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Pregnancy help hotline impacts lives on the frontlines
(Pregnancy Help News) Being present on the front lines to offer support to women and families facing unexpected pregnancy is key in rescuing lives, born and unborn. The consultants at the life-affirming contact center Option Line bring their hearts and life experiences to ministering to contacts, impacting lives 24/7/365 across the world.
Option Line is a fully staffed bilingual contact center that receives inquiries by call, text, chat, its center locator, and website. The contact center is managed by Heartbeat International and has connected more than nine million to pregnancy help since opening in 2003, responding to more than 5,000 inquiries for help each day.
Along with providing consultation on abortion, adoption, and parenting, scheduling appointments in real time and maintaining an above industry standard answered call rate, Option Line consultants provide a profound human presence to those they serve, a lifeline at a critical time.
Each year Option Line consultants can attend a retreat to rest and recharge, and share what brought them to serve along with accounts of the impact they make.
Shayla* has been at Option Line since 2020, joining with a career change from teaching music. She wanted to contribute to the mission of serving the people who come to Option Line for help.
“I feel like we're on the front lines to reach those callers, even if it's just for needs for like diapers or resources,” she said, “but we're also there for all the other needs that are involved in their pregnancy.”
Contacts sometimes don't even know what they need, she said, so Option Line consultants are there to help assess and connect them to the right resources.
The day prior to sharing her reflection Shayla took a call from a 15-year-old girl who was 20 weeks pregnant. The young woman had decided to have her baby but then learned her boyfriend had cheated with her best friend, disrupting her thinking.
“She was just broken and just crying,” Shayla said, “and she didn't know what to do, and she wanted an abortion, and she wanted it fast.”
Shayla spoke with the girl for some time and was able to convince her to hold off on deciding in her emotional state.
“She was just hurt and she needed to talk with someone and get an ultrasound done,” said Shayla.
Shayla was able to help her navigate her emotions and pursue pregnancy help to examine her options.
“That was a win for her,” said Shayla.
Having always been supportive of pregnancy centers, Shayla said it is a whole different level of being involved working at Option Line. It motivates her to encourage others to go to the next level in supporting pregnancy help as well.
Sunshine* has served at Option Line for around a year and said that while it makes a “huge difference” to be there for moms facing unplanned pregnancy, it also makes a difference in the lives of the babies’ fathers, the grandparents, and their entire families.
Sunshine had worked at her local pregnancy center, but life changes took her away from that, and she had a desire to continue in life-affirming work.
“The work that I do is extremely fulfilling, alongside of essential,” she said. “It's very needed.”
She once took a call from a woman who was pregnant who needed help finding a maternity home. The woman had a calm about her that was not typical for many contacts, Sunshine said, which she took note of as she provided information and resources for her local pregnancy center and maternity homes.
“However, the Lord placed it on my heart to pray for her and meet her in her spiritual need,” Sunshine said. “And in the end, she was crying, but I knew that the Lord let her know that He was there with her outside of just providing those physical resources that she needed in the moment.”
She remarked on the importance of serving women facing unplanned pregnancy, who might feel as though they are alone.
“Working at Option Line has meant the saving and redeeming of lives that people think are not important,” Sunshine said.
Sunshine fought back tears when sharing that she had considered abortion prior to her pregnancy with her son, owing to her relationship situation.
“However, from the moment that I knew that I was pregnant with him, there was no doubt that I was going to have him,” she said.
Later, after contacting her local pregnancy center for assistance Sunshine then went to work for the center.
“Being on the back end of that, I always remind our callers of what we offer,” she said, “even if what we offer isn't exactly what they're asking for, because it really does make a difference. And I wish that I knew more about the pregnancy center and the services that they offered at the time.”
Ruth* has been with Option Line for more than 16 years and also stresses the importance of ministering to the entire family surrounding an unexpected pregnancy whenever possible.
“I have recently been thinking about the mamas that call” she said. “Not the ones that are pregnant, but the ones that are calling for their daughters or for their sons.”
A lot of times they may be calling intending to get that first ultrasound scheduled or to get the pregnancy confirmation, Ruth said.
“But I always stop and say, “How are you doing? This must be really hard for you,”” she said.
Ruth recalled speaking with a woman calling for her daughter who was 16, pregnant, and going into her sophomore year of high school.
“She was not planning for her daughter's school year to look like this,” Ruth said. “And so just being able to comfort her and let her know that we're here for her daughter - but we're also here to acknowledge the pain and maybe dreams that are broken for her right now - and that there is hope, and there's a new future that she can be hopeful for.”...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published at Pregnancy Help News and is reprinted here with permission.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Pregnancy help hotline impacts lives on the frontlines
(Pregnancy Help News) Being present on the front lines to offer support to women and families facing unexpected pregnancy is key in rescuing lives, born and unborn. The consultants at the life-affirming contact center Option Line bring their hearts and life experiences to ministering to contacts, impacting lives 24/7/365 across the world.
Option Line is a fully staffed bilingual contact center that receives inquiries by call, text, chat, its center locator, and website. The contact center is managed by Heartbeat International and has connected more than nine million to pregnancy help since opening in 2003, responding to more than 5,000 inquiries for help each day.
Along with providing consultation on abortion, adoption, and parenting, scheduling appointments in real time and maintaining an above industry standard answered call rate, Option Line consultants provide a profound human presence to those they serve, a lifeline at a critical time.
Each year Option Line consultants can attend a retreat to rest and recharge, and share what brought them to serve along with accounts of the impact they make.
Shayla* has been at Option Line since 2020, joining with a career change from teaching music. She wanted to contribute to the mission of serving the people who come to Option Line for help.
“I feel like we're on the front lines to reach those callers, even if it's just for needs for like diapers or resources,” she said, “but we're also there for all the other needs that are involved in their pregnancy.”
Contacts sometimes don't even know what they need, she said, so Option Line consultants are there to help assess and connect them to the right resources.
The day prior to sharing her reflection Shayla took a call from a 15-year-old girl who was 20 weeks pregnant. The young woman had decided to have her baby but then learned her boyfriend had cheated with her best friend, disrupting her thinking.
“She was just broken and just crying,” Shayla said, “and she didn't know what to do, and she wanted an abortion, and she wanted it fast.”
Shayla spoke with the girl for some time and was able to convince her to hold off on deciding in her emotional state.
“She was just hurt and she needed to talk with someone and get an ultrasound done,” said Shayla.
Shayla was able to help her navigate her emotions and pursue pregnancy help to examine her options.
“That was a win for her,” said Shayla.
Having always been supportive of pregnancy centers, Shayla said it is a whole different level of being involved working at Option Line. It motivates her to encourage others to go to the next level in supporting pregnancy help as well.
Sunshine* has served at Option Line for around a year and said that while it makes a “huge difference” to be there for moms facing unplanned pregnancy, it also makes a difference in the lives of the babies’ fathers, the grandparents, and their entire families.
Sunshine had worked at her local pregnancy center, but life changes took her away from that, and she had a desire to continue in life-affirming work.
“The work that I do is extremely fulfilling, alongside of essential,” she said. “It's very needed.”
She once took a call from a woman who was pregnant who needed help finding a maternity home. The woman had a calm about her that was not typical for many contacts, Sunshine said, which she took note of as she provided information and resources for her local pregnancy center and maternity homes.
“However, the Lord placed it on my heart to pray for her and meet her in her spiritual need,” Sunshine said. “And in the end, she was crying, but I knew that the Lord let her know that He was there with her outside of just providing those physical resources that she needed in the moment.”
She remarked on the importance of serving women facing unplanned pregnancy, who might feel as though they are alone.
“Working at Option Line has meant the saving and redeeming of lives that people think are not important,” Sunshine said.
Sunshine fought back tears when sharing that she had considered abortion prior to her pregnancy with her son, owing to her relationship situation.
“However, from the moment that I knew that I was pregnant with him, there was no doubt that I was going to have him,” she said.
Later, after contacting her local pregnancy center for assistance Sunshine then went to work for the center.
“Being on the back end of that, I always remind our callers of what we offer,” she said, “even if what we offer isn't exactly what they're asking for, because it really does make a difference. And I wish that I knew more about the pregnancy center and the services that they offered at the time.”
Ruth* has been with Option Line for more than 16 years and also stresses the importance of ministering to the entire family surrounding an unexpected pregnancy whenever possible.
“I have recently been thinking about the mamas that call” she said. “Not the ones that are pregnant, but the ones that are calling for their daughters or for their sons.”
A lot of times they may be calling intending to get that first ultrasound scheduled or to get the pregnancy confirmation, Ruth said.
“But I always stop and say, “How are you doing? This must be really hard for you,”” she said.
Ruth recalled speaking with a woman calling for her daughter who was 16, pregnant, and going into her sophomore year of high school.
“She was not planning for her daughter's school year to look like this,” Ruth said. “And so just being able to comfort her and let her know that we're here for her daughter - but we're also here to acknowledge the pain and maybe dreams that are broken for her right now - and that there is hope, and there's a new future that she can be hopeful for.”...
Editor's Note: This article was originally published at Pregnancy Help News and is reprinted here with permission.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Carole Novielli
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Valerie Abraham
·Guest Column
Right to Life UK
·Guest Column
Liberty Counsel
·Guest Column
Kim Hayes
·Guest Column
Lisa Bourne
·Guest Column
Lisa Bourne
·Guest Column
Lisa Bourne
·Guest Column
Lisa Bourne
·Guest Column
Lisa Bourne
·