Option Ultrasound Saving Lives
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Program lets pregnant women see an image of their preborn child.
Focus on the Family's Option Ultrasound Program (OUP) is encouraging thousands of pregnant women to choose life.
Since its inception in January 2004, OUP has placed 287 ultrasound services in medical pregnancy-resource centers in 46 states. Approximately 34,000 babies have potentially been saved.
Sue Parker, executive director of Life Choices in Memphis, Tenn., said OUP helped her center begin offering ultrasound just over a month ago.
"Women want to seek an answer to their problems -- and they see their pregnancy as a problem," she said. "A center that is making the ultrasound tool available gives women the opportunity to explore their options from a legitimate medical perspective."
Her county reports more than 7,000 abortions annually, so the need for a pro-life alternative is great.
"In our first month, even without the benefit of advertising, we saw about 35 ultrasounds," Parker said. "We took everything the Option Ultrasound Program had built into us and made it come alive for these girls."
Kim Conroy, director of Focus on the Family's Sanctity of Human Life outreach, said 88 percent of abortion-minded women who seek counseling and ultrasound services leave a pregnancy-resource center with the intention of carrying their babies to term.
"Women need the truth when faced with the challenging circumstances that lead them to consider abortion," she said. "Ultrasound examinations provide medical confirmation of their pregnancy and are a crucial tool to help women make positive decisions for themselves and their babies."
That's exactly what happened when a teenager and her parents visited Life Choices, Parker said. The girl agreed to an ultrasound just to see how far along she was.
"It turned out her pregnancy was 17 weeks," she said. "Literally on cue, the baby just moved -- and of course his heart was beating -- and he was just introducing himself to his mother."
Tearfully, the teen admitted that she had no idea her baby would look like a baby. She asked if her parents could join her in looking at the ultrasound images.
"They came back with her and literally they went from being in the waiting room and being abortion-minded to walking just a few yards and becoming pro-life," Parker said. "They said, 'This is our grandchild! Honey, I don't know how this is all going to work, but we're going to work it out.' "
Parker said Life Choices was able to tell them, "We're going to be there with you through this. We'll help you make a plan for your baby."
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Learn more about Focus on the Family's Option Ultrasound Program, visit Heartlink.org.
6 comments:
Isn't a blessing to read stories such as the one of the teenage girl you used at the end of your post. I have several Right To Life videos that I like to show and one of them is The Silent Scream...it is an ultrasound video that shows an abortion in progress and it shows the baby screaming out in pain. It makes me almost cry just telling you about it and it is even more powerful to see. People who are pro abortion are just ignorant to the reality of life beginning at conception.
Abortion makes me so sad! I dont get how the same people who are against the death penalty are usually pro abortion.I never could figure that out!
Yes Sis. Julie and Jungle Mom - It is sickening to me to think how the very same people that are screaming and marching for us to save the spotted owl or baby seals are the very ones who are pro murder when it comes to little humans!
You can murder a child, but be imprisoned for injuring an animal ...(both actions show a problem in the making without a Saviour!!)
How can one not believe in mairacles when either feeling that baby inside and realize that bith is miraculous (the process) and as well as the pregnancy (both mothr and child have all the necessary parts working together!!)....
What a great program for Focus!! I have oft said if only those "women" knew that an unborn child was more than the "blob of tissue" abortionists would have them believe!
This is wonderful news. It's amazing how people would open their eyes to such horrors.
This is indeed a blessing! But we need to also evangelize. The reason that people can want to save the animals and can turn around and want to make it a woman's right abort a human life is because Romans 1:21-32 "21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."
All are depraved without the salvation of Jesus Christ. May we all want to see abortion abolished through salvation of souls by the work of the Holy Spirit which will be an eternal change in their hearts.
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