With chemical abortion’s continued spread, Heartbeat International brought education on the life-saving antidote to the abortion pill to a popular pro-life gathering complementing the national March for Life.
The Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) has nurses staffing a 24-7 hotline receiving inquiries from women who have started a chemical abortion and experience regret, wishing to try and save their unborn child.
The APRN gets 300 calls a month from women seeking to reverse their chemical abortion, and more than half will decide to follow through with the APR protocol after it’s explained to them.
The protocol, an updated application to a decades-old treatment to prevent miscarriage, is administered by the APRN, consisting of roughly 1,000 medical providers and pregnancy help organizations.
Statistics show that to date 3,000 lives and counting have been saved by Heartbeat’s APRN.
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The key is getting the word out, whether that be amid suppression by big tech, attacks from the abortion lobby, or at a pro-life conference.
Hotline Consultant and Registered Nurse Angela was part of the Heartbeat/APRN team staffing an exhibit at the Students for Life of American National Pro-Life Summit. The Summit, heavily attended, with many young pro-life pilgrims, takes place the day following the national March for Life in Washington D.C.
Angela had not served at an event for the APRN before, and noted how the Summit’s attendees were eager and interested to learn about APR.
“It was pretty busy even during the speaker times,” Angela told Pregnancy Help News. “There was constantly someone passing by or interested.”
“A lot of people didn’t even know that APR exists,” she said, “so a lot of questions were, ‘What is it,’ ‘What is Heartbeat,’ What is APR,’ and ‘What is a chemical abortion.’
“A lot of people also don’t seem to know that women often experience regret or change their mind (about having a chemical abortion),” Angela said. “So, most of the conversations were just a basic overview of Heartbeat International and the APRN and educating on APR and how we serve women.”
With the nature of covering a 24/7 hotline, the APRN nurses typically work part-time along with other work and obligations.
Angela works the overnight shift for the APRN because it is the one that is most often open, and the one that works with her other job as an ER nurse.
She was inspired to pursue nursing after seeing short cartoon movie about Florence Nightingale when she was four.
“I realized early on that I liked helping people,” Angela said, “and nursing is a very practical way to help people. As I grew, I also realized it is a powerful way to be the hands and feet of Jesus; He healed the sick all through His earth ministry.”
Angela has background in trauma care, travel nursing, and mission work. While volunteering for a pregnancy center she learned about the APRN.
When the pandemic hit and put a wrinkle in her plans for another travel assignment, she responded to a call from Samaritan’s Purse to serve in one of their Disaster Respiratory Care Units for Covid-19. During that that time she connected with the APRN.
She said the time she had spent with a pregnancy help center gave her valuable experience in speaking with vulnerable women facing the chaos and uncertainty of an unplanned pregnancy.
Angela officially joined the APRN team in November 2020.
In her first shift she got to speak with someone in Ireland.
“It is on those shifts that I get to interact with people all over the world,” Angela said.
Before connecting with the APRN she had not been aware of APR.
“But once I learned about it and learned how many lives have been saved as a result, it’s just incredible to see the impact of the work,” Angela said. “I love serving these women who are literally in such a dark place and desperately want hope, hope that it’s not too late.”
“And it’s amazing to be able to hold up a light and say, ‘Yes, there is hope, you can still choose life for your child,’” she said.
Tweet This: Once I learned about it and learned how many lives have been saved as a result, it’s just incredible to see the impact of the work-APR nurse
Angela said that conversely, the situations that led to a woman’s initial choice to abort do not just magically evaporate, and can still influence her not to follow through and reverse.
“My prayer and hope for any of these women, the ones who reverse and the ones who don’t, is that they will be able to see Christ in the example and ministry of everyone in APRN,” Angela said, “and that they might experience the grace to find forgiveness.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue Network and Pregnancy Help News.
