Excerpted from “How to Start and Operate a Pro-Life Out-Reach Pregnancy Service Center,” a manual prepared and distributed by the Pearson Foundation, an anti-abortion group. Many anti-abortion activists have set up such centers, which mimic the advertising of abortion clinics in order to attract pregnant women; “counselors” then try to dissuade these women from having abortions. There are an estimated 2,100 “abortion alternative” centers in operation.
Thank you for being concerned about mothers and their unborn babies. May the good Lord bless you and help you have the time not only to read this manual but to follow through to help save lives. As Christians, we are challenged as never before in history. There is no middle ground, and there is no compromise. Never worry about money. Be aware that it is needed for your work, but move ahead with one goal in mind: to open the center right now.
naming your center
You are trying to reach the woman who wants an abortion as well as the woman who just needs help having her baby. Keep in mind that the women who are seeking abortions outnumber the others by a hundred to one. We suggest that you use two names in order to appeal to both groups. We have discovered that using a neutral name like Abortion Advice or Problem Pregnancy Center is the most effective way to reach those women who are considering an abortion, while the name Mother and Unborn Baby Care will help you reach those who want to carry [to term] but just need help. Only the neutral name is to be displayed on the building and in advertising.
location
First of all, you should see if there is an abortion chamber in your area. If so, see if there is any office space available near the entrance to the abortion chamber. The whole idea behind such a location is this: if the girl who is going to the abortion chamber sees your office first, with a similar name, she will probably come to your center. The best part is that the abortion chamber is paying for the advertising to bring that girl to you. If you do your job well, you just might put the abortionist out of business.
pregnancy testing and rationale
The offer of free walk-in pregnancy tests with results in thirty minutes is the main way to attract young women who need to be properly educated about the facts of abortion. The tests must be done at the center. Never allow a client to watch while you are doing a test. If a client asks how long the test takes, tell her she will have the results in thirty minutes. (You have not told her how long it takes you to run the test, but how long it will be before she has the results.) It is imperative that all clients understand that they must remain at the center for the results of the test. This will give you the necessary time to build a rapport with the client and to show her the slide presentation.
phone call procedures
We do not offer counseling over the phone, as the success rate is very low, even with an experienced counselor. Therefore, do not try to talk a person out of having an abortion over the phone. However (if she refuses to come in), the call is your only link with a woman in need of help. You must take advantage of this one and only contact. In this case, and this case only, we must reveal our pro-life stance and try to talk her out of an abortion. A phone put back on the receiver with no appointment made will probably mean death for the unborn baby and perhaps for the soul of that mother.
registering a client
When registering a client, always be relaxed and pleasant. Call her by her first name often and maintain a neutral voice when asking questions pertaining to previous pregnancies and abortions. We need to know what the client’s feelings are both in general and regarding this pregnancy.
transition to viewing room
When the client returns from the restroom with her urine sample, escort her to the viewing room. The transition to this room should come precisely at this moment, because it is much easier to ask her to follow you when she is standing. Say something like, “Would you please follow me, as we need a little more information from you.”
necessity of presentation
We must understand the importance of the presentation and the use of graphic pictures. If killing whales and seals can be shown very emotionally and graphically, then this is the least that can be done for the preborn baby. It is ludicrous to leave the life of a baby as a free and open “choice” for the mother.
viewing the presentation
Now you are ready for the slide show. Obviously, a smooth and easy transition to the presentation is necessary. A client should not feel that she is being deceived or pressured. We want her to believe she is being educated.
You might begin like this: “Patty, we want you to see this medical presentation on abortion. There will be a young woman in the presentation who will ask many questions on abortion, some of which you may be thinking of right now. The presentation will answer these questions. It takes twenty-six minutes and we will have your results by that time. Feel free to smoke if you like, and I’ll be back at the end of the presentation.”
At this point, turn on the projector. As you leave, tum off the lights and close the door. Do not ask the client’s permission or opinion.
after the presentation
A young, pro-abortion, “liberated” woman may refuse to absorb what she has seen in the presentation or may be suspicious of your motives. relax. don’t pass judgment. If her defenses are up, it may mean she thinks what she is planning to do is wrong.
If the woman says, “The fetus isn’t anything,” or “I can’t handle eighteen years with a child,” or “It’s my life and you can’t tell me what to do,” try this response: “If you saw someone was going to kill a person, wouldn’t you want to stop the killing? That’s what I’m doing now. Trying very hard to save your child.” Help the woman realize that if she is pregnant she is already a mother. If she chooses abortion she is still a mother, but one who will never have the pleasure of celebrating her child’s birthday.
An older pro-abortion woman who is married and has several children will usually change her thinking upon seeing the presentation. If she has older children, she will usually be influenced if you say, “How will your daughter feel when you kill her brother or sister?”
abortion chamber counseling
All counselors should also do praying and counseling outside abortion chambers under the Mother and Unborn Baby Care image.
Your approach to the girl or woman can be whatever you feel most comfortable with. You might say, “Are you going into the abortion chamber?” or “Can I talk to you for a moment?” or “I would like to offer you our help and this is our literature.” Ask her how far along she is in her pregnancy and show her a baby at that gestation. Talk to her lovingly and gently, but continuously. Lead her away from the abortion chamber entrance if you can. If she’s going in for a test, invite her to come to your center. Invite her to have a cup of coffee with you at the cafe down the street.
If you do lose her, if she goes into the abortion chamber, continue to pray for her, as God many times will touch women’s hearts even on the operating table, and they will change their minds and come out to you to accept your help.
