Tag Archives: prolife

Housing Undocumented Women: When, Why, and How

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Valerie Harkins is joined by Faith Cintron from Aid for Women (Chicago, IL) to discuss how to best serve undocumented women in the maternity home setting. Faith draws from her experience to answer Valerie’s “frequently asked questions” surrounding this topic.

Sponsored by: Heart & Home E-Newsletter

Notes: 

  • Undocumented residents may come from all over the world. Maternity home staff should be prepared to be understanding of different cultures and traditions.
  • It’s helpful to familiarize yourself with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processes and build a strong relationship with agents so that residents can obtain the correct paperwork as asylum seekers.
  • Connect with area churches that serve the same culture as your resident to help them feel more comfortable.
  • Government assistance may not be available to undocumented women; check your state laws.
  • Maternity homes can help women stay on top of court appointments and paperwork so that they can legally stay in your home.
  • Ask lots of questions! Be ready and willing to learn.

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Hope: The Journey of sharing Jesus in Maternity Homes

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Valerie Harkins, Director of the Maternity Housing Coalition interviews Allie Reuscher, Director of The Nesting Place Maternity Home about her experiences that led her to starting a maternity home, and what she has learned along the way. They discuss challenges that come with opening a new home and when/how to share the Gospel.

Email Valerie at Housing@heartbeatinternational.org

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Connecting with Churches Year-Round – Embrace Grace

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Tracy Shellhouse, VP of Ministry Services at Heartbeat International and Amy Ford, President of Embrace Grace talk about staying connected to churches year-round. Find out what pregnancy help organizations have to offer churches, and how that continuous partnership can best serve women.

Embrace Grace has support groups in churches across the nation to serve women facing unexpected pregnancies. They equip churches with the curriculum to serve women and create strong families with a connection to the church.

Visit EmbraceGrace.com

Sponsored by: Heartbeat International’s Annual Conference – Click Here for More Info!

Notes:

  • A woman facing an unplanned pregnancy may feel hesitant to connect with a church for fear of judgement.
  • Pregnancy centers can approach churches with something to offer rather than just asking for help financially, volunteers, etc.
  • Churches and centers can co-host events to serve women.
  • Pregnancy centers have a unique opportunity to invite women to local churches for continuing support and spiritual growth.
  • Making that initial connection with pastors could be as simple as bringing in lunch for a presentation to church staff or a short cookie reception to introduce the center and what you do.

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Reproductive Grief Care – Michaelene Fredenburg

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Sara Dominguez, Affiliate Services Specialist at Heartbeat International interviews Michaelene Fredenburg, CEO and President of the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care about the importance of grief care training in pregnancy help organizations, and how centers implementing grief care programs can be a valuable resource for their community.

Resources:

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The Changing Face of Abortion Today

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Heartbeat’s President, Jor-El Godsey is joined by Christa Brown, Sr. Director of Medical Impact to discuss a recent white paper that was published by Heartbeat highlighting abortion trends since the overturn of Roe vs Wade. Increased availability to chemical abortion has brought a rise in coercion, violence, and a reduction of medical oversight. Listen in to find out what women are faced with today, and how your Pregnancy Help Organization can help.

Sponsored by: Abortion Pill Rescue Network
Visit AbortionPillReversal.com for help, or APRNWorldwide.com to join the Network

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Women’s Sexual Wellness – Dr. Joe Malone

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Beth Diemert is joined by Dr. Joe Malone to discuss the term “Women’s Sexual Wellness” and how this type of education speaks directly to young women in today’s culture. Dr. Joe explains the research behind this cutting-edge information and the life-changing effect it can have on the women we serve.

Notes:

  • The results of the “hookup culture” have different affects on men vs women, and both are damaging to the way that bonding happens.
  • Terminology used in abstinence education over the years have changed as science has uncovered more about how sexual activity affects the brain.
  • Pregnancy centers have an opportunity to offer a positive approach to abstinence education that empowers women to make healthy choices based on scientific evidence to back up the Christian worldview of marriage.

Sponsored by Heartbeat Academy

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Maternity Home FAQs

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Director of the Maternity Housing Coaltion, Valerie Harkins, takes us through some of the frequently asked questions that she hears from the Maternity Housing community. Valerie covers homes for minors, goals for residents, funding your ministry, housing models, and more!

Resources:

Sponsored by Heartbeat International’s Annual Conference

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2024 March for Life – Jeanne Mancini

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Join Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life as she recaps the recent March in Washington D.C. along with Pregnancy Help News Managing Editor, Lisa Bourne and Heartbeat’s VP of Communications and Marketing, Andrea Trudden. Hear more about this year’s theme, “With Every Woman, For Every Child” and how the March is partnering with Pregnancy Help Organizations to bring supplies to moms across the country.

Resources:

Notes:

  • This year highlighted the pregnancy help movement and the help that is offered to both a woman and her baby.
  • Heartbeat International and Care Net partnered with the March for Life to arrange for Pregnancy Help Organizations to add their “Wish List” to a page on the March’s web site. This will remain open all year so that people can fill the needs of the pregnancy centers.
  • We have overtured Roe, but have not yet created a culture of life. There is still work to do! The ultimate goal is to make abortion unthinkable.
  • March for Life is working with states to organization marches across the U.S.

Sponsored by: Pregnancy Help News

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Biblical Truths About Adoption – Brad Imler

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Beth Diemert and Brad Imler discuss what the Bible has to say about adoption, and how we can use that truth to change the conversation surrounding adoption in our culture. Listen in to find out where you might have your own adoption bias, and how you can empower women facing an unplanned pregnancy to understand all of her options more clearly.

Resources:

Notes: 

  •  Adoption dates back to the Old Testament. God chose adoption as the means to rescue Moses.
  • For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:4-5
  • We all approach adoption with some sort of bias, and it’s important to recognize what your bias is.
  • Adoption needs to be talked about often in the work of the pregnancy help organization, as well as in staff training settings.
  • The post-Roe world has changed the adoption conversation
  • Having a conversation about adoption with a client can empower her to look into all of her options instead of focusing only on parenting or abortion. It opens up new opportunities for her.

 

Sponsored by Heartbeat International’s Annual Conference

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Insurance for Maternity Homes – Kirk Thomas

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Valerie Harkins brings in Kirk Thomas from Johnson-Witkemper Insurance to talk about considerations when choosing insurance for your maternity home. He covers questions surrounding what insurance companies will ask and how to keep insurance costs low for ministries.

Resources:
–Click here to contact Kirk Thomas at Johnson-Witkemper Insurance
Email housing@heartbeatinternational.org to connect with Valerie Harkins

Notes:

  • Remember to cover your physical assets and people assets with insurance
  • Take into consideration your home structure – single family, multi-family, or mixed use property
  • Utilize things like security cameras, sprinklers, fire alarms, etc. to help minimize costs of insurance
  • Have a plan in place ready to implement in a crisis situation such as a natural disaster or home evacuation for other reasons.
  • Set clear expectations for residents

Sponsored by: Heart & Home E-newsletter

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