The 'Pro-Life Good News Story of the Week': Hope of Pregnancy Centers Advances
by Staff
November 11, 2008
LANSDOWNE, VA, (christiansunite.com) -- In the wake of the 2008 election results, Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde reported good news among our nation's pregnancy centers."While legislative efforts to protect the unborn and women from abortion may be limited in future years, the work of pregnancy centers is advancing stronger than ever before and in places where our help is needed most - our nation's inner cities," Delahoyde said. "The 'pro-life good news story of the week' is the movement afoot among urban African American church leaders who want to see abortion statistics reversed in their communities and are opening up local pregnancy centers. Through practical help and emotional support, nine out of ten women who visit a pregnancy center are empowered to carry their pregnancy to term."
Former Philadelphia Eagle and "Praying Tailback" Rev. Herbert H. Lusk, II feels strongly about the importance of offering abortion alternatives. "If you don't do anything about abortion, you're not part of the solution, which means that you're part of the problem," he said. "The good news is I am no longer part of the problem."
On Nov. 7th in the heart of Philadelphia, where abortion providers greatly outnumber pregnancy centers and nearly 40 percent of the state's abortions occur, Rev. Lusk and his "People for People" community outreach organization will open the doors to The Hope Center, a new pregnancy center on Broad Street. What sets this center apart from various social service agencies is the love of 25 trained volunteers and its free services, which include peer counseling on pregnancy options, material resources, parenting training, mentoring, and post-abortion support to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies and related issues.
"The opening of pregnancy centers like The Hope Center is indeed a change to the status quo in cities like Philadelphia, where abortion feels to many like their only option," Delahoyde said. "It's a sign that a culture of compassion instead of hopelessness is emerging in some of the neediest places of our country."
Care Net supports a network of 1,100 pregnancy centers across North America that offer practical help and emotional support to empower those facing unplanned pregnancies to make life-affirming decisions.
