Shari Plunkett
found a solution to a question that confronts anyone who has run or staffed
a crisis pregnancy center how to encourage more women who are seriously
contemplating abortion to come through the door. Plunkett is the energetic
and charming president and chief executive officer of First Resort, Inc.,
a pregnancy consulting service in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Her strategy is best suited to urban areas, but any pregnancy counseling
agency can benefit from her innovative thinking and approach. Here is Shari's
experience in her own words:
"San Francisco is among the world's most beloved cities. Most years
it is voted one of the top vacation destinations in the world. We have Lombard,
the crookedest street in the world, `cable cars climbing halfway to the
stars,' Alcatraz with all its mystique, and the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge.
"San Francisco also has more abortions each year than live births.
No, that's not a misprint; there are more abortions than live births. This
is a distinction only a handful of U.S. cities can claim, and one which
no person of faith can take lightly or conveniently ignore.
"Four years ago our organization set out to build the San Francisco
Bay Area into an abortion-free community; a place where abortion is neither
desired nor seen as needed. As I've shared our vision with many people over
the past four years I've found that kind folks say: `That's a lofty goal!'
Those more cynical blurt out: `That'll never happen!' But as the years have
passed we have only grown in our resolve to find the best methods of reaching
and counseling abortion-minded women. Gradually, we developed a strategy
encompassing three elements: focus, marketing, and a new image."
Focus
"Many of us had worked in pregnancy help centers
where we saw mainly young mothers-to-be whose greatest needs are material
assistance and spiritual support. It is impossible to exaggerate the value
of such services to women and children. The success of these centers can
be measured by many achievements: they save lives, they ease the burdens
of poverty for many young families, they help keep families whole, they
spare women the tragedy and pain of abortion, and they constantly witness
to the ideal of the Good Samaritan.
"While we were glad to be offering care to so many women and babies,
we were also frustrated by the great number of women we weren't reaching
often those who were most at risk of choosing abortion. We were determined
to find a way to reach every woman in our community who is contemplating
abortion.
"We knew that the highest rate of abortion (42 per 1,000 women) occurs
among women age 20-24, most of whom are single and working or in college.
They are more likely to seek abortions due to social reasons than poverty.
Most do not need material assistance to go forward with their pregnancies;
they need information and counseling.
"Like other pregnancy help centers, we were prepared to meet a pregnant
woman's needs by maintaining an up-to-date referral base of social service
agencies, charities, and individuals willing to help. But, mainly, we wanted
to inform and counsel as many women who are contemplating abortion as we
could.
"How are we doing? Four years ago only 20% of the women who came to
us were contemplating abortion. Today over 60% of the women we see are contemplating
abortion. We project that figure to rise to 85% in the next 12 months, due
to a new HMO partnership which promises to send us many women presently
unreached by pregnancy help centers women with health care benefits that
include 'pregnancy termination.'
"First Resort includes both medical services and counseling care for
women when they are at that critical point of deciding between carrying
to term or having an abortion. Because there is no more eloquent evidence
of the humanity of the unborn child than the child herself seen on ultrasound
heart beating strongly, wriggling and kicking each of our offices is staffed
with the latest in ultrasound equipment and a registered nurse who has received
the same ultrasound training as an ob-gyn.
"Now wait. Many of you are tempted to stop reading at this point. Oh
sure, fine, you're thinking, there's no way we could afford ultrasound equipment
or a nurse. But given the power of the ultrasound image to save lives, we
cannot afford to dismiss the technology as beyond our reach. Implore hospitals,
manufacturers of medical equipment, physicians, local parishioners, and
other benefactors for help. And surely every populous community has one
or more pro-life nurses who would be willing to be trained in ultrasonography
and who could work part-time.
"The purpose of the ultrasound is to confirm the viability of the fetus
and to determine gestational age. These two facts are valuable for the health
and safety of women contemplating abortion. But when society, family members,
partners, and career goals scream `abortion'! our ultrasound machine magnifies
the humanity of the child not yet born. Seeing her child helps a woman to
make one of the most self-sacrificing decisions of her life."
Marketing
"Years ago (and maybe today in very poor areas)
a free test was a major draw. But today you can buy a pregnancy test at
the local drug store for $8.99. Few women contemplating abortion need a
free pregnancy test.
"So what will it take to attract women contemplating abortion? We asked
them in a recent survey we conducted in San Francisco's Financial District.
We learned that 54% of women who said they would have abortions if they
were experiencing unplanned pregnancies also said they would appreciate
receiving 'pre-abortion counseling.'
"They said that the key elements of such counseling should include:
confidential care, a non-pressured environment, and information on all of
their options.
"Most pregnancy care centers advertise in the yellow pages. But in
California, 66% of women having abortions are either insured or have sufficient
means to consult their personal physician. It is likely they turn to their
doctor, not the yellow pages, in search of reliable pregnancy consulting
services.
"These women are middle-class, working women who have health insurance.
Very few are uninsured or poor. These women head straight to the store for
a pregnancy test, and then straight to their doctors. Our strategy is to
meet them in both of these locations.
"A recent study found that 40% of women ages 18-35 buy at least one
pregnancy test a year. We need to advertise our services right next to the
pregnancy tests. We have designed a card explaining our services that can
be displayed next to the test kits, in a little holder attached to the shelving.
Your pharmacist is more likely to stock the card if it is written in neutral
language that stresses giving accurate medical information and presenting
`all options' in a confidential, unpressured environment.
"Physicians, for the most part, want their patients to make educated
choices, but the reality of medicine these days does not allow them to sit
with women as they struggle through their options. For the past nine months
we have been meeting doctors and negotiating with HMOs to provide pregnancy
consulting for their patients. We offer their patients compassionate and
non-judgmental care/services. We have found great success once a relationship
of trust has been built. One 'pro-choice' ob-gyn told me, 'The biggest lack
in my practice is no pregnancy counseling for my patients.' We are filling
a real need."
A New Image
"The term 'Crisis Pregnancy Center' carries
a fair amount of baggage. The women we see have grown up with legalized
abortion, and many of them see an abortion decision not so much as a crisis,
but simply as a personal issue to be dealt with. Few middle-class, professional,
and educated women will go to a 'crisis' anything.
"Thus, our new name, First Resort, is positive. It suggests a place
of empowerment for women who are making a major life decision. We help women
envision choices for life and chastity. These are truly remedies of First
Resort.
"Our strategy is simple, at least on paper. Yet, I've never worked
at anything more difficult, nor more rewarding. Many times I have rejoiced
like Nehemiah: 'the gracious hand of my God is upon me.' And even when we've
made mistakes (a few, which I hope others won't have to repeat), God's gracious
hand has been upon us.
"Our strategy for reducing abortions is probably neither workable nor
desirable in rural areas and small communities. But 98% of abortions are
performed in major metropolitan areas. In fact, 49% of all abortions in
the United States take place in just five states (New York, California,
Texas, Illinois, and Florida). Wouldn't it be wonderful if pregnancy counseling
agencies in the urban areas of those five states could reach many more women
who are contemplating and obtaining abortions?
"If it can be done in San Francisco, one of the most socially-challenging
areas of the world, it can be done anywhere. As we continue to see more
than 1.4 million abortions annually, we should consider some new approaches.
"As believers it is our privilege to live out our faith by responding
to a tragedy which cuts to the core of humanity's rebellion toward the Creator.
I'm not so naive as to think we'll be abortion-free in three to five years,
but I do believe that we are at a critical crossroads. Our actions, and
the witness of our very lives, need to be tools at the disposal of God to
eliminate our nation's reliance on abortion.
"If you're from California, New York, Illinois, Texas, or Florida,
you might be one of those I've been praying for, but wherever you're from
I'd love to hear your comments or questions. You can contact me by telephone
at (510) 569-1200; write me at 1933 Davis Street, Suite 215, San Leandro,
CA 94577. To build abortion-free communities ... it's an idea whose time
has come."
Reprinted with permission of Life Insight, a newsletter of the NCCB Secretariat
for Pro-Life Activities.