HBI
Ashley and Thailynn
A young woman was so thankful for the assistance and support she received from a Pittsburgh, Pa. pregnancy help medical clinic and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network that she was moved to share her story.
“What are the chances you’ll find somebody who wants to help you?” Ashley said.
Just out of high school last year, Ashley was focused on partying. When she began to regularly feel tired, she had no idea she was pregnant.
After taking a pregnancy test and getting a positive result, she was frightened.
“Like this isn't a joke,” Ashley said. “This is real. I was scared. I'm a kid. I'm a kid about to have a kid. How do you do that?”
When Ashley told the child’s father, he urged her to have an abortion. She didn’t want to, but eventually conceded.
She had an appointment for a chemical abortion at seven weeks and five days gestation. The abortion facility staff told her that once she took the first abortion pill, it would block her hormones, and her baby would stop growing.
“And then you go home, and you finish it at home,” Ashley recalled. “And I just sat in that waiting room and he was like, ‘You're already here. You're already here. You're already, here you go. Just do it.’”
The chemical abortion regimen consists of two drugs. The first, mifepristone, blocks progesterone, the natural hormone in a woman’s body necessary to sustain pregnancy. The second drug, misoprostol, taken a day or so later, causes the mother to go into labor and deliver her deceased child.
Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) entails taking progesterone to counter the first abortion drug. If a mom acts quickly enough after taking the first abortion pill, it may be possible to save her unborn child through the APR protocol.
“And then I took the abortion pill,” Ashley said.
She immediately had regret.
“I felt like I did the wrong thing,” Ashley said. “And I hated that I did that. Is there any way I can take back? Like I can't take this back. I just killed my baby. That's scary.”
She kept telling herself that she went ahead with the abortion because she was unsure.
“But it's like, exactly, you were unsure,” she said, “you didn't give it the benefit of the doubt. You didn't try to be a mom.”
Ashley was terribly upset.
“I couldn't do anything but cry,” she said. “I was like, I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. I can't even describe it. I just felt a burden on me. Like I felt heavy. I felt like I did the wrong thing, and I couldn't take it back.”
Ashley wondered how she would live with this decision for the rest of her life.
She contacted the abortion provider for help, to no avail.
“I called back the doctors who gave me the abortion pill and they were like, no, no. Like the progesterone is gone,” Ashley said. “I'm freaking out. I was terrified. I thought, okay, I lost my baby. I did it. There's nothing I can do about it.”
Ashley went on the internet and searched, “Is there any way to reverse an abortion?”
She called the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) hotline and heard back from a nurse consultant first thing in the morning. The nurse connected her with Women’s Choice Network, where Nurse Manager Gloria Hale arranged for her progesterone prescription. This took some doing since it was a Sunday.
“I would not still pregnant if it wasn't for that,” said Ashley.
Ashley said several times over the phone that she just wanted to see the baby’s heartbeat, Hale said. They were successful in getting the progesterone started and Ashley came into the pregnancy help medical clinic Monday morning for an ultrasound.
“She brought her mom with her,” Hale told Pregnancy Help News. “Words can't capture the relief shown and then absolute glow on her face as we showed her the baby's heart beating. I'll never forget Ashley's excitement as she grabbed her mom's hand and said, ‘Mom, that's my baby!’”
The APRN is managed by Heartbeat International and is made up of around 1,100 medical professionals and pregnancy help organizations that facilitate APR. The Network’s statistics show that to date, 3,000 lives and counting have been saved thanks to APR.
“Every night, I laid down and I prayed, and I let God know I'm thankful for him,” Ashley said. “I reversed my abortion, and I am pregnant. I'm about to give birth to a beautiful baby girl.”
Ashley remarked on the help she received from the APRN and Women’s Choice Network, and how it was offered without judgement.
“Nobody's telling you what you did was wrong and now you have to live with it,” she said. “They're 100%. Like I will help you from my own pockets. I will take money out of my own pocket and go help you.”
It can be a roller coaster of emotions not only for the client but for those involved in caring for her as well, Hale said.
“From responding to her desperate phone call with words of affirmation, encouragement, and hope, to holding our breath alongside of her as the ultrasound begins and we're hoping to see a viable pregnancy,” she said. “However, with all that said, it is truly a blessing and privilege to come alongside these brave women and support them in every way we can through their APR and pregnancy experience.”
Ashley gave birth to daughter Thailynn in August 2021.
The young mom shared her story last fall via video with the attendees of the Women's Choice Network banquet, then joining staff onstage afterward with Thailynn.
“It was an incredible moment for our crowd,” said Executive Director Amy Scheuring. “It's so humbling to see how God uses us to intervene and transform.”
After the Women’s Choice Network event Ashley and Thailynn were doing well, settling in with Ashley's parents.
“And the whole family is in love with Thailynn,” Hale told Pregnancy Help News.
“Woman's choice network. 100% gave me my baby,” said Ashley. “They saved not only my life, but my daughter's life.”
Interested in helping more women like Ashley? Visit hbi.life/socialgive to give today.
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The Power of the Pregnancy Help Movement
Learn About Life-Affirming Pregnancy Help
- Life Trends Report
- Heartbeat International 2023 Annual Report
- 9 Things You Should Know About Pregnancy Help Organizations
- Pregnancy Help News - Articles on current events
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- 4 Ways to Rescue Lives in Your Town
- 10 Things You Can Say and Do
- Equip your community with The Love Approach Book
More on the Pregnancy Help Movement
- Read: The Power of Pregnancy Help: Lasting Foundations for the Movement
- Watch: The Pregnancy Help Movement in Heartbeat's 50th Year
- Watch: 50 Years of Pregnancy Help Remarks from Jor-El Godsey
Contact Us
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Special Message from Pastor Wootton, Heartbeat Board Member*
John Wootton joined our board of directors after touring our global ministry location. He believed in the call to save every life, spiritually and physically.
John recently passed on to his eternal home, but his message still resonates today.
What does the overturning of Roe mean to you?
June 24, 2022 will go down in history as the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, sending the abortion discussion back to the states. We invite you to share with us what this day means to you, personally.
Celebrating Decisive Supreme Court Victory
June 24, 2022
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Heartbeat International, the nation’s largest network of pregnancy help centers, celebrates decisive Supreme Court victory
“I thank God that fifty years of injustice for the unborn and fifty years of the craven politicization of women’s health by Big Abortion activists is over.”
— Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International
COLUMBUS, OH: The leaders of Heartbeat International respond to the overturning of Roe v. Wade with the following statements:
Danielle M. White, General Counsel for Heartbeat International:
“Roe was wrong the day it was decided. Yet for decades, the Supreme Court has clung to the outdated notion that women need abortion in order to participate equally in the life of the nation. How utterly untrue! With the Supreme Court out of the way, states can now be much more creative in exploring how best to support and empower women as they choose life and pursue their dreams. Pregnancy help has stood beside women, walked with them, and journeyed with them through an unexpected pregnancy, so that no woman ever feels so alone or so helpless that she thinks that abortion is her only option.”
Jor-El Godsey, Heartbeat International President:
“Finally, the Supreme Court has admitted their grave error and overturned Roe, but we must never forget these fifty years. I thank God that fifty years of injustice for the unborn and fifty years of the craven politicization of women’s health by Big Abortion activists is over. Today is not just a historic day—it is a new day.”
Cindi Boston-Bilotta, Heartbeat International’s Vice President of Mission Advancement:
“The need is not going to go away, women will still need help, and the pregnancy help movement will continue to be there for any woman who needs us.”
Betty McDowell, Vice President of Ministry Services with Heartbeat International:
“Someone asked me, ‘how does this change your work?’ The truth is that it really doesn’t. For decades we have served every mother we could and we will continue to day after day every woman who comes to us. We’re for women, and we will continue to help support them and to provide training for pregnancy help centers all over the world.”
Andrea Trudden, Heartbeat International Vice President of Communications & Marketing:
“Our work is not over, in fact, in many ways it is just beginning. Women still need compassionate care and support, and we will continue to be here to offer it to them. Abortion may not now be available in every state, but practical resources and life-affirming options are through our network of pregnancy help organizations. We will wake up tomorrow and do exactly what we have done for fifty years—help women.”
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Heartbeat International is the largest network of pro-life pregnancy help in the world, with over 3,000 affiliated locations in more than 80 countries. Heartbeat's 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 in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.
Website - HeartbeatInternational.org
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Ahead of Dobbs, Heartbeat International survey sees dangerous increase in violence and threats against pregnancy centers
June 16, 2022
Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications and Marketing
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(614) 885-7577
Ahead of Dobbs, Heartbeat International survey sees dangerous increase in violence and threats against pregnancy centers
COLUMBUS, Oh. — An informal survey by Heartbeat International—the world’s largest network of pro-life pregnancy help organizations in the world—of its more than 1,900 U.S.-based affiliate locations reveals a disturbing trend of increasing violence against pregnancy help centers ahead of the expected decision in the Dobbs case that could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade.
The survey shows that abortion activists have moved in deceptive and dangerous ways to channel their anger over the impending Supreme Court leak that showed a potential overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision. In recent days, abortion extremists groups have amplified national calls to action to attack pregnancy help organizations—places that exist to provide pregnant women with care and resources.
Of the 137 responses to the Heartbeat International survey, more than one in six organizations in over 20 states reported an increase in incidents targeting their organizations. These range from fake online reviews to vandalism, including the destruction of property, all occurring since the beginning of May.
“This anger is completely misguided. These pro-abortion vigilantes claim to be standing up for women while simultaneously obstructing women from receiving the pregnancy care they seek,” said Jor-El Godsey, Heartbeat International president.
Of the organizations reporting incidents:
- An alarming 20% reported property damage
- More than 30% have seen an increase in fake online reviews
- 20% have received angry calls
- 10% have experienced protests outside their locations
- 6% have received threats.
“The time these centers must close in order to clean up paint or replace broken windows is time now that they aren’t able to serve women and families,” Godsey said. “The women these vandals claim to care about are now being denied care due to what amounts to a temper tantrum.”
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Heartbeat International is the largest network of pro-life pregnancy help in the world, with over 3,000 affiliated locations in more than 80 countries. Heartbeat's 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 in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.
Website - HeartbeatInternational.org
Facebook - Facebook
Twitter - Twitter
Life Launch Grant Program
The Life Launch Grant was designed to intentionally inspire a new season of growth for pregnancy help centers in underserved communities in need of more life-saving outreach as an alternative to Big Abortion, and to help start-ups open their doors and advance pregnancy help to new communities in the U.S.
“Each of these stories is a snapshot of the life-affirming work that is being done in pregnancy help centers across the globe… These are the stories that remind us that every life is precious.”
- Sara Littlefield, Grant Program Specialist
Click on the presentation below to see the impact Life Launch has had on communities nationwide!
Heartbeat's Life Launch Program helps pregnancy centers through consultation, resources, and training opportunities, as well as financial and operational support to those centers qualifying for the Life Launch Grant.
75% of our Life Launch recipients and approved awardees are located in counties that had gone without pregnancy help – primed for more life-saving outreach. Using the 2019 census for numbers, 1,977,509 individuals now have access to pregnancy help through Life Launch!
Pregnancy help centers bring hope to moms and give life to their babies. Heartbeat International would truly appreciate your generous support to help build one of these centers and continue spreading our life-affirming message of Reach, Rescue, and Renewal.
Will you partner with us today? Click here to give.
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Ruth and Victor's Story
In 2013, Ruth was referred for an abortion by one of her specialty doctors. As he talked with her, he assured Ruth it was the best option. Ruth visited “yet one more specialist” who referred her to the Pregnancy Care Center (PCC) of Wooster, Ohio.
When Ruth arrived at the pregnancy center she was scared, unsure of what would take place during an abortion and very confused.
Her main question was, “why would my doctor tell me to have an abortion if it isn’t the best thing to do?”
The pregnancy center staff and client advocates worked together to supply Ruth with the information she needed to make an informed decision. She chose life for her baby boy and named him “Victor.”
Victor was also the first baby PCC viewed through its ultrasound services in January 2014!
Ruth has been a strong advocate for the Center in the last eight years since Victor was born. Through banquet testimonies, newsletter articles and sharing her testimony with other women, Ruth has saved and changed lives for eternity.
Even as she was pregnant with Victor, Ruth brought in a friend who was also planning to have an abortion. Ruth’s friend left her appointment and the pregnancy center with a changed decision to also carry her baby!
Today Victor is 8 years old.
It is not uncommon for him and his mom to visit the Center, always ready to hug everyone and tell us he loves us.
At our 2020 annual banquet, Victor through a personal appearance, shared that his mom had a scary time when he was in her tummy, but she came to the pregnancy center and the people there helped her.
During PCC's 2021 banquet, Victor served as a greeter and talked with people as they arrived. He is one special guy! We, at the PCC, are excited to see what the Lord has in store for him!
Victor spoke at our 2020 Friends for Life Banquet by welcoming guests and keynote speaker, Jor-El Godsey of Heartbeat International.
Manuela and Oliver's Story
Manuela and her partner made a bad decision and had a lot of doubt about the resulting pregnancy.
They had immediate regret after Manuela took the abortion pill.
“I got home, and I felt I had made a terrible decision and I didn’t know what to do,” she said.
Manuela felt a sense of urgency and searched for information on the internet.
“I found APR [Abortion Pill Reversal], and that’s what led me to Crossroads Pregnancy Center,” she said. “I thank God every day.”
There are only three pregnancy help centers in South Carolina that provide Abortion Pill Reversal as a service.
Tears began flowing when the Crossroads staff performed the ultrasound that confirmed baby Oliver still had a heartbeat.
“I’m so happy it worked,” Manuela said.
“I would say to other women in this situation that I know how you feel,” said Manuela. “I know that you feel scared, and you don’t know what you should do. But just know that there’s a God who loves you and who makes everything right – all you have to do is trust in Him and He’ll pull you through this.”
The process was very simple and easy, she said.
“And it worked,” Manuela said. “And Oliver’s here with us and we couldn’t be happier.”
You can watch Manuela tell her full story here:
Zayda and Delia Jo's Story
When I found out I was pregnant I was very, very scared and in shock. I was only 14 years old.
My Granny googled “closest pregnancy center” and read some reviews about Reliance and suggested that I make an appointment.
When I went to Reliance, I was really nervous, but they were all so kind. When I got the results that I was for sure pregnant – I felt my heart drop because I knew that my life was changing and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to keep this baby.
I wanted an abortion because I knew that my life would change and I thought that I couldn’t rodeo anymore and my parents wouldn’t support me. I even thought that my boyfriend Cole would not want me to keep the baby. Neither of us knew what abortion really was, but we just knew we weren’t ready to be parents.
After the test, I went into the ultrasound room and when I saw my baby, she had arms and legs…the first thought that came to my mind was “that is my baby!” I knew then that abortion wasn’t an option.
My Granny came in and saw the ultrasound and the nurse gave me so much helpful information. The next day I told my mom, and her reaction was way better than I thought. I saw that I did have support.
Reliance made my whole pregnancy easier and helped me see the value of my life and my baby’s life.
Cole, my boyfriend, even says that if it wasn’t for Reliance, he knows that our daughter Delia wouldn’t be here.
People tell you that it’s just a clump of cells and Reliance helped us see that it was a baby with a heart and a beautiful life. I attended childbirth classes and have received so much material support when I couldn’t afford to buy formula and diapers.
The support at Reliance is amazing – we couldn’t do this without them. Delia is 2 years old now and I can’t imagine my life without her. I have started to rodeo again, and Delia loves horses. My life is incredible, not easy, but it’s so worth it…Reliance helped me see that.
Heartbeat releases the latest Life Trends 2022 Report
May 2, 2021
Andrea Trudden, Vice President of Communications and Marketing
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(614) 885-7577
NEW REPORT: Pregnancy help organizations expand services and reach, adapting to new state laws and abortion pathways
Heartbeat releases the latest Life Trends 2022 Report
Columbus, OH: Heartbeat International released a report highlighting the findings of the services provided within their network of more than 3,000 pregnancy help locations worldwide. The Life Trends 2022 Report also underscores unique ways that the pregnancy help movement serves women through not only pregnancy centers, but also mobile medical units, maternity homes, and Abortion Pill Reversal.
“The Life Trends 2022 Report shows another phenomenal year of pregnancy help making a powerful difference through pregnancy centers and their movement partners like mobile medical units, maternity homes, not to mention critical focused outreach like Abortion Pill Reversal,” said Heartbeat International president, Jor-El Godsey. “Together pregnancy help is a broad and thriving movement making a difference for life!”
As chemical abortions now account for 54 percent of all abortions in the U.S., Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) continues to experience growth, showing a 173 percent increase in reversal starts since 2019, highlighting the fact that as use of the abortion pill expands, so does the need for reversal.
The report looks at political trends in the U.S. as well, highlighting the impact the Texas “Heartbeat Law” which prohibits abortions after a heartbeat is detected (~8 weeks) had on pregnancy centers after being enacted in September. From the report, 49 percent of the centers indicated seeing an increase of clients after the law was enacted. Abortions in Texas fell 59% from August 2021 to September 2021.[i]
“We are witnessing history being made in real-time as states enact abortion-related laws nationwide and we’ve seen how swiftly our centers can adapt to these changes. Every woman deserves love and support during an unexpected pregnancy,” Andrea Trudden, Heartbeat’s vice president of communications and marketing said. “No matter where a woman is in her pregnancy journey, the pregnancy help network provides essential care and support – often at no cost – and will continue to do so because it is the right thing to do.”
Link to Life Trends 2022 Report: heartbeatinternational.org/lifetrends
Key findings in the report include:
- 1,977,509 people now have access to pregnancy help through Heartbeat's Pregnancy Center Life Launch program
- 173% increase in abortion pill reversal starts since 2019
- Fewer than a dozen countries in the world besides the U.S. allow abortion without any restrictions after 15 weeks
- 49% of Texas pregnancy centers reported an increase of clients after the "Heartbeat Law" was enacted
- 3,000+ lives have been saved since 2012, according to statistics
Trend: Chemical Abortion
Chemical abortions have been increasingly preferred by abortion providers for years. 54% of all abortions are now performed through the abortion pill.[ii]
Trend: Abortion Pill Reversal
Heartbeat's Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) connects women who regret taking the first dose of the abortion pill regimen to a network of medical professionals trained to administer the reversal protocol.
- 3,000+ lives have been saved since 2012, according to statistics
- 1,091 lives were saved in 2020 through APR
- 150 women on average start the abortion pill reversal process each month
- Women in all 50 states and 65 countries contacted APRN in 2021
- 75% of women who seek reversal do so within 24 hours of taking the abortion pill
- 173% increase in reversal starts from 2019 to 2021
Trend: Option Line
Option Line's 24/7 pregnancy helpline is a resource that proved critically important in 2021, as many pregnancy centers were able to forward all phone calls to Option Line when they were forced to temporarily close their doors due to continued waves of COVID-19.
- 52% of contact via phone
- 30% of contact via chat
- 14% use a self-service locator
- Option Line connects someone to life-saving help every 88 seconds
- More than 5 million women and men have contacted Option Line since 2003
[i] Selected Characteristics of Induced Terminations of Pregnancy by Month, by Alison Little, Texas Health and Human Services, February 2022
[ii] guttmacher.org/article/2022/02/medication-abortion-now-accounts-more-half-all-us-abortions