A wide-ranging collection of unique stories of women assisted by life-affirming organizations has been compiled and is ready for sharing online.
The Her Story page brings the courage of these women and the beauty of their stories to life in one place, roundly conveying the message that no woman with an unwanted pregnancy is alone.
“Our goal is to refute the abortion lobbyists’ lie,” said Anna Stephens, Communications coordinator for Her PLAN, referencing the abortion falsehood that pro-life movement only cares about women facing unplanned pregnancy until their babies are delivered.
“We are the ones working with her every step of the way,” Stephens said.
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Her Story is a project of Her PLAN (Her Pregnancy and Life Assistance Network), which connects pregnancy centers, agencies, and organizations that can be a vital resource to women and their families during times of need.
Established in 2000, Her PLAN connects 4,800 assistance providers in 29 states including food pantries, medical care, homeless shelters and more. Pregnancy centers can connect with these resources to further direct clients in need. The site also offers a search engine to help find providers within the network.
“Our focus is on providers connecting with one another,” Stephens said. “A provider can use our directory online by state.”
Her PLAN believes so much in the success of the resources that they established Her Story page to showcase the positive results those resources mean in the lives of women and families. The stories page offers countless testimonials of women who have benefited from some form of pregnancy help.
“Oftentimes the media only shows false scenarios,” Stephens said. “There are untold stories out there that are not spotlighted in the media. Each woman, each story, each child is unique.”
Her Story accepts testimonial submissions and not only publishes them on its own site, but it also works to get the truth presented with other media platforms, whether print, broadcast, or social media.
“Our goal is to get them on the airwaves of the media,” Stephens said. “Their stories are stories of hope and truth.”
Categories of submissions on the site include abortion recovery, adoption, pregnancy support, pregnancy loss, human trafficking, pregnancy loss, and more. Visitors to the site can also search by state for stories.
There are currently 30-40 stories on the Her Story site, with many more waiting to finish the process and be published. There is no cost to those who share their experiences.
Stories include videos, photos and links.
One example is a CBS Mornings interview with a woman named Kathleen who spoke about the support of a homeless shelter after sleeping behind a dumpster while she eight months pregnant.
Another example is Andrea, who spoke to the Washington Times before the Dobbs ruling. Andrea shared her desire for Roe v. Wade to be overturned because she wished that she had the support of a pregnancy center when she faced an unexpected pregnancy.
Newsweek picked up the story of Beverly whose daughter was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 in the womb. Beverly chose to continue the pregnancy and now has a ministry to help other families with similar diagnosis.
The list of successes continues to grow.
Tweet This: “Their stories are stories of hope and truth” - Her PLAN's Her Story
Pregnancy centers and other pregnancy help providers can encourage clients to share and reach out to either Heartbeat International, which works to share stories of pregnancy help with Her PLAN, or to Her PLAN.
Agencies interested in joining the online directory can enroll HERE.
Many of the stories are “full circle stories,” Stephens said. They begin with a pregnancy center or a provider’s help for women during a time of genuine need for support. Then the women often end up volunteering at such organizations, passionately passing the torch of support.
This is yet further example of how the pro-life and pregnancy help movements truly do care for women beyond the birth of their child, she said, adding, “It’s a beautiful testament of how the movement walks with these women not just for a moment but for a lifetime.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
