All this marching…now what?

Hundreds of thousands of people have descended upon Washington in the last couple weeks. Some to be a part of the Women’s March on January 21 and others to join in the March for Life on January 27. A few may have been part of both events.

Many of those who marched will take their passions home with them and seek to turn them into action. Whether or not you marched, and whether you have been involved in saving and changing lives for 30+ years or whether you are new to this ministry, now is the time to join together to make a difference for life.

Each morning, several women wake up in Dane County facing unintended pregnancies and trying to figure out what to do. About 4 in 10 of those facing an unintended pregnancy will end the pregnancy in abortion. Often this is due to financial reasons or other difficult life circumstances. Sometimes a baby would interfere with her work or school plans. Half say they do not want to be single parents or are having problems with their partner.

Every day there is a woman who needs to know there are options available. She needs to know that there are resources and support that could help her to continue her pregnancy and either parent or make an adoption plan. She may need a listening ear and a supportive voice.

Maybe it will make a difference that there is a place called The Elizabeth House that provides a safe place for pregnant women and new moms to live, free of charge. A place where she can plan for a future with her baby or take steps to make an adoption plan in a nurturing and loving home.

That was the case for Lauren*. Lauren walked into Care Net and said, “I need to talk to someone who can help me get an abortion.”

Our advocate provided a compassionate, listening ear. She heard Lauren’s fears about where she would live and how she would financially support a child. “What if there was a place you could live without cost, while you found a job and got back on your feet with support from a team of people?”

After hearing about The Elizabeth House, Lauren saw her baby for the first time via ultrasound in our clinic. She left not sure what she would do.

When our advocate called Lauren to follow up, Lauren thanked her for “helping me see that this is my baby.” Hearing about The Elizabeth House as an option helped Lauren to pause and in that pause to connect with her child.

Because of many like you who make Care Net possible, earlier in January we celebrated Lauren’s decision — our first life saved in 2017!

As many were involved recently in marching with a purpose, and many others will work to change laws, we know that regardless of what marches we attend or what the law says, there will always be women and men facing unintended pregnancies who need a compassionate voice, a listening ear and support for real choices.

Thank you for standing with us to make real choices possible.

* Name changed to protect privacy.