On this day, 16 years ago, a pro-life pregnancy helpline was inaugurated, subsequently receiving 35,000 calls from women in need during that year. Since its inception, Option Line has expanded to accommodate a similar volume of calls, live chats, texts, and emails in a single month. In 2018, the helpline responded to a record 404,000 women and men facing an unexpected or difficult pregnancy.
One such woman was Ana, from Lima, Peru, who consulted the Option Line website on two occasions during the previous year, as she considered the options of adoption and abortion. On her initial visit to the website, a bilingual consultant was available to provide guidance and assistance. This individual listened to her as she expressed interest in creating an adoption plan for her baby. With the assistance of the Heartbeat International Worldwide Directory (https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/worldwide-directory), Ana was directed to local pregnancy help centres that could accompany her through the decision-making process.
Subsequently, Ana contacted Option Line again and was connected with the same consultant, who provided her with further information and updates.
“She had chosen adoption over abortion,” the consultant informed her. The woman was resolute in her decision to place the child for adoption. “There were no doubts.”
One in a Million
In 2018, the website of Option Line recorded over one million visits from women who were similar to Ana. Option Line is operated by Heartbeat International, a global network of organisations that provide life-affirming pregnancy assistance. Since its inception in 2003, Option Line has received 3.63 million contacts. In the previous year, there was a 14% increase in contacts, with over 400,000, compared to 2017.
“We have been fortunate to have a dedicated and faithful team of compassionate and servant-hearted individuals,” states Nafisa Kennedy, director of Option Line at Heartbeat. “They have risen to every challenge, and, by the grace of God, are still standing together as a small but mighty team, helping an ever-increasing number of women around the world with each passing year.”
The objective of Option Line is to facilitate connections between women and the numerous pro-life pregnancy support centres and ultrasound-equipped medical clinics situated around the globe. Kennedy states that in 2018, Option Line had approximately 9,000 international contacts, the majority of which originated from India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Philippines, and South Africa.
As the sole fully-staffed 24-7 pregnancy helpline in the United States, Option Line responds to calls in both English and Spanish on behalf of numerous helplines and national outreaches, including the National Safe Haven Alliance, Bethany Christian Services, Heroic Media, and others.
Since Heartbeat International assumed responsibility for Abortion Pill Rescue (https://abortionpillreversal.com) last spring, the call centre has been able to assist women seeking to reverse their in-progress chemical abortions. In April of last year, one of the first calls received by Option Line was from a woman in Spain seeking assistance with an abortion.
Kennedy noted that the continued success of Option Line was due to the generosity of its supporters, who enabled the helpline to reach women in new and unique ways. The nature of the helpline has evolved significantly since 2003, and this is a testament to the compassion of numerous individuals who are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of mothers, fathers, and their unborn children.
It is worth noting that… This appeared in Pregnancy Help News and is reposted with permission.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
