On March 6, several pro-life groups in Nebraska hosted an event at the State Capitol called “Together for Life.” The objective of this event, which was inaugurated last year, is to expose state legislators and their staff to pro-life efforts outside of public policy.
This year’s event featured the extraordinary work of our state’s 30-plus pregnancy care centers. These centers, ranging from large, full-time facilities with several employees to small, all-volunteer facilities, helped roughly 15,000 Nebraska women and men in 2013. They operate almost entirely on donations, with a few hundred volunteers and minimal paid staff in the larger centers.
These centers provide a range of services (depending on the size of the center) that include: facilitating housing, instructional programs, materials assistance (diapers, formula, clothing, cribs, furniture, car seats), facilitating adoption, parenting classes, job training, medical care including pregnancy tests, prenatal and obstetrical care (including ultrasounds, STD testing, social services and financial assistance before and after birth, public and private school character-based abstinence education, and post-abortion counseling and support.
In addition to showcasing the great work of Nebraska’s pro life pregnancy care centers among our state legislators, Governor Dave Heineman agreed to issue a proclamation designating March 6, 2014 as Pregnancy Care Center Awareness Day in Nebraska.
Here is the text of the Governor’s proclamation:
WHEREAS, the life-affirming impact of pregnancy care centers on the women, men, children, and communities they serve is considerable and growing;
WHEREAS, pregnancy care centers serve women in Nebraska and across the United States with integrity and compassion;
WHEREAS, more than 30 pregnancy care centers in Nebraska and more than 2500 centers nationally provide comprehensive care to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies, including resources to meet their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs;
WHEREAS, pregnancy care centers offer women free, confidential, and compassionate services, including pregnancy tests, peer counseling, 24-hour telephone hotlines, childbirth and parenting classes, and referrals to community health care, and other support services;
WHEREAS, pregnancy care centers provide important support and resources for women who choose childbirth over abortion;
WHEREAS, pregnancy care centers ensure that women are receiving prenatal information and services that lead to the birth of healthy infants;
WHEREAS, many pregnancy care centers work to prevent unplanned pregnancies by teaching effective abstinence education in public schools;
WHEREAS, pregnancy care centers operate primarily through reliance on the voluntary donations and time of individuals who are committed to caring for the needs of women and promoting and protecting life;
NOW THEREFORE, I, Dave Heineman, Governor of the State of Nebraska, do hereby observe March 6, 2014 as Pregnancy Care Center Awareness Day in Nebraska and commend the compassionate and exemplary work of the volunteers and paid staff at Nebraska’s Pregnancy Care Centers.
To see a complete list of pregnancy care centers in Nebraska, contact my office or download a reproducible flier (English and Spanish) at www.nebcathcon.org. During this Lent, please make a commitment to help support the center nearest you with your time, talent or treasure.
There are many important parts to the body of the pro-life movement, but in my view, pregnancy care centers are the heart. Their work is essential to achieving the movement’s ultimate goal: to make abortion unthinkable.
