As Summer fades into Autumn, I am reminded of the many beauties and enjoyments of the season. Not least of which involves good food, music, and family. Also on the near horizon is our nation’s next Presidential election.
Recently I attended a two-day retreat with several other life-affirming clinics of the PNW. Much of the time focused on this simple question; “Who do we serve?”
And further, “Who do you think needs our services?” To be frank, it may not be who you think.
I could quote statistics, “Lies, damned lies, and statistics!” Churchill supposedly said, but I won’t.
Today’s young woman needs to feel educated, confident, and above all – in control. I get that.
An excerpt from the article, “Abortion: A failure to Communicate”, says this, “many young women of today have developed a self-identity that simply does not include being a mother. It may include going through college, getting a degree, obtaining a good job, even getting married someday; but the sudden intrusion of motherhood is perceived as a complete loss of control over their present and future selves. It shatters their sense of who they are and will become, and thereby paralyzes their ability to think more rationally or realistically.” (Swope, Paul F, Abortion: A Failure to Communicate, April 1998)
Boom. That spoke to me.
I begin to see who it is we need to be serving. Who it is our mission promise is for. Our mission is our emotional promise to our clients. Do our current services deliver the trust and confidence that our clients need to build relationships with us? Are we reaching those young women before an unpanned pregnancy? Or are we serving women who want to carry to term? If the modern young woman does not identify as a mother (yet) then why would she consider a place like Next Step Pregnancy Services as a place to turn to for any reproductive care, be it STI testing, cycle charting, or otherwise?
We say all the time that we meet women where they are. But do we? Our services and work must begin to reflect the needs of those we want to build relationships with.
“Modern American women of childbearing age do not view the abortion issue within the same moral framework as those of us who are pro-life activists. While we may not agree with how women currently evaluate this issue, the importance of our mission and the imperative to be effective demand that we listen, that we understand, and that we respond to the actual concerns of women who are most likely to choose abortion.” (Swope, Paul F.)
“Assuming that women, especially those facing the trauma of an unplanned pregnancy, will respond to principles we see as self-evident within our own moral framework” is not how we meet them and how we love them.
I said earlier that young women today want to feel educated, confident, and in control. Those emotions translate to me as; informed, brave, and capable. And I understand that. I want that for my two daughters as well. That’s our assignment.
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
― St. Augustine
Just in time for October which is Respect Life Month! This month especially we ask for your prayers as we discern services, welcome in new clients, and continue to strive for medical and ethical excellence in our clinic – ahead of possible WA state leadership changes.
~ Heather