Heartbeat International’s 24/7 pro-life contact center remained busy over the Thanksgiving holiday, continuing in its lifesaving mission of serving men and women in need while most enjoyed the long weekend.
Heartbeat International President Jor-El Godsey shared several anecdotes of individuals served via Option Line as it worked with the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) through the long weekend during and after Thanksgiving Day in an email to the Heartbeat organization. He remarked on the unwavering life-affirming work of the Option Line staff.
“The team at Option Line, through their around-the-clock, all-year-long effort, serves more than just the pregnancy help community,” Godsey told Pregnancy Help News in a statement. “They also serve the other components of the larger pro-life movement by being a steady, faithful resource on their websites.”
“As the pro-life message goes out to other audiences it can also find those who are in the midst of their own unintended pregnancy,” he said.
Option Line is the 24/7 contact center dedicated to providing “personalized guidance for all who reach out,” per Heartbeat International’s website. This mission persisted even during the holiday, as evidenced by the numerous stories shared by Option Line and its associates.
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Godsey revealed in his December 2 message to the Heartbeat International team that a woman named Kristina had contacted Option Line’s chat “because she was feeling forced into an abortion by the father of the baby.”
Thanks to the support of an Option Line consultant, Kristina—who “felt alone, unheard and afraid” as she sought a restraining order against the baby’s father—was connected with two pregnancy help centers and legal resources.
Another woman contacted Option Line over Thanksgiving, “full of grief after her abortion a few months ago” as the child’s due date was coming closer.
According to the Option Line consultant who shared the story, “Leah” was “so glad to reach out and I was able to tell her she is not alone and that I’d be praying for her.”
But Option Line is not just a resource for mothers in need.
A man named Joseph also called the line, concerned about the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) process.
He explained that he was “still so worried” about his unborn child even though his girlfriend had already begun the reversal process. Joseph shared that they were not given “two minutes to make a decision” about the abortion pill, leaving the couple to believe “that was our only option.”
Soon after, they regretted pursuing abortion and found a local pregnancy help center which provided progesterone pills to stop the abortion medication from killing their baby.
Still, Joseph contacted Option Line to learn more and sought confirmation “that his girlfriend and their baby were going to be okay.” The Option Line consultant who shared this story described the call center as a resource that “will always be here to answer.”
The 24/7 help center was first launched in 2003 and is the sole pro-life call center within the United States that has a full staff and offers bilingual services. It was initially a joint venture with Care Net from 2003-2012.
Both men and women facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies can contact the center at any time via phone, text, email or live chat. These modalities are utilized by over a thousand people each day.
Option Line—which has served over seven million people in the past 20 years—connects women with local pregnancy help centers, offers resources related to abortion, parenting and adoption, assists in scheduling pregnancy appointments and serves as a resource for other pro-life organizations and affiliates.
Christa Brown, senior director of Medical Impact for the Abortion Pill Rescue Network described Option Line as a “lifeline” that serves “so many callers every day of the week” and continues its mission “especially on holidays.”
“Option Line’s help is most critical during hours when some organizations are not immediately available,” Brown told Pregnancy Help News. “Because most women search on their phones when looking for answers for a pregnancy decision, it’s vital that they are able to reach a kind and reliable source.”
“The Option Line consultants provide valuable information, support and a local connection without delay,” she said. “Because of Option Line, lives are being saved and changed every day.”
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“An unexpected pregnancy often brings women to crossroads decisions, choices that will determine the trajectory of the rest of their life,” Nafisa Kennedy, director of Option Line, told Pregnancy Help News.
She added that the mission of Option Line is to connect men and women facing such pregnancies with Heartbeat International’s affiliate network, emphasizing that the help center is a resource “in the middle of the day, in the middle of the night, on holidays—at every point on the journey.”
“In those crossroad moments, human beings long for another person to come alongside them—to bring hope, to remind them of their value and purpose and to help them make a choice that leads to abundant life,” Kennedy said. “That’s the power of pregnancy help.”
She also commended Option Line for having expanded its services to include text, email and live chat as well as “hav[ing] nurses available during critical hours when most pregnancy help organizations are not available.”
“We are committed to serving the movement and maintaining 24/7 availability so that when she reaches out, she will always find another person,” said Kennedy.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Heartbeat is currently the subject of two lawsuits brough by state AGs over sharing information about Abortion Pill Reversal.
