by Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at Heartbeat International

History often gives us striking juxtapositions—stories of two individuals whose lives draw sharp lines between competing worldviews. Such is the case with Margaret Sanger and Margaret (Peggy) Hartshorn—two women who each left a profound mark on the conversation surrounding human life, but whose values and visions could not be more different.

Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger (1879–1966), founder of what would eventually become Planned Parenthood, championed birth control and population control in the early 20th century. To many, she is portrayed as a pioneer of women’s “reproductive freedom.” But a closer look reveals troubling roots. Sanger’s worldview placed autonomy and self-determination above the sanctity of life itself. In her eyes, life was negotiable, especially the lives of those she deemed “unfit.”

Sanger openly promoted eugenics —the belief that the human race could be improved by discouraging the reproduction of people with what she deemed as having undesirable traits. Her writings and public statements often linked birth control with the goal of “weeding out the unfit,” and she advocated for policies that would limit births among the poor, the disabled, and minority populations. Rather than cherishing every life as sacred and worthy of dignity, Sanger viewed many lives as burdens to be eliminated or prevented.

Her movement was built on the premise that women could only be free if they were no longer bound by the possibility of motherhood. Liberation, in her mind, meant separation from the natural gift of life. The results of that philosophy are seen today in a culture where abortion is often promoted as empowerment, and where the value of life is weighed against convenience, cost, or circumstance.

Margaret (Peggy) Hartshorn

In contrast stands Margaret (Peggy) Hartshorn, a name less known in the mainstream but revered in the movement to protect life. As the longtime leader of Heartbeat International, Peggy Hartshorn has spent her life affirming the value of every human being, born and unborn, by building and strengthening a global network of pregnancy help centers that offer real choices to women in crisis.

Where Sanger championed the ideology of self over others, Peggy has quietly lived out a gospel of sacrificial love. She and her husband began by opening their own home to pregnant women in need, embodying the belief that true freedom for a woman doesn’t come from ending a pregnancy—but from being surrounded by people who will walk with her in love.

That foundational belief led Peggy to develop what is now known as the LOVE Approach, a simple yet profound model of care embraced by thousands of pregnancy help organizations around the world. The acronym LOVE stands for Listen and Learn, Open Options, Vision and Value, and Extend and Empower, a framework rooted in compassion, practical help, and unwavering respect for the woman and her child. This approach doesn’t just provide alternatives to abortion; it offers a path to hope, healing, and a future filled with possibility.

Peggy's legacy is one of hope and healing. Under her leadership, Heartbeat International has equipped pregnancy help organizations in over 100 countries to offer ultrasounds, maternity housing, post-abortion healing, and life-affirming care. Her vision values both mother and child, recognizing the inherent worth in every person regardless of age, ability, race, or circumstances.

Yet her legacy isn’t only global—it’s deeply personal. To meet Peggy in person is to experience the sanctity of life firsthand. The genuine kindness in her voice, the warmth in her eyes, and the patient attention she gives to each individual testify to the deep-rooted conviction that every life matters. There is no pretense in her advocacy—no hint of agenda or performative concern. She lives the pro-life message with every handshake, every conversation, every act of grace. Peggy’s presence alone affirms the truth that life is sacred, not in theory, but in each person we encounter.

Two Margarets. Two Movements. Two Moral Compasses.

Margaret Sanger’s legacy continues today in the abortion industry, a system built on fear, control, and the belief that some lives are disposable. In just one year, Planned Parenthood performed over 402,000 abortions across the U.S., according to its 2023–2024 Annual Report. That’s more than 1,100 unborn lives lost every single day.

In a powerful and providential contrast, Heartbeat International answers roughly 1,100 calls a day through its 24/7 Option Line—a helpline offering women compassionate, life-affirming support the moment they need it most. One movement ends life. The other answers the call to save it.

The difference in daily impact is staggering—and it’s no coincidence. The leaders behind each movement shaped these outcomes. Sanger laid the foundation for a culture of death, masked in the language of rights and autonomy. Peggy Hartshorn built a legacy of love, rooted in the unshakable belief that no one should have to face pregnancy alone, and no life is beyond value.

What Sanger’s movement ends, Peggy’s movement nurtures. Where Planned Parenthood sees a problem to solve, Peggy sees a person to love.

Even Planned Parenthood has attempted to distance itself from Sanger’s eugenic roots, removing her name from its Manhattan facility. Yet no amount of rebranding can undo the consequences of a philosophy that devalues life at its most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Peggy Hartshorn’s legacy continues to grow, not just in buildings or programs, but in families restored, babies born, and women empowered with the truth that they are never alone.

The contrast is clear: one woman spent her life encouraging the world to live for self and to deny the value of lives deemed inconvenient. The other has spent her life defending the dignity of all life and serving those in need with courage and compassion.

In a culture still wrestling with the question of what it means to be free, the story of these two Margarets reminds us that true freedom is not found in rejecting life, but in embracing it.

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Join Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, as she interviews Margaret (Peggy) Hartshorn, former President and Chairwoman of Heartbeat International. Together, they explore Peggy’s remarkable 50-year legacy in the pregnancy help movement and reflect on the powerful contrast between two Margarets: one who promoted ending life and one who dedicated her life to protecting it.

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Welcome!

We are delighted to welcome you to beautiful Singapore, the location of Heartbeat International’s 1st Pan-Asian Pregnancy Help Leaders Summit. You are in for a treat to be with over 45 other life-affirming leaders!

Heartbeat International is the first network of pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. and remains the largest and most expansive network in the world. Since 1971, Heartbeat has supported, strengthened, and started pregnancy help organizations, including pregnancy help medical clinics, pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, and adoption agencies all over the world. Currently, Heartbeat serves over 4,000 affiliate locations on all six inhabited continents to provide alternatives to abortion.

We are a nonprofit, interdenominational, Christian association of faith-based pregnancy resource centers, medical clinics, maternity homes, and nonprofit adoption agencies endorsed by Christian leaders nationwide.

Our Vision is a world where every new life is welcomed and children are nurtured within strong families, according to God’s Plan, so abortion is unthinkable.

Our Mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE.

Tatum Cole is a registered nurse specializing in women’s health, with five years of experience providing compassionate, life-affirming care. She currently serves as an APR (Abortion Pill Reversal) Hotline Nurse with Heartbeat International, where she supports women navigating urgent and complex pregnancy decisions.

Previously, Tatum was the Nurse Manager at Hope First in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where she led clinical services including pregnancy testing, STD testing, limited obstetric ultrasounds, and abortion pill reversal care. Her work reflects a strong
commitment to evidence-based practice and patient-centered support.

Tatum holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Appalachian State University. As a military spouse since 2012, she brings a global perspective to her work, currently living and serving overseas.

Johanna Durairaj, a devoted wife to her Indian husband and a mother of five, began her journey toward natural birth following her initial C-section delivery with her first child. Drawing from her own personal experiences and driven by a passion for empowering pregnant mothers, Johanna has dedicated over a decade of her life to actively serving and assisting pregnant women. In 2011, while accompanying a pregnant mother to the hospital, Johanna confronted the limitations of the healthcare system. It was at this moment that the idea of a natural birthing home took root in her heart. Johanna’s mission is to create a space where families can embrace parenthood with beauty, respect, and the dignity they deserve. As a La Leche certified lactational consultant, she also offers expertise to support and guide mothers on their breastfeeding journey. She and her husband direct Life for All in Coimbatore, India.

Ellen Foell, J.D., serves as the International Program Specialist for Heartbeat International, where she supports around 1,500 affiliates in more than 100 countries. With a background in law and ministry, Ellen first joined Heartbeat as Legal Counsel. After a season of writing and nonprofit advocacy, she returned to Heartbeat to focus on global outreach, offering training, mentorship, and strategic support to pregnancy help organizations. Ellen has represented Heartbeat at the United Nations, and her work has taken her to countries worldwide. A dedicated wife and mother of four, Ellen brings a heart for missions, years of cross-cultural ministry experience, and a deep commitment to life-affirming care around the globe.

Jor-El Godsey serves as President of Heartbeat International, the largest affiliation network of pregnancy help organizations in the world serving nearly 4,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Jor-El leads a staff dedicated to equipping, empowering, and encouraging the thousands of leaders serving in Heartbeat affiliated life-affirming pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and adoption services, in the U.S. and on every inhabited continent. Jor-El oversees Heartbeat’s core mission to reach and rescue lives at-risk for abortion through far-reaching programs that include Option Line and Abortion Pill Rescue Network.

Melissa Heiland is a wife, mother of 6, and grandmother of 13. She holds degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Central Missouri. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Beautiful Feet International, a mission organization that starts international pregnancy centers. Beautiful Feet has over 200 pregnancy ministries in over 40 nations. Melissa is an author, speaker, and missionary. She has written a training manual for pregnancy centers, a curriculum for pregnancy centers, and devotionals for new and pregnant moms, as well as devotionals for mission teams. Her passion is teaching others to share the Gospel and to protect life. www.BeautifulFeetInternational.com

Jennifer Heng is passionate about building a culture of life in Singapore and Asia. She is the Director and Founder of Safe Place, an initiative that empowers women with unsupported pregnancies to make life-giving choices. Her strong communication and leadership skills, as well as a passion for building a culture of Life enable her to increase the impact of her work and role. She tells her own inspiring life story in her book “Walking Out of Secret Shame.”

Wade Kim is currently the Welfare Director of Women’s Hope Center in Korea. He has been with WHC since March 2017.

Juli Sharpe is the CEO of Genesis Pregnancy Support Inc, and has been involved with Genesis for 20 years, originally as a counselor and then as a teacher. She is a delegate to the International Conference on Pregnancy Support in the US. 3 children and 5 grandchildren in her family.

Dr. Roopa Verghese is an obstetrician-gynecologist and bioethicist with extensive experience in both clinical practice and ethical leadership. She completed her graduation and post-graduation at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, followed by master’s degrees in Sweden and at Trinity International University in Chicago. She currently serves with the Emmanuel Hospital Association, a network of 20 hospitals serving rural communities across North and Northeast India. Based in Chattarpur, Dr. Verghese is the Medical Superintendent and Senior Consultant, providing both medical care and organizational leadership. In addition, she is the Executive Director of the Center for Bioethics India, where she leads initiatives to advance ethical reflection and practice in healthcare. An accomplished author, Dr. Verghese has written five books on obstetrics, gynecology, and bioethics. She also shares her reflections through her personal blog and podcast, Life in Introspection.

She is married to Dr. Jewel Jagan Jacob, an anesthetist and critical care physician, whom she describes as her partner in every venture. Together, they are blessed with a daughter, Jeroosha, who is currently in Class 11.

Leandro Dela Cruz

A few details to make the Summit an enjoyable experience for everyone:

• Please be on time for all sessions.

• You must wear your Summit badge for entry to the dining area.

• Thursday afternoon, you will have an option to tour our host center, aLife. Thereafter, you will have time to tour Singapore. Dinner will be on your own on Thursday and Friday.

We are glad you are part of the Heartbeat family.
At this Summit, we are pleased to welcome representatives from several nations around the world!

For affiliation services and questions, please contact
Ellen Foell, J.D., International Program Specialist at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
whatsapp/signal +1(614)302-3664

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What is Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week?

Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week was designed by Heartbeat International to honor those working within the pregnancy help movement. Through their work, women and men receive the compassionate support they need when facing a life-changing decision. They walk alongside families throughout the pregnancy and beyond, blessing them with pregnancy tests, emotional support, ultrasounds, parenting classes, and so much more at no cost. 

From volunteers to executive directors, nurses to receptionists, each person working in a pregnancy help organization has been gifted with the passion to advance the culture of LIFE! And for that, we thank you!

How you can thank a Pregnancy Help Foot Soldier:

• Pray. The emotional energy given by those who work in the pregnancy help movement is extreme. They give of themselves daily. Pray for spiritual refreshment for those who go into the center today.
• Volunteer. Connect with your local pregnancy help organization and see what their needs are. You may have just the right skills to fill a need.
• Donate items. Call your local pregnancy help organization and ask them what items they need to bless a new mother (such as diapers or maternity clothes) and start collecting. Not only will you bless a center, you will bless multiple families as well.
• Give. Without the generous donations of those within the community, pregnancy centers would not be able to provide their services for free.
• Share the love. Share the good work of the pregnancy help community with your social networks. Don't know what to post? Like Heartbeat International on Facebook and/or Instagram and you'll find plenty to share!

If you haven't heard of Pregnancy Help Appreciation Week before, you should expect special deals, thank-you messages, and extra prayers this week.

Plus! We'll be holding a drawing at the end of the week where one lucky winner will get a fun gift basket from us at Heartbeat!

Click on each image to view the full-sized version. Then, save it to your device and share it on Facebook, Instagram, or post on X to show your love for the pregnancy help movement using the hashtag #ThankAPregnancyCenter

 

Monday

      

 

  

 

Tuesday

      

 

    

 

Wednesday

    

 

    

 

Thursday

 

Friday

 

 

 

Co-hosted by MHC & Mary’s Choice RVA Maternity Home

Join us for our next regional event for maternity housing organizations!

WHERE

St. Michael Lake House
4491 Springfiled Rd.
Glen Allen, VA 23060

WHEN

Thursday, August 28, 2025
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Come at 9 a.m. for coffee and networking

Lunch provided.