Next Step Supporters, Volunteers, and Staff
He asked and you all answered. In every way.
On behalf of all of us here at Next Step Pregnancy Services – Thank you! You made this year’s event our most successful in our entire 27 year history! Your support far surpassed anything we could have hoped for. From the bottom of our hearts – thank you.
We promise to continue to provide exceptional care for women, babies, and families. And we pledge to remain a courageous voice for the unborn. Here we are Lord. Send us!
Did you see the beautiful picture of Ari and her baby girl? She and her husband Austin welcomed little Nina earlier this year. We got to meet Nina while she was still in mommy’s womb.
Earlier this month we had another client come to see our nurse. This client was17 years old and we’ll call her Ana. She came with her mother though mom waited outside at the start. Ana’s boyfriend unfortunately did not accompany her to the appointment. After the initial scan the nurse noted she was measuring 7 weeks and 3 days. Ana stated she had been on birth control pills but “may have skipped some.” Ana’s opening comments were very direct. She stated she wanted an abortion. She’s too young and cannot support a baby. She lacked the uncertainty that most of our clients tend to exhibit
Notably she said her boyfriend does not want her to abort. He is “religious”. He does not want her to have an abortion if “it already has hands and feet and stuff.”
Our nurse patiently went over fetal development and showed her that, in fact, her baby has everything he or she needs to grow into a full human being.
All he or she needs? Time.
Ana and our nurse discussed how an abortion would not just make things “go away” and that she would have to deal with her decision in some capacity. She shared details with Ana of other options, encouragements, and the abundance of resources at her disposal. After the ultrasound Ana just continued to nod and say “yes”. Our nurse wondered if anything was getting through or was Ana just waiting to make her escape?
This leads me to my ask. What we need more than anything else right now is prayers. Prayers for our nurses who have the massive job of often literally fighting for the life of a child. Talking and convincing and encouraging and guiding – and all the while questioning themselves. Questioning their methods. Speculating on whether or not anything they did or said made a life altering impact or were their words no where near enough. As far as Ana. We don’t know. And most likely will not know. And our nurse has to just keep going. Their many doubts notwithstanding. In the end true faith in Him is all we really have.
On Saturday September 20th our nurses, Barb, Carrie, and Elizabeth, will be in attendance at our annual Gala dinner. It is a night of celebration, raising funds, and coming together to serve Next Step as Next Step time and time again serves those in need, mother and child, at their most vulnerable.
We need your support. In every capacity you are able. Prayers. Funds. Supplies. Prayers again. Our nurses need your backing.
Purchase your tickets here:https://nssupport.org/gala2025/
Early Bird Pricing available until this Friday August 15th.
If you cannot attend but want to ensure our nurses are cared for so they can continue to provide you can do so here and choose Gala Donation
https://nssupport.org/donate/
Thank you for you for not only considering support but
turning hope into action.
He knows our every path. He knew it before we even came into being. Our value has never up for debate ~ for Him. The circumstances of our existence should never have been an argument for our claim to live.
This brings me to the topic of the unfortunate circumstance of rape. A subject which this year’s Next Step Gala keynote speaker, Rebecca Kiessling, is intimately familiar with. I invite you to watch a very short clip of an interview Rebecca had with Lila Rose, President of Live Action, a global Pro-Life Advocacy Group.
https://tinyurl.com/liveactionclip
The context of the 33 second clip is Rebecca answering a question put to her by Lila about when she understood the full story of her conception and birth. Conceived through rape, but an abortion ban without exceptions spared her life. It’s a powerful few seconds and I encourage you to find out more about this remarkable woman.
And a beautiful way to do that is to join us at our Gala this year where Rebecca will be sharing her haunting and inspiring story.
The Gala this year will be on Saturday September 20th at Holy Rosary in Edmonds. Doors open at 5:30pm for a silent auction, drinks, appetizers, our signature NSPS Spritzer, a catered dinner, music, uplifting stories and of course – Rebecca’s stirring share.
You can register and purchase tickets for this event, choose dinner, and tablemates by clicking the link below. Early Bird tickets until August 15th!
nssupport.org/gala2025
I look forward to breaking bread with you and celebrating
God’s greatest gift – Life!
~ Heather Vasquez
2025 Gala invitations are in the mail and registration is open! Please join us on Saturday September 20th at the Holy Rosary Pastoral Center in Edmonds for a wonderful evening of friends, fellowship, tasty food, scrumptious desserts, our signature Next Step Spritzer, games, clinic highlights, and an inspiring keynote address by Rebecca Kiessling. It will be, no doubt, a night to remember!
Register, purchase tickets, choose delectable entrees and more at this link
“That we are all of the same intrinsic worth despite our variability — is a hell of an idea.” ~ Dr. Jordan Peterson
On Tuesday July 1st Senate Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” budget measure, including a provision to defund Planned Parenthood for a year, which pro-life advocates are lauding as a “major step” toward permanently defunding the abortion giant.” (Catholic News Agency Kate Quinones,07/01/2025)
I was, in fact, asked by a few sources what we [Next Step] thought about the bill in regards to the portion about Planned Parenthood.
Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International, had this to say. “This bill is not about restricting care; it’s about restoring true care. It takes Big Abortion’s heavy thumb off the scales and puts taxpayer dollars to work in places that supports both mother and child. And it’s a call to action for every community to step up, to come alongside, and to ensure that no woman ever feels that abortion is her only option.”
I’d say that is what Next Step thinks about the bill that will remove our tax dollars from Planned Parenthood.
“Pregnancy help is built on compassion, not commerce.”
Our mission is to offer free compassionate care and material goods to women and families before, during, and after pregnancy no matter the circumstances. No matter the circumstances bears repeating.
According to WhiteHouse.gov the bill does not cut Medicaid for those who legitimately rely on it (which would include many of our current clients). The bill does however “eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.” I am no expert on this but I do know that the care we offer at Next Step Pregnancy Services is essential. And will become more so in the months ahead following this bill, though it still has to go back to the House for a final round of voting.
Kristin Hawkins, President pf Students for Life, called this bill a “small but important victory”, noting that it “cuts an estimated $500 million from Planned Parenthood and abortion vendors,”.
This leads me to say once again – we offer care no matter the circumstances. Many people who may previously have utilized Planned Parenthood for “care” may be seeking other avenues. And that, my friends, is where we come in.
Next Step Pregnancy Services, an unapologetically Pro-Life accredited clinic serving thousands of women and families between Seattle and Everett, is in a pivotal position to fill in the gap and be a place of welcome, compassion, and truth.
The free services we offer – early diagnostic OB ultrasounds, pregnancy testing, STI testing and treatment, abortion pill REVERSAL, reproductive loss grief care, material goods, and soon, cycle charting support – are all essential services, backed by our life-affirming mission.
We stand ready as ever to defend, protect, and celebrate life – no matter the circumstances.
Next Step Pregnancy Services is 100% donor reliant. To be ready for what I know will be a continued rise in women and families coming to us I am asking for your support, your prayers, and your faith. Faith in our small but mighty clinic to continue to act with grace and empathy through service.
For more on how you can support Next Step’s efforts please visit nssupport.org
Also – please make plans to join us for our annual Gala and Silent Auction Saturday September 20th at the Pastoral Center at Holy Rosary Edmonds. Invitations will be mailed out on July 15th! Be on the look out!
“God chooses ordinary men for fatherhood to accomplish his extraordinary plan.”
~ G.K. Chesterton
As we came upon another Father’s Day I kicked around ideas on what to talk about. My own father (awesome guy that he is), the lack of a father my daughters have in their young lives, the significance of fathers. What?
Then I realized what had been weighing on my heart were the fathers of aborted children. Fathers who, though required to take part in creating life, were thus shunted out of the story if the mother decided she did not, in fact, want the natural result of their union.
This reminded me of something I’d seen years ago and then more recently on a post by Lila Rose on X. In season 6 of the HBO television series, Girls, created in 2012, there is a scene that really, really, struck a chord with me.
The series itself was not always, in fact not usually at all, a very moral program (which begs the question why did I watch it but I’ll say this – we are all human!) and a lot of its characters, though complex at times, showed themselves to be less than principled individuals.
The series centered around a group of ‘friends’, guys and girls, in their mid-late twenties and the various life changes they faced.
There was however one character that I did appreciate. His name was Adam and he was played by, well, Adam. Adam Driver. Who was a bit of an unknown at the time. His portrayal of ‘Adam’ was sarcastic, goofy, and passionate. Imperfect. And vulnerable.
So back to season 6, episode 8 titled “What Will We Do This Time About Adam?”.
Long story short, the young woman Adam is dating at the time, Mimi, another series regular, informs Adam that she cannot “go for a run” because she “had an abortion yesterday.” She goes on to nonchalantly explain that she can’t “take a bath or have intercourse” for “about a week”. Adam, after a pause of obvious confusion, finally realizes what Mimi has said. His first question, sadly, is, “Was it mine?” to which she answers, “Of course.”
The fact that these are two unmarried individuals engaging in casual enough sex to require that clarification is sad enough.
At this point Adam physically distances himself from Mimi, obvious pain all over his face. She then states rather indifferently that she is trying to “be more open with her boyfriends.” which is why she told him about the abortion rather than keeping it to herself. He asks her “How many abortions have you had?” to which she answers, “I’m not going to share that with you because it is private. I’m not gonna ask you how many girls you’ve gotten pregnant.”
To which Adam replies, “None. It’s not private. I’ve gotten no girls pregnant. Until you. Now.”
Adam angrily knocks a bunch of stuff off a nearby table. His pain at hearing such news is clearly etched on his face. He continues to desperately question her about the procedure. Who did it? Who did she go with? Was it a boy or a girl? To which Mimi answers in a very offhanded, almost amused, manner.
He asks, “Isn’t this a decision people typically make together?” by which she asks a question of her own, “So you wanted a baby?” “Maybe.” he says. “People have done crazier things!” Mimi goes onto expound on all the reasons it would not have worked. No money. No place to raise “it”. “We barely know each other.” and on and on.
His extreme anguish is palpable. The scene ends. Driver’s acting was spot on I have to say.
I think what stood out to me so much was the evident grief Adam shows upon learning his girlfriend has aborted his child without any say so or knowledge on his part. He looks, speaks, and radiates devastation.
How many men have experienced this? How many men have had the “rug yanked out from under them” so to speak? If you think about it, for every child that is aborted, there is a father who has lost his child. Granted there are some men that are the instigators of such an act. Who pressure and coerce. Who abandon.
But I’d wager there are a fair number of men who, like Adam, are blindsided by such vitriol. And staggered by such indifference. And paralyzed by such helplessness.
For some context, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), the Supreme Court found unconstitutional a Pennsylvania statute requiring a woman to inform the biological father of a planned abortion. This created the “undue burden” prong of the key judgment in Casey. Paternal notification was unconstitutional if it placed an undue burden on the woman seeking an abortion
Then, in June of 2022 when Roe was overturned, Dobbs did not explicitly address paternal rights or the father’s role in abortion decisions. In 2025, in WA state, as well as every other state where abortion is still legal, an abortion can be obtained for any reason and at any age (of the mother) and the mother is not legally required to let anyone know, even the father of the child. Currently the father has zero rights when it comes to the termination of his child.
That is another aspect of the devastation that abortion causes.
Some men. No, scratch that, most men, do not want this. It goes against every masculine instinct. “The truth is, the world doesn’t hate masculinity. It hates men who don’t bow.” (@turnedhousewife).
Men who show pain and suffering . Men who question and support. Men who stand beside and not behind women.
“Real masculinity is not oppression. It’s provision. It’s protection. It’s restraint. It’s the man who goes without so his family doesn’t have to. It’s the man who stands in front when danger comes.” (@turnedhousewife, X, 05/10/2025)
You can and I encourage you to watch the video clip on X I refer to from the series. That, Adam’s anguish, is what abortion does to men. https://x.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1929922920018784603
On this Father’s Day I say thank you, to my pop, Rich Buyce, and all the fathers, and grandfathers, out there. And to those who were robbed of fatherhood – know that we see you. We pray for you. And stand with you. ~ Heather Vasquez
Insert Gala Plug – Saturday September 20th, Edmonds.
Be there or be square!
A “woman by her very nature is maternal – for every woman, whether married or unmarried, is called upon to be a biological, psychological, or spiritual mother – she knows intuitively that to give, to nurture, to care for others, to suffer with and for them – for maternity implies suffering – is infinitely more valuable in God’s sight than to conquer nations and fly to the moon.”
~ Alice Von Hildebrand
During an episode of her podcast, “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” former First Lady Michelle Obama stated, “Women’s reproductive health is about our life. It’s about this whole complicated reproductive system that the least of what it does is produce life.”
Yes, you read that correctly.
A woman’s unique ability to grow a human life inside her body is “the least of” what the reproductive system is for.
Now I can proceed to expound on all the ways this “complicated reproductive system” was created by God for the express purpose of procreation. That for us, as women, it is a gift to be granted the honor of being ‘co-creators’ with God
In the Encyclical letter titled “The Humanae Vitae” by Paul VI he states that the ‘sexual act’ must in all ways “retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life (Humanae Vitae 11). And that the reason is that the “fundamental nature of the marriage act, while uniting husband and wife in the closest intimacy, also renders them capable of generating new life.” (Humanae Vitae 12)
Or I can go another direction for those with a leaning more toward simple biology.
According to the National Institute of Health “The female reproductive system comprises internal and external organs that facilitate menstruation and procreation. This organ system is responsible for producing gametes (termed eggs or ova), regulating sex hormones, and maintaining fertilized eggs as they develop into mature fetuses ready for delivery.” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537132/)
So whether you wax philosophical, analytical, contemplative, or theological I think we can all agree that, in fact, the miracle of creating and sustaining new life is the “most”, if not all, of what a woman’s reproductive system does.
I sometimes wonder, in this age of the erasing of femininity and the scorning and avoidance of a woman’s natural cycle, if supporters of choice (and Mrs. Obama) despise their own sex.
“A feminist is someone who loathes being a woman and who dislikes the chief feminine characteristics.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton
I for one am most fortunate and content to be a woman and a mother. And humbled to be counted among those who possess XX chromosomes.
Mark your calendars for an enjoyable evening of friends, food, drinks, desserts, and all the good news from your local pregnancy care clinic!
Join us on Saturday September 20that Holy Rosary’s Pastoral Center in Edmonds! Doors open at 5:30pm for our silent auction followed by drinks, an elegant plated dinner, our famous Dessert Auction, stories from small but mighty clinic and a charismatic and inspirational
keynote speaker Rebecca Kiessling!
Invites and registration coming in July!