Among the benefits of the Heartbeat International Annual Pregnancy Help Conference is that participants are able to connect in person and form communities around specific topics. This provides a wonderful opportunity for sharing ideas and encouragement.
The Heartbeat Conference app was an effective tool for Conference attendees to connect virtually at the pregnancy help gathering in addition to in person.
One such virtual community forum tackled the ins and outs of performing pregnancy help in close proximity to Planned Parenthood and other abortion centers. Pregnancy help personnel shared perspective, what works, and the importance of making Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) available to clients.
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The discussion was initiated on the by Little Rock, Ark., pregnancy center director Donna Ezell.
Ezell’s center is preparing to open a second location which will be next door to a Planned Parenthood, sharing a parking lot as well.
With this new opportunity for Caring Hearts Pregnancy Center, Ezell reached out to other pregnancy help centers (PHCs) located next to or near an abortion facility via the app for tips and advice.
The “Pregnancy Centers located next to Planned Parenthood” Conference app discussion lit up with responses and plans for meet ups at the annual pregnancy help event, held this year in Jacksonville, Fla.
Sydney Schaeffer, Evangelism Coordinator from Pre-Born, joined in the community chat.
Pre-Born partners with life-affirming pregnancy clinics across the nation, focusing on prayer initiatives and evangelism training as well as offering grant writing services to qualified PHCs to support free ultrasound services.
“We work with lots of clinics in close proximity and even next door to Planned Parenthood,” Schaeffer said.
Those centers located in close proximity to abortion facilities have a higher potential of impacting women’s choices as they are situated to intercept those most likely to seek an abortion.
Being next to abortion facilities is a good opportunity to keep a close look
Fr. Frank Pavone, national director for Priests for Life, weighed in.
“Along with proximity of prayer and counseling, being a ‘lookout’ is a very valuable thing here,” he said.
“We can observe and tape questionable things going on at the facility including on non-abortion days,” Pavone said. “I’ve long believed that everything we need to know to end abortion is inside the abortion industry. Being next to one of their facilities gives us a good opportunity to keep a close look.”
Veronica Norton of Anchor of Hope Health Center, Sheboygan, Wis., shared that their center moved across the street from Planned Parenthood nearly a year ago.
Her advice to pregnancy help advocates serving near abortion facilities was to pray over their center daily.
“Pray for the center and workers across the street at Planned Parenthood and pray for all the clients who walk into both places,” Norton advised.
She also urged PHCs to pray that women and men will turn and walk out of Planned Parenthood and into their center.
“And then watch God do some amazing things!” Norton said.
Prayer was highlighted in this chat, followed by tips on signage and marketing, which are vital to draw folks away from the abortion facility.
Important to offer info on Abortion Pill Reversal, Abortion Pill Rescue Network
Specifically communicating about Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) on signage to offer the services of Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) was a focus.
Both positive and hostile interactions with Planned Parenthood staff
Kristi Burnsed, Medical Center Manager of Thrive Express Savannah, described to Pregnancy Help News the exchanges they have experienced with both being located across the street from Planned Parenthood and in utilizing their mobile medical unit there.
“We have daily interactions with employees and escorts from Planned Parenthood,” Burnsed said. “We always try to reflect the love of God toward the staff that we encounter hoping that they will eventually leave the industry.”
“We have had some positive interactions with staff that have led Planned Parenthood staff to refer patients to our center that are struggling with their abortion decision, and we praise God for that!” she exclaimed.
“We have also had some rather hostile interactions,” Burnsed added, “especially with the abortion escorts that have tried to shout and intimidate clients so that they are not able to speak with our advocates.”
Clients left 'rude' Planned Parenthood, came for pregnancy help instead “because we seemed nice”
Thrive utilizes sidewalk advocates offering gift bags with information about their services and available resources.
“We have had many clients that have stated they left Planned Parenthood because they were rude and came to see us instead because we seemed nice,” explained Burnsed.
Lisa Bates, new in her role as Clinical Nurse Manager from Pathway to Hope Pregnancy Care Center in Hamilton, Ohio, shared a recent experience with the community chat.
“Yesterday afternoon our center received Planned Parenthood’s coffee shipment,” she said, “so first thing Monday morning I’ll deliver it to them with a dozen donuts.”
“God opened the door for me to introduce myself (one of my goals) on my very first day on staff,” said Bates.
Gina Ruppert from Maryland’s Center for Pregnancy Concerns shared a photo of their Options@328 location, which is located next to Planned Parenthood in Baltimore.
Ruppert discussed some of their varied experiences with clients who have come into their clinic with Pregnancy Help News.
“Wrong door—they think that we are Planned Parenthood,” she said.
Additionally, they have had clients who were approached by sidewalk counselors and decided to come in, and some had actually visited the Planned Parenthood, changed their minds, and came to Options.
In one case a client who been to that Planned Parenthood clinic was too far along for an abortion and so came to their center.
Another client received the abortion pill from Planned Parenthood, saw Options@328’s APR signage, and called for help in reversing her chemical abortion. Yet another client was late for her Planned Parenthood appointment and when she couldn’t be seen, came into the Options center.
Laura Murphy, Executive Director of Stanton Healthcare, Victorville, Calif., shared a photo of their mobile medical unit which clearly highlights their free services and APR for clients approaching the local Planned Parenthood.
The Sarasota, Fla., site of Community Pregnancy Clinics also shares a parking lot with Planned Parenthood.
“We opened our doors in 2017,” said Pam Stenzel, Senior Regional Clinic Coordinator for the group of pregnancy help medical clinics. “Having a good working relationship with communication with the sidewalk counselors is a must.”
This advice was also shared by Sidewalk Advocates for Life President Lauren Muzyka in her keynote presentation at the Heartbeat Conference.
“Also, make sure they (sidewalk counselors) are communicating APR information on signage!” Stenzel noted in the Conference app chat.
Stenzel was among the servant leaders honored at the 2022 Heartbeat Pregnancy Help Conference. She shared a photo of their Sarasota clinic next to Planned Parenthood with Pregnancy Help News.
“This particular Planned Parenthood location is a huge building that houses the administrative employees and oversees 22 counties in Florida,” Stenzel said. “We call it our ‘David vs. Goliath’ clinic.”
“Planned Parenthood has used a few tactics trying to minimize our visibility,” she said.
The abortion facility staff used to park in a back parking lot and the patient parking was right next to their pregnancy help clinic, separated by only a chain-link fence, she explained. Planned Parenthood tried to have their staff park closer to Stenzel’s staff and try to direct patients toward the abortion facility, but that was not as successful, she said, as the back parking lot is very obscure.
Stenzel’s Sarasota clinic is another PHC that has had Planned Parenthood clients come to them by accident.
“Shortly after we opened our doors, Planned Parenthood planted a row of bushes to try to provide more separation between us,” Stenzel said, “but miraculously all of the bushes died.”
Stenzel said Community Pregnancy Centers has developed a great working relationship with sidewalk counselors and with 40 Days for Life.
“It is important to have good communication because they are very important to frontline work,” she said.
But clarity in the separate roles is important, she said.
Sidewalk counselors and prayer advocates that collaborate with pregnancy centers must understand HIPAA laws and pregnancy center privacy policies and procedures while functioning together as a pregnancy help team, said Stenzel.
“Developing this relationship is crucial and is an ongoing responsibility,” said Stenzel.
She recommended the HOPESYNC resource in connection with sidewalk counselors.
It enables electronic communication with clients on such things as abortion procedures and risks and fetal development at critical times in a pregnancy decision, at times when sharing written material is not possible.
Stenzel shared an instance where this resource resulted in a client who’d been to Planned Parenthood, taken the abortion pill and regretted the decision, then called the APRN hotline. The client came into pregnancy center the next day and her baby was saved.
“This has been an invaluable tool,” she said.
Stenzel described the continuous battle with Planned Parenthood attempting to thwart the work of sidewalk counselors and her pregnancy center.
“Planned Parenthood is always up to the same old tricks,” she said. “Blasting loud music into the parking lot, escorts being very aggressive, and even attempting to hit sidewalk counselors with their vehicles.”
Community Pregnancy Centers acquired the house next to their pregnancy help clinic and turned into it an educational facility that also has a prayer room.
Sidewalk counselors and others can come in during Planned Parenthood operating hours and pray.
“Our little ‘David’ clinic is busy,” Stenzel said, “but the amazing stories of lives saved and changed are worth every bit of the spiritual battle that comes with being next to Planned Parenthood.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News.
