active from 8 AM to 12 PM, 7 days a week. This hotline routes callers to one of 56 local offices which can then provide local and regional information.

On-going education and support for parents are offered through our adoption support services. Bethany acknowledges that adoption is a life-long process and that adoptive families sometimes have unique issues and concerns. Bethany's adoption pre-screening and placement program is one of the most recommended in the country, and they have placed more than 11,000 children in adoptive homes. In addition, Bethany provides good community-based follow-up, both for women who choose adoption or who raise their child themselves. 1-800-BETHANY

The Nurturing Network Some 32,000 volunteer member resources nationwide provide individually tailored practical support to college and working women with unplanned pregnancies including counseling, medical, residential, educational, employment and financial resources. Visit their website.

Several Sources Foundation provides a 24-hour crisis pregnancy help line which can connect any caller to their local pregnancy help resources, including Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, and others. Their database of pregnancy help resources is one of the most complete in the nation. See for yourself at their great website!
1-800-662-2678

The Gabriel project not only seeks to save babies, but also to save women from years of spiritual darkness and death. It is a parish-based, "hands-on" help program that helps assure pregnant women that they will be helped. Visit their website.