Who's Misleading Whom? 11/27/2011
 She wagged her finger in my face, demanding to know if I was one of those reprehensible people.... As client services director at Options, I’m sometimes amused at how certain folks who aren’t familiar with our center, perceive my job. Reactions run the gamut from supportive and sympathetic to critical and downright hostile. Once, while at a party, a very angry woman cornered me, wagged her finger in my face, and demanded to know if I was one of those reprehensible people who lure women to our center and pressure them not to have an abortion. “Do I seem reprehensible to you?,” I asked her. Never mind that the party was in my home and that she was creating a scene. When she calmed down, I tried to explain to her what Options offers to our clients who are experiencing a crisis or unplanned pregnancy, namely a safe place to make a sound decision, with accurate medical information and freedom to explore without judgement, the full range of choices that are available to her. I was reminded of that conversation a few weeks ago when I sat with a client while she waited for the nurse manager to bring her a copy of her pregnancy verification. We chatted and got to know each other. She was uninsured as are many of our clients. This was not her first pregnancy. With her previous pregnancy she was treated at a health center in Philadelphia, the city where she was living at the time. Although she was married, she was uninsured and financially stressed. After verifying her pregnancy, the doctor assumed that she wanted to terminate. “You don’t have to have it, you know...you can have an abortion. Let me schedule one for you.” After her initial shock, my client explained that she intended to carry and to keep her baby, and that the doctor had no right to assume that she wanted an abortion. My client shared that she felt that the atmosphere at the clinic was intimidating and that wrong assumptions were made because of her economic and social status, and race. “I wasn’t even treated like a person, -my baby not worth keeping. You can’t treat people like that,” she told me. It’s wrong, just plain wrong.” Before she left Options, she thanked us for our services, specifically for her pregnancy verification with our nurse manager and the time she spent with her counselor. “It’s a totally different atmosphere here,” she said.“It’s nonthreatening and respectful towards women. I’m so glad I came here. There needs to be more places like this. Thank you for everything.” Like I said, it’s been a few weeks since I met with this client but her words still haunt me. I can’t help but think of the irony of our two experiences. I was accused of pressuring women not to abort, while my client claimed the opposite proved true when she walked into a women’s health clinic to receive prenatal care -that she was pressured to abort! Of course, the information I present here is anecdotal, detailing the experience of one specific woman who came to our center, but who knows how many more like her are out there? Women who are encouraged to have abortions because of their social and economic status. At Options each client is treated like the unique individual she is and nothing is assumed about her personhood. We listen and value her feelings and concerns, especially as they relate to her pregnancy. Although we never tell her what she should do, we help her to see what is possible by giving her the medical facts she requests and counseling on which she can base her decision. There are no misleading moments at Options, no biased assumptions of our client’s desires, no coercion, no humiliation. There is, however, peace and a respite from crisis, genuine concern for her welfare, early prenatal intervention and medical information, and time and space for her to make an informed decision. And our services are freely offered to her without any eye for profit. Now, I ask you as I asked someone else a long time ago: Does that sound reprehensible to you? 1 Comment Meet Jen Senquiz, Options office manager and public relations director. Unlike most of our Options clients, Jen is happily married; she and her husband are awaiting the birth of their first child in February. Nothing is more cherished, loved and hoped for than their unborn child at this time. However, Jen does share one thing in common with some of our abortion vulnerable clients -lack of health insurance. Many of our clients are extremely vulnerable to the idea of abortion when facing an unplanned pregnancy. Add the following factors to the mix -an unstable relationship with the baby's father, financial stress and no health insurance- and you might have the perfect storm for an abortion. Unplanned can soon become unwanted. Listen to Jen as she explains how Options helped her to receive early prenatal intervention. Options is making a difference in reducing abortion vulnerable factors in our clients' lives. As we walk for life on October 22 in the annual Options Walk for Life, let us remember for whom we are walking -all the women who struggle to bravely choose life and the babies who deserve to be as wanted, cherished and loved as Jen's, and ultimately to be born. Right click to toggle full screen for a higher quality viewing experience of this video.  Listen as K-LOVE's Peter Kaye talks with Options Executive Director, Joanne Thomas about how Options for Women serves women in South Jersey. Joanne zeros in on the finer points of Options' ministry like early prenatal intervention and compassionate counseling for women in crisis. She also debunks common misconceptions held by some who may not be familiar with Options' standard of excellence in regard to our client services. We've rebroadcast the entire interview for you here in case you missed it when it originally aired on K-LOVE in July. We welcome your comments.  On March 22nd, 2011, Options for Women held its annual fundraising banquet at The Mansion in Voorhees, NJ with featured speaker former Senator and presidential hopeful Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Mr. Santorum chronicled the personal events which propelled him to the forefront of the pro-life movement. Before a packed audience of 550 Options supporters, Santorum recalled the brief, but inspiring life of his son, Gabriel Michael who lived for only two hours after he was born. His personal story roused the audience to a standing ovation as Santorum encouraged pro-life advocates with the words of Mother Teresa: “We are not called to be successful, but to be faithful.” Although Mr. Santorum’s speech packed a powerful one/two punch both for its personal authenticity and its political significance regarding his senate battle to ban partial birth abortion, many will agree that the bright spot of the evening was the personal testimony given by Options client Margaret Lawson. Miss Lawson recently endured the unthinkable, the loss of twin sons, one preborn and one twenty-four hours after delivery. She shared with the audience a candid account of her initial uncertainty regarding her pregnancy which prompted her to visit Options to receive counseling and a free ultrasound. Her subsequent commitment to carry her twins in the face of an adverse pre-natal diagnosis was the stuff of bravery. One of her twins passed in the womb because he had no kidneys and the other, born prematurely, soon died of infection within twenty-four hours. Miss Lawson’s struggle with acceptance and grief captivated the audience and left nary a dry eye in the house. Even Mr. Santorum remarked on the bravery and beauty of Margaret’s message –that we must be faithful to life no matter how brief or imperfect, because it is a gift from God to be affirmed and protected. Options' Executive Director Shares her Passion to Help Women in an Exclusive Article for The Monitor 02/13/2011
 Many of you know Joanne Thomas as Options' Executive Director, but did you know that she left a successful law career to pursue her position here to help women in crisis and to share with them the love of Christ? Read about Options for Women 26 year history and Joanne's fidelity in answering God's call to lead the Options for Women ministry. "Thomas takes pride and heart in knowing that for almost 26 years, Options has continuously remained faithful to serving clients compassionately without judgment and works to equip the women with the tools they need to be good mothers." Read more in the article that is linked here: http://www.trentonmonitor.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=42&ArticleID=1973 Below is a link to newspaper article that tells the horrific story of an abortionist, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who is charged with eight counts of murder (including seven fetuses); he performed late term abortions in gruesome conditions. Options for Women exists to help women who find themselves on the verge of crisis, and who might be considering such desperate measures as described in the following article. What if any of those women who walked into Dr. Gosnell's clinic had walked through our doors instead? Kelly and Four Year Old Son Manny in 2010  When Kelly learned she was pregnant at age 45, she was faced with a difficult decision. Read how an Options for Women ad in the local Yellow Pages helped lead her to choose life in the story that earned 2nd prize in the Care-Net Client Story contest (reprinted below with Kelly's permission). Congratulations Kelly! When Kelly (45) found out she was pregnant, her husband (47) was not happy, and he insisted that she have an abortion. The two had a blended family of four children, a son whom they shared together and three other children from their previous marriages. Kelly’s husband worried that they couldn’t afford another child, especially with three college bound kids, waiting in the wings. Although Kelly understood and shared her husband’s financial concerns, she told him that if they “walked in faith,” as their pastor preached, they would be okay. He didn’t listen. Instead, every day, her husband placed the Yellow Pages on top of her dresser to remind her to call an abortion clinic and take care of “the matter.”Kelly was very conflicted because she knew abortion was wrong, but she feared that if she didn’t have one, she would lose her husband. Kelly reluctantly made an appointment to have the abortion at a clinic she found in the Yellow Pages. Next to the abortion clinic listing was an ad for Options for Women under abortion alternatives; Kelly quickly jotted down the number. As God ordained, Kelly scheduled an abortion on a day that her husband was away and her best friend was unavailable. Without someone to drive her home, she had to cancel her abortion appointment. The next day, Kelly drove to Options where she could freely investigate abortion alternatives. I met with Kelly as her counselor and together we sorted through her conflicting emotions. After her counseling session, Kelly was given a free sonogram. When Kelly heard her baby’s heartbeat and saw his tiny toes and fingers, she knew that she couldn’t have an abortion. Kelly received free maternity clothes and was overcome by the quality and style of the clothing. She needed to work throughout her pregnancy and the garments she received were perfect for the workplace. Later, financial counseling and budgeting were made available to Kelly through her connection with Options. After her first appointment with us, Kelly left Options very grateful and resolved to tell her husband of her decision to carry. When she told him that she heard the baby’s heartbeat and saw his fingers and toes, he was unimpressed. But Kelly’s mind was made up. She knew she was going to walk in faith, and that God had her back. Kelly shared these words with me when she returned to Options some weeks later for a follow-up appointment: “I fear no man, but I fear not doing God’s will.” Her bravery and strength inspire me to this very day. Kelly’s husband appeared to be supportive for the remainder of her pregnancy and on July 15, 2006, Kelly gave birth to a baby boy whom she named Immanuel –God is with us. Thankfully, Immanuel was born healthy and is now a very active four year old who attends the Headstart program. Unfortunately, Kelly and her husband have since divorced, but Kelly remains convinced that her son Immanuel was no mistake. Kelly says she continues to thank God and Options everyday for the beautiful blessing of her son who is a daily reminder that God is indeed with her –and us. The Paradox of The Unborn 01/09/2011
Jan 3, 2011 NY Times Op-Ed that was posted by care-net.org about the paradox of the unborn: "This is the paradox of America's unborn -no life is so desperately sought after, so carefully nurtured, and yet no life is so legally unprotected and so frequently destroyed." Feel free to share your comments in the space provided. Post Title. 11/22/2010
"We record fetal heartbeats at 14 days post-conception. We record fetal brainwaves at 39 days post-conception. We have this schizophrenic rule of the law where we have defined death as the absence of those, but we refuse to define life as the presence of those." ~Sen. Tom Coburn, speaking to Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor July 15 2009~ Mike Huckabee interviews Abby Johnson 07/01/2010
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