I can't think of a better way to end the year.

For many of our clients, abortion is their first reaction to an unplanned pregnancy. When given a list of options, ending the pregnancy is usually at the top. Marriage is not even on the list. But your support changes all that.

When "Cicely" visited last week, she was completely surprised to learn she was pregnant. The next surprise was a ring. When coming to see Cicely's ultrasound, "Gregory" presented a beautiful engagement ring. "Let's do this...soon!"

But finding a church, a pastor, and a wedding venue the last week of the year isn't easy. So our staff went to work. Within the week, we put together the wedding of Cicely's dreams right inside our North Side Center. The amazing event was our last appointment on our last day open in 2022. Compete with candles, cake, punch, flowers, music, and a cookie table, staff and local vendors helped Cicely and Gregory share their vows with close friends in attendance.

While pinning on the groom's boutonniere, I was aware of his seriousness about the ceremony and the impact of this moment. He was nervously excited and a bit overwhelmed. During the ceremony, friends and family were silent and tearful. Many were hearing traditional wedding vows for the first time. It was a solemn and holy moment. And afterwards, the joy spilled into the "reception" room then onto East Ohio Street as the small wedding party danced and celebrated up and down the sidewalk.

Marriage is God's big idea to illustrate unconditional love, covenant relationship, and creativity in procreation. We are so grateful to God for His gifts. And this wedding was definitely God's gift to this couple, to their child, to their families, and to our community.

I'm praying for many more weddings in 2023. Let's do this!

What Christmas Means to Them

"Dear WCN, Thank you for the party and the gifts. This is the only Christmas party I'm invited to each year. And this year's was the best."

Our wonderful moms and dads work all year to make life better for their growing families. They attend our Life Support classes and groups. They learn life skills and grow to be better parents in classes like Doctor Dad. Our staff follows through to go beyond a transactional medical service and provide transformational care.

We celebrate all they do once a year at a party just for them. Hundreds of brand new toys are collected through the efforts of Fill That Truck and Walnut Grill Restaurant Group. This year Hebron Presbyterian Church hosted the party where we provided food, face-painting, and over-the-top decorations for an old fashioned Christmas party. (Pictures are below.)

Over 50 client families attended. 110 preschoolers (!) played games and shoveled (fake) snow while moms and dads "shopped" at our free toy drive. Gifts were wrapped by our team of amazing volunteers!

In the midst of the joyous (if somewhat crazy) celebration, there was a moment of calm as we gathered everyone together to sing Christmas carols and hear a special message from a local Pastor, Eric Bimber. Children sat and were hushed as Eric shared the Christmas story. Moms, dads, and grandmas were fixed in attention to hear about the birth of the Savior Jesus. Some were hearing the Good News for the very first time. Those brief moments are life changing.

Our mission doesn't end with an ultrasound or even with a decision for life. We seek to empower those most vulnerable to abortion to choose life and choose abundant life in Christ. This is eternal work that transforms entire families.

Thanks to you and to all the volunteers who bring the message of hope and redemption to our local moms and dads!

It never gets old.

Thank you for making last night’s Banquet our best ever. I hope you were as encouraged as I was to see 550 people gathered to celebrate life. Master of Ceremonies, Jeremy Samek, helped us unpack the biggest pro-life victory in 50 years and gave us a glimpse of the work that lies ahead. Our client videos told the story of the complex emotions and long-term journey toward transformation. In spite of steady opposition and malignment of our work, Liliana Grace helped us understand how marketing strategies can continue to reach those who need our services. And because we rely on God’s provision and protection, we began and ended the night with solemn moments in prayer.

But the highlight for me was celebrating our 7000thbaby born because of our work. This courageous young mom chose life for her little one early in the Spring, gave birth to Ahmiya in July, and returned to high school this Fall. We’re so proud of her and can’t wait to attend her basketball games! After 7000 decisions for life, seeing lives saved and families transformed never gets old.

Later in the year, a video of the entire program will be available on our website. We hope you’ll share the event with others. For those unable to make it last night or who are seeking a way to give toward the Banquet, click this link and add your support.

On behalf of our amazing Board of Directors, Staff and volunteers, thank you for your support, prayers and engagement. You are impacting our culture and bringing Pittsburgh to Life.

Bringing Pittsburgh to Life!

The Dobbs case: What just happened?

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) made headlines early this morning with a leak of what appears to be a draft of the majority decision on the highly anticipated Dobbs case. If this leak is real, it indicates that the Court will overturn Roe v Wade, one of the most controversial and divisive decisions in the Court’s history.

Roe v Wade, decided in 1973, essentially legalized abortion on demand in all 50 States superseding a state’s right to determine whether or not to protect life before birth or before viability. Since Roe, over 37 million abortions have occurred in the US. Over 32,000 abortions are performed in Pennsylvania each year or nearly 88 abortions in our State every single day.

The Court heard the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the Fall of 2021 with an expected ruling next month. If the leak is true, the Court will rule that State’s pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are constitutional thereby returning the right to protect life to each State. And this is cause for celebration because it allows for the conscience of the people to speak and act to determine if and how abortion on demand may continue.

What will this new twist, the leak, mean for us and for America.

What Should We Expect?

Tensions will be accelerated and exacerbated by the leak.

Protests and actions by both sides will be expected.

Women will be confused, angry, and even panicked about their options.

We will need your help.

We Need Your Help

What will change if Roe is overturned?

For a short season, nothing will change in Pennsylvania. Because of the current PA laws allowing abortion to 22 weeks, abortions will continue.

We must pray and work to gain a unified voice on behalf of the unborn and implement strategies for change.

Pregnancy Centers like Women’s Choice Network will still need help. Women will continue to need medical services and the network of caring people to assist with resources, finances, etc.

Many will be angry. For Americans under 40, abortion has always been “a given.” Many have defined abortion as a “right” and have even relied on abortion as a back up birth control method. Anger, fear, even panic are natural reactions.

Media will demonize the decision. We should expect emotional opposition and exaggerated claims of the decision’s hardship to women.

The abortion pill will become the method of choice. No longer needing a clinic or a doctor, those seeking abortion will no doubt be supplied with online pills and telehealth abortions.

What Does This Mean for Your Church?

This is a defining moment for Christianity. Many will applaud the likely decision and work hard to assure that the unborn will be protected. We must continue to assure that women and men facing an unexpected pregnancy will be provided with all they will need to support a healthy pregnancy, a growing family, or an adoption decision.

Some however, even within the Church, may debate the decision and contend that abortion should be a woman’s choice. Heated and divisive conversations may happen. Some may even leave your Church.

We Can Respond to Each Other in Very Practical Ways:

If you are a Pastor or Leader, keep your Congregation and Parish informed. Open up your doors to speakers and programs that bring Biblical light to this debate. Check out these vital Resources.

Participate in supporting local pregnancy centers like WCN that extend care to those facing an unintended pregnancy.

Be aware that post abortion women and men are in your pews. Provide safe and positive opportunities to find healing, restoration, and freedom. Connect with this Resource.

Introduce young people to the Scriptural foundation for the sanctity of human life and sexuality. Explore this Resource.

Facilitate ways to provide practical services for single mothers like babysitting, yard work, car repair, etc.

Listen with love to those who may debate the decision. Gently share the truth in love.

Front Row Seat

When I turned onto Fifth Avenue and pulled in front of our Oakland Center, something inside me said, ‘Stay in the car.’ When I looked to the left, I saw a handful of young people led by one young lady with a bullhorn. Another small group followed carrying signs and papers. The “Save Roe” pro-abortion rally at a nearby park had broken up only moments earlier. And now they were re-assembling on the sidewalk right in front of our doors. I literally had a front row seat to the action over the next few minutes as the two dozen protestors pledged to ‘Defend the Right to Abortion’ and ‘Close Every Fake Clinic in Pittsburgh.’ The shouting and chanting continued as a few of the protestors sprayed the building with a sticky spray adhesive and plastered signs and accusations on our windows. After a considerable number of photos, selfies, and high fives, the Abortion Defense Committee’s protest to protect the Roe v Wade decision was over.

No Neutral Ground

One day earlier, nearly 100,000 pro-life Americans braved frigid temperatures at the DC March For Life to support efforts to overturn the 1973 decision that required every State to legalize abortion resulting in the deaths of more than 63 million unborn babies. As the Supreme Court’s ruling that threatens Roe v Wade grows closer, we can certainly expect the two opposing world views to collide.

Join Us to Pray

Defending abortion has grown more difficult.

The young protestors who raised their signs and insulted our work are noticeably angry and seem desperate to save something they feel is valuable and important. They have only known a world in which a woman has a “choice” to have a legal abortion. Abortion, for them has been sold as a sacred “right.” And pro-lifers, they say, will take that right away 'forcing women to give birth to a child they did not choose to have.’ But the truth about abortion is very inconvenient. Ultrasound has revealed the humanity of the unborn. Post abortion syndrome is real and pervasive. After nearly 50 years, abortion is not safe and not rare. It has not lifted women out of poverty and has not advanced women in relationships or careers. Abortion has not delivered on any of its promises.

Defending life has grown somewhat alienating.

While pregnancy centers are popping up in nearly every town, and the success of the March For Life gives us great hope, recent polls show that the vast majority of Americans continue to support abortion. In May, Gallup polls showed that 80% of us support abortion in all or most cases. Pew Research Center found that 59% of adults believe abortion should be legal. The share of Americans in Gallup’s poll who say abortion is morally acceptable reached a record high of 47% in May, and a Quinnipiac poll found support for abortion being legal in all or most cases reached a near-record high in September with 63% support.1 Wow. Are pro-life views really that unpopular? If these polls are to be believed, then speaking up for the unborn at family gatherings, on social media, or even in church feels more and more uncomfortable.

1https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/11/30/how-americans-really-feel-about-abortion-the-sometimes-surprising-poll-results-as-supreme-court-weighs-overturning-roe-v-wade/?sh=1ce35bb936c9

There’s really no middle ground here.

C S Lewis said it best, “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” Laws protecting the unborn may continue to be incremental and practical but when it comes to our core beliefs, there can be no compromise. Either the life of every human being in the womb is valuable and worthy of protection, or it isn’t. There’s no getting past that reality. (Those who insist that we can’t determine when human life begins are invited to come to our Center to see an early sonogram.) And as Christians, either we believe that every human person is someone God has created in His image or, well, we need to read our Bibles more carefully.

You’re not alone.

Together we can stand up for life. We can reach even more of those most vulnerable. We can continue to save little lives. Together, we can bring clarity, compassion, and healing to a divided culture. How? It begins with prayer. 

Sadly, Clueless

On Wednesday at about 5PM, a group of pro-abortion activists converged on our Oakland Center. Banging on our windows, chanting through a bullhorn, they demanded that we come out and speak with them. Police were on their way but before leaving, the small group plastered this sign over our only entrance to the space.

Ironically, in those moments while they were banging on our door and posting their sign, a handful of women were making their way to our center to participate in our BREATHE After Abortion Care Group for women suffering after a past abortion. BREATHE Director, Jessica Patterson sent these words,

"It breaks my heart to know that there are those who hate what we do so much that they are willing to go to these lengths. But what saddens me even more is that they are actually clueless to the truth of what it is we actually do.

The belief that abortion is somehow a good choice, healthcare, or a right, doesn’t hold up in the long run. Sooner or later that effects of taking a life will catch up with a person. And even if someone advocates for abortion or has experienced abortion firsthand, the moment may ultimately come where the truth of what was done will set in. The pain catches up with a person, and if and when it does, I am glad we can offer hope and healing, even in the face of opposition.

Jesus offered hope and healing even when others rejected his message and threatened to silence him. What a privilege it is to follow in his footsteps."

It makes me wonder, if they knew what was happening behind those doors would these young activists still be shouting?

Would they realize there is nothing fake about offering medical services at no cost, nothing fake about offering practical and supportive alternatives to abortion, nothing fake about binding up the wounds of those impacted by "choice"?

If those who reviled Jesus truly knew what he was doing for them, would they have changed their minds? I don’t know, but in the meantime, we will do as he did, and keep on loving each one that is made in his image.

Pray with us for these three things this week:

Pray for the safety of our Staff and for discernment about when and what to say to those who accuse and vandalize.

Pray for the eyes of young people to be opened to the truth.

Pray for those who have suffered a past abortion. Pray that they make their way to our doors and find restoration and reconciliation.

Enemy or Mission Field?

"Anti Abortion Liars."

"These Are Fake Clinics."

"They Are Anti-People."

(Not sure I even understand that last one...)

Imagine coming to work and reading these words scrawled across the sidewalk for all to see. Slogans like these appeared in front of our North Side Center, The Nest, and our Oakland Center within the last two weeks. And our sign was vandalized.

Yes. It made me angry.

But when a mob of pro-abortion activists appeared in front of our table at the Pitt Health Fair, my anger turned to immense pride as our team calmly stood to defend the work of Women's Choice Network. It happened on Wednesday.

While our staff helped Pitt students learn about our free services like pregnancy ultrasound and STD testing, a sizeable crowd gathered across the street with posters, signs and a bullhorn to accuse, deride, and dissuade students from visiting our table. When the shouting stopped, the abortion supporters walked directly to the table to confront our Staff.

"Abby and Nathalie were great," reported WCN Nurse Manager Gloria Hale, "They were respectful and patiently answered questions and spoke the truth in love....At a certain point, the protesters just gave up and walked away in silence."

This is a spiritual battle. These young activists are not our enemy, they are our mission field. Make no mistake, there is an enemy that is real. Satan seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He is called the father of lies and a deceiver. Many young men and women are seeking a "cause" and a "mission" and they want to change the world. Sadly, they've been convinced that wrong is right and day is night. When we stand confidently and show kindness in the face of opposition, Life Wins.

Pray with us for these three things this week:

Pray for the safety of our Staff and for discernment about when and what to say to those who accuse and vandalize.

Pray for the eyes of young people to be opened to the truth.

Pray for those who are pregnant and need our services to find our advertising and become "deaf" to the lies that are told about us.

Watch the video for yourself. But remember who the real enemy is.

Watch the Pitt Health Fair Video Here

An Instagram post alerts pro-abortion activists to "protest to make sure that CPCs have no place at Pitt."

Why is all of this happening?

In August, Texas passed a landmark law banning all abortions after 6 weeks. This "heartbeat" law was challenged immediately. This week the Supreme Court of the United States will begin hearings concerning a Mississippi law that could change the way States are able to control abortion. Their decision could even impact the Roe v Wade decision made in 1973. In addition to Mississippi, GOP lawmakers and abortion opponents in at least five other Republican-controlled states — Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, North Dakota and South Dakota — said they were considering pushing bills similar to the Texas law and its citizen-enforcement provision.

The Threat in Pennsylvania: Keeping Abortion Funding out of Pennsylvania’s Constitution

Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pa. Department of Human Services

Currently, Pennsylvania applies controls or boundaries that limit abortion in order to protect women, minors, and of course the unborn. Planned Parenthood v Casey allows States to determine and enforce these restrictions. Pennsylvania’s restrictions, listed below, include the prohibition of using State and Federal funding (Medicare) to pay for abortion services.

The abortion industry has recently sued the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania arguing that Pennsylvania’s prohibition of Medicaid funding for abortion violates the state constitution. Specifically, they argue that Pennsylvania’s Equal Rights Amendment and Equal Protection provisions provide both a right to abortion and abortion funding—presumably during all nine months of pregnancy. They argue that “for a woman to be master of her fate and freely pursue her own happiness, she must be able to control her reproductive life.” --From Petitioners’ Commonwealth Court Br. at 45 (internal quotations omitted).

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, with a 5-2 Democratic majority has proved itself to be extremely progressive on any number of issues from gubernatorial power to elections. Sadly, given the opportunity to expand abortion rights, we except the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to do so.

The risk of this case is multifaceted. While the specific relief requested in this case is to overturn the Medicaid ban on abortion funding, to get there the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is being asked to recognize a right to abortion in the Pennsylvania constitution. This right, as broadly as it is being argued, would constitute a right to abortion during all nine months of pregnancy, and would jeopardize all our current restrictions on abortion, including:

The 24-hour waiting period (which absolutely impacts our clients).

Informed consent provisions (including gestational age, availability of Medical assistance for childbearing, and the availability of child support from the father).

Parental consent for minors.

Prohibition of abortion of 24-weeks.

Prohibition of abortions in state facilities.

Prohibition of Medicaid funding for abortions (except in the case of rape, incest, or the lift of the mother).

The availability of insurance policies without abortion coverage.

Vital and life saving regulation of abortion facilities.

What is being done to address this threat in PA?

If the Pennsylvania Supreme Court does what we expect, the only recourse will be to pass a constitutional amendment reestablishing the role of the legislature in passing laws regulating abortion. In order to accomplish this, a proposed constitutional amendment will need to be passed through the PA General Assembly - the state house and state senate — once before the end of 2022 and again in 2023. After the second vote of the legislature, this will go to a referendum vote of the citizens of Pennsylvania at the next election. Note - the governor has no veto power on this constitutional amendment process.

The earliest this could happen would be at the spring primary in 2023. While this may seem like to distant future, it is imperative that the pro-life and pro-family community prepare now for the fight ahead. Language for a proposed constitutional State amendment is currently being evaluated and polling/focus groups engaged to effectuate this effort. Introduction in the legislature is expected later in 2021.