You may have heard some of the wild claims about abortion this year, many of them outright lies motivated by politics. A common one is that pro-life state laws forbid helping a woman with a tubal pregnancy. Prosecuting women for miscarriage is another.

Or maybe you just wonder.

Either way, it's important to have a thread dedicated to facts on this topic. We welcome questions here (and anywhere in the MHF Forum).

Chemical Abortion: A Review    https://www.heritage.org/life/report/chemical-abortion-review

Abortion Pills, Coercion, and Abuse https://www.heritage.org/life/commentary/abortion-pills-coercion-and-abuse

Source: Heritage Foundation

Michigan Resources: Michigan has 150 resources for pregnant women, according to an article by Detroit Catholic.

For a Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) in your area, search online for your nearest city + pregnancy resource center.

The article's extensive photos are worth viewing. Clipped for length.

https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/how-michigans-150-pregnancy-centers-provide-critical-lifeline-to-women-in-need

How Michigan's 150 pregnancy centers provide critical lifeline to women in need

Gabriella Patti     |    Jul 29, 2022

 

From medical care to baby formula, a network of pro-life ministries across the state fill crucial void for mothers in need

ALLEN PARK — In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, pregnancy centers across the United States have been suddenly thrust into the spotlight — or under a microscope, depending on who's asking.

After the court's determination that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a universal right to abortion, pro-life resource centers have become the subject of countless political debates, news articles and even violent attacks from fringe extremist groups.

But for those inside — both the volunteers and the women and babies who depend upon such services — the increased attention is just noise.

Across Michigan, nearly 150 pregnancy centers continue to provide a variety of services for mothers, from free ultrasounds and medical grade pregnancy tests, parenting classes, counseling and boutiques full of free baby items (and even some items for the mother).

At Planned Choices in Allen Park, all of the staff are volunteers. Formerly known as the Melvindale Crisis Center, the nonprofit moved to Allen Park and changed its name three years ago after a donor bought the organization a new building.

“We were a ‘crisis pregnancy center’ for years, and I just felt that that gave the wrong message,” director Angela Griggs said. “There are women who don’t want to identify as as being in a crisis. They don’t want to acknowledge what they are going through, so we decided to get away from that name and wanted to appeal to women at various stages and let them know that we are there to help them.”

Andrea Griggs, director of Planned Choices, a pro-life pregnancy resource center in Allen Park, is pictured in the center's clothing closet, which offers baby clothing and items for free.

Planned Choices offers free pregnancy tests and material aid such as baby formula, furniture, diapers and personal hygiene products. The center will be installing its first ultrasound machine in 2023 and plans to hire an ultrasonographer.

Griggs, who has been with Planned Choices since 1992, is acutely aware of the misconceptions surrounding pregnancy centers. She wants people to understand they are there to help women.

“We want to help women succeed, and that may go beyond the pregnancy,” Griggs said. “We don't just hand them diapers and say, 'Here you go.’ If they are interested in resumé writing, going to school, or pursuing a career, we help them with those services as well. People might say, 'What good does a pack of diapers do?' but we are willing to go beyond that.“

If a particular service is beyond the scope of what Planned Choices can offer, Griggs said, the nonprofit refers women to different agencies and churches that can help. Most of the volunteers are mothers themselves, Griggs added, and can understand the emotional toll and the physical changes pregnancy and child rearing take on a woman’s body.

“When women come to our center, they know that someone cares about them,” Griggs said. “We just had a mom come in last week, and she was in tears, and she didn’t know we existed. She came and picked out clothes for her daughter. She was able to walk out with some cute things for herself. We are able to show women that we care for them, and we want to support them."

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