What Is An Options Counseling Session?

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

If you’re a supporter of Care Net Peninsula, you probably know about the services you help us provide in our clinic, Alcove Health Women’s Clinic. Pregnancy tests, Ultrasounds, STI Tests, Parenting Support – all the services you would expect in a pregnancy center.

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

One of the best descriptions I’ve heard came from one of our advocates. She explained options counseling this way:

We take out abortion, like a cube, and hold it up and look at it from all the angles. What are her thoughts about what is growing inside her? Is this a life? How is she hoping abortion will make her life better? How will abortion make her life worse? How will she feel after an abortion? Is anyone pressuring her to have an abortion? The questions are as individualized as the women we serve.

While our team of nurses discuss the medical implications and physical risks of abortion, our team of advocates – through this options counseling session – discuss the emotional, relational, and spiritual implications of abortion.

But why discuss abortion at all, you may be wondering. If Alcove Health Women’s Clinic does not perform or refer for abortions (which we don’t), why have any discussion about abortion? Why not head straight to life-affirming options – like parenting and adoption?

Well, the reason is simple. Because if we don’t talk about it, then the only voice she hears in her head is the pro-abortion voice. “Abortion will empower you to live out your dreams,” she’s heard. “Your life is over if you have this baby,” she’s been told.

And these lies are so powerful when the truth is silent.

There may even be the possibility of real personal loss hanging on her pregnancy decision. Maybe it’s her husband or boyfriend’s voice replaying in her mind: “This baby will ruin our lives and I’m leaving if you don’t get an abortion.

These voices are loud. Yet, she has enough concern – enough wisdom – to say, “Wait, I’d like to talk this through, first.

And that’s where the options counseling session comes in.

You see for planned pregnancies, there is usually great excitement to tell others the good news of the pregnancy. But for unplanned pregnancies, there’s usually privacy and silence.

For who wants to tell family and friends about a baby who may not be alive in a few days? That weight is grueling and often leaves her in a corner by herself.

In a state where abortion pills can – within days – arrive in her mailbox, shoved among bills and junk mail, aren’t you glad that Care Net Peninsula says that she and her baby are worth a real live face-to-face conversation? That’s the heart of the options counseling session.

For it is within these conversations that she begins to articulate how she feels about her pregnancy, and how she feels about ending her pregnancy. It is not rare that this consult is the first (and maybe only) place she will talk about how she feels about abortion – and how she feels about the baby inside her.

It’s an amazing thing when you think about it. Two strangers (staff and client), sitting together, talking through one of the biggest decisions of her life.

And often, in those conversations, she is empowered because she has heard her own questions. She has listened to her own reservations and clarified her own thoughts. Speaking is powerful; so is being heard. Both happen during these consultations.

And distinctly a part of the ministry of Care Net Peninsula, this session offers her a spiritual conversation, too. For many women, they know God as creator and just need to hear themselves say, “I know God creates life.” That’s a powerful admission to reconcile when you’re considering an abortion. For some, this instance – this unplanned, unwanted pregnancy – leads them to say yes when, during this session, we ask, “Can I tell you the Gospel?” Isn’t it extraordinary that God will use an unexpected pregnancy to draw women to repent and believe?

There’s more to the options counseling session, of course, because we discuss all her options. She has real choices that protect both her and her baby – like parenting and adoption. We discuss these, too.

Ultimately, she will make a pregnancy decision. Our hope is that, in part because of this consultation, she found the help and hope she needs to choose life – not begrudgingly but empowered by a choice thoughtfully made in a space created just for her.

And that is the value and power of an options counseling session.

Sherri Pigue, Client Advocate

Monday, December 2, 2024

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

I’m A Christian and Want An Abortion

I'm a Christian and I Want an Abortion

You are physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual. The decisions you make – about many things – impact all these areas. Abortion is no different.

You may be staring at a positive pregnancy test and feeling conflicted because you’re a Christian and want an abortion.

You may have thought you’d never have an unplanned pregnancy. You may have thought you’d never even get in a spot where you’d consider an abortion. But here you are, facing both realities.

So, what now?

You are physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual. The decisions you make – about many things – impact all these areas. Abortion is no different.

That’s why, at our clinic, Alcove Health, we look at the whole woman. Because every single part of you matters.

So, if you’re a Christian and want an abortion, take a deep breath. Seriously. Go on and take several deep breaths. You’re about to make a big decision and you owe it to yourself to be settled enough to fully understand your options.

First of all, regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are some things every woman should do before starting any abortion procedure. These relate to your physical body.

The healthiest thing to do first is to make sure you are pregnant. That may sound silly, especially if you’ve already gotten a positive result from an over-the-counter pregnancy test. But it’s not silly; it’s wise.

Over the years, some women have walked in our doors worrying about needing an abortion and walked out 45 minutes later realizing they weren’t even pregnant. Verifying the accuracy of your pregnancy test is the smartest next step.

If the lab-grade pregnancy test is positive, the next medical service you need is an ultrasound.

An ultrasound will give you three important pieces of information about what’s going on inside your body physically: 

  1. the location of the pregnancy (if it’s ectopic it will require immediate medical attention, not an abortion)
  2. the age of the pregnancy
  3. whether or not the pregnancy is viable.

All of these pieces of information are important for every woman, regardless of her spiritual beliefs – including women who have no spiritual beliefs at all. This information could reveal that there’s not even a viable pregnancy to abort. For many women, that’s a relief.

Additionally, if you’re a Christian and want an abortion, you will want to unpack how a decision to abort could impact your life spiritually.

That’s why it’s important to pick a clinic that allows you the space to consider your spiritual concerns. Women with and without spiritual beliefs get abortions. But if you’re a Christian and want an abortion, you’re saying that you do have spiritual beliefs.

Every Alcove Health client is given the safe space to consider how an abortion will affect her life holistically, including spiritually.

Many women do not claim to be followers of Christ; so, they may not be concerned with what God says about abortion at all. But that’s not what you’re saying. After all, your spiritual concerns are what led you to read this blog.

So, the best way to help you process the option of abortion specifically for you is to ask yourself a few questions.

FirstDo you believe God creates life? Your life? Your baby’s life? 

If the answers to these questions is yes, then the 2nd question is, Since God creates life, do you believe He creates life for the purpose of abortion?

If the answer to that question is no, then the final question is, Does it matter to you what God thinks? If your answer is yes, then how will an abortion impact you spiritually?

Your answers to these questions are important to your pregnancy decision because they will be important after your pregnancy decision.

At Alcove Health, we provide medical services plus advocacy services. We provide a safe space for you to consider your options, talk through your feelings, connect with resources & support, and leave feeling empowered that you have a plan that respects your entire life.

If you have spiritual concerns about having an abortion, you can process those safely here in our clinic with no judgment.

If you’re a Christian and want an abortion, you may feel embarrassed or ashamed to be in this spot. We want you to know that we are confidential & judgment-free; you can walk through our doors with confidence that you will be cared for compassionately and privately.

Call or click here to request your free and confidential appointment today.

Sherri Pigue, Client Advocate

February 9, 2024

Are you struggling to heal from a past-abortion? You’re not alone. Find out more about our past-abortion healing groups and one-on-one sessions.

Read More News Updates

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

2023 Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

A Year-End Letter from Our Executive Director

I spent a lot of time talking about buildings this year. That’s because, for the first time in CNP’s 38-year history we own our own home. And it’s beautiful. It proclaims the love, hope and compassion that YOU have for vulnerable women and babies in our community. Praise God for his provision through your generosity!

But, our new building is just a ministry tool. Its value doesn’t come from the city assessor, it comes from God. It comes from using 11101 Warwick Boulevard to serve moms and save babies in our community. Here are a few examples that give it value from this past year:

These women, like so many others, found help and hope at Care Net Peninsula. Your unwavering generosity provides a safe and caring environment for women facing unplanned pregnancies, offering them the chance to explore their options and make truly informed decisions.

Another brave women shared her journey with us:

Your year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula will empower local women like Mariana to choose life for their unborn children and draw closer to Jesus. Your partnership ensures that we can continue to offer counseling, medical support, and essential resources to pregnant women and their babies.

One more woman, full of gratitude, summed up her experience with our ministry this way:

Your continued support is vital to the success of our mission. With your generosity, we can reach even more women and families in need, providing them with hope, love, and resources that require to choose life, transform their futures, and experience the boundless love of Christ.

Please join us in making a difference in the lives of women and families facing crisis pregnancies.

To contribute right now to our mission, please make a gift t the button below. Every dollar makes a difference, and your support is deeply appreciated. 

Together, we can continue to be that place of miracles and transformation for countless women and families in need. When you make a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula, you are providing the help and hope that women need to choose life for their baby. Please pray and consider making a gift today. 

Thank you so much for your incredibly generous support. This past year was an important year for Care Net Peninsula, but there’s still work to be done. Please join us in praying for God to use our ministry in a profound way to serve more women and babies than ever in 2024.

I pray that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas,

P.S. Your giving makes the stories you read in this letter possible. Will you consider a year-end gift to Care Net Peninsula to save even more babies from abortion in 2024? Thank you for your generosity.

Read More News Updates

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

Hope For A Lifetime: 5 Years and Counting

Four times she tested, why?

“I did not want to believe the results”, Rylinn recalled.

So, she took test after test, hoping the results were wrong. But every pregnancy test came back the same: positive.

“I was terrified when I discovered I was pregnant.” She was only 23 years old at the time.

“I was not in the best place,” she admitted. “I did not feel prepared enough for a child.”

“I had a dream job bringing in a decent income, yet, I still felt like I could not afford to bring a child into the world.”

And then there were Rylinn’s plans for her own life – what would those plans look like now? “I was nervous, scared, and anxious about what my future would be like with a child in it. I was indecisive of what to do: whether to keep this child or consider other options.”

But one thing Rylinn was sure of – she needed help.

“I happened to stumble across Alcove Health Women’s Clinic,” she said.

That stumble led Rylinn to the help and hope she needed.

Rylinn recalled that she “received so much more” than what she expected when she first walked through Alcove Health’s doors. “I spoke with the staff, who were all so helpful and kind”

 “The clinic team helped me explore my options for my pregnancy and gave me the prenatal vitamins I would need. All at no cost,” Rylinn said. “The staff knew of my apprehensiveness with the pregnancy and the rough time I was having and went out of their way to comfort me with kind words and pray for me.”

 “I’ll never forget it!”

And now, five years later, Rylinn’s little girl, Shai is here – breathing, smiling, and laughing with her grateful mom.Why? Because the pregnancy that terrified Rylinn five years ago is now a 5-year-old little girl. Shai is growing, playing, spending time with her family, and learning new things every day.

In 2018, donors gave to Care Net Peninsula so that Rylinn and other women would receive help when they needed it the most. They gave because the understood the urgency and fear that accompanies an unexpected pregnancy. They gave in faith that their generosity would serve moms and save babies.

And it did!

If you gave back in 2018; you are part of Rylinn and Shai’s story.

Your giving to Care Net Peninsula did far more than just support a trip to our pregnancy center.

Your generosity – then and now – supports all the trips that come after that first trip to our clinic. There are also trips to parks, churches, museums, and family reunions – every trip that living children make. School events, weddings, and babies growing up to have families of their own. All because, in the moment a woman is making a pregnancy decision, you decide to give her the support she needs.

That’s the significance of your giving. The right support at the right time makes every future moment possible. And moments become lifetimes, just like Shai’s.

Sherri Pigue, Client Advocate

Friday, November 17, 2023

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

Critical Year-End Ministry Update

Critical Year-End Ministry Update from Care Net Peninsula

Tragically, 15 children in Virginia died from Covid-19. But since March 2020, 300 times that number of babies died from abortion . . . on the Peninsula. That’s over 4,000 preborn lives taken from our community in less than 3 years. But it would have been more.

We made a commitment in 2020 to double down on our efforts to save babies from abortion. For starters, we never closed. Then we doubled our clinic ad budget, expanded our hours, and added new services. We created hundreds of blogs, videos, and social media posts to reach more local women.

There were real barriers. Governor Northam passed new abortion laws and Covid lockdowns led to the meteoric rise of the at-home abortion pill. Google filtered us out of some search results and added a pro-abortion label to our videos.

But, by God’s grace, our efforts–and your investment–paid off. Since March 2020 we served a record number of women and saved 268 babies from abortion.

As a member of the Care Net Peninsula Family, you fueled historic growth for our ministry. We could not be more grateful for your commitment to serving moms and saving babies on the Peninsula. I am writing to thank you, and to ask you to help us do even more.

It’s been a historic year in the national fight for life. Overturning Roe was monumental. Thousands of lives have already been saved from abortion. But here in Virginia, abortion is still legal up to birth. We’re not sure what the political climate will be in 2023 and beyond, but thanks to you, we’re equipped to serve all the women God sends our way.

That’s because in June we made a big move. We bought 11101 Warwick Boulevard, the future home of our ministry. We own the building and we’ve nearly completed the $600,000 capital campaign to fund the renovation. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! We’re on track to start construction on February 1st.

We have been laser-focused on the Building4Life campaign and it’s left a gap of about $50,000 in our operating budget. Would you consider a year-end gift of $50, $100, $500, or whatever amount God puts on your heart?

You all have been incredibly generous to Care Net Peninsula this year, but this is a unique season for us financially. If you’re able to allocate some of your year-end giving to Care Net Peninsula, it will help us close this funding gap.

Your gift means we can continue to provide services like life-affirming counseling to women planning to have an abortion. Ultrasounds help women see the truth about their pregnancies. Our LEAP and church mentorship programs provide ongoing training to expectant moms.  We offer all this and more for free thanks to partners like you!

I pray that this Christmas season be a time of joyful celebration with your family of the birth of Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your generous giving to Care Net Peninsula in 2022. As we look ahead to a new chapter in our ministry, please pray that God’s truth and love would guide us in our work.

Merry Christmas,

P.S. Thank you for your incredible generosity in 2022. We’ve nearly funded the campaign for our new building, but that’s left a gap of about $50,000 in our operating budget. Would you consider a year-end gift to close this critical gap in our funding?

Read More News Updates

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

Does He Really Matter In The Pregnancy Decision?​

Does He Really Matter In The Pregnancy Decision?

An Update from Our Client Relations Manager

Far away from the news, the political arena, and the social media posts, things are different.

The visible and loud demand attention: the protesting voices heard through megaphones, the “Her Body, Her Choice” mantras on social media, and the sound bites from politicians. But here, in Care Net Peninsula’s medical clinic, there is none of that – it’s just her (and hopefully, the father of her baby).

You know, in the quiet. When the cameras are off and when the crowd is gone. When she speaks for herself, without the public pressure to defend her womanhood by not needing a man.

The loud opinions may have mattered once; they may have even been her own. But right now, no one is as loud as he is – no slogan, no politician, no activist.

You may be scratching your head. You might be wondering – What gives me the right to counter decades of systematic messaging that indicates the opposite?

Well, women.

Here at Care Net Peninsula, we have been listening to women for decades. Our clients know what they should say – how they should think – how empowered they should feel.

My body, my choice. No man needed – or wanted. But now pregnant, that sentiment falls flat. She wants more from him – for him to step up to the table beside her. To listen and to speak. After all, she didn’t get pregnant alone.

The men – the fathers of our clients’ babies – are as varied as the women we serve. Intricately connected though – in that they almost always matter to the mothers of their babies. What they think matters. What they say matters. What they don’t say matters.

Some men are unsure – they don’t know what they want. Many of our women feel the same. Some men overtly want her to choose an abortion, and some explicitly want her to choose life. Some men are silent; years of “Her body, her choice” has created quiet men. They like to call themselves “silent but supportive,” though we know silence and support rarely exist together. Silent but supportive partners create lonely women, burdened to make a decision without his help.

So why even bring this up? What are you to do with this information? Well, a few things.

More than ever, be on your guard against smart-sounding sound bites that just aren’t true. Sure, there have been women who’ve wanted total autonomy. They didn’t want the input of their friends, boyfriends, husbands, or exes. But these women have been in the minority, they are not the majority – despite what the loud voices of our culture would have you believe.

For many of our clients, he is in her head – either vocally or silently. He’s still there and he carries a lot of weight either way.

Secondly, know that’s why it is so important that he is included in the services she receives in our clinic. He is always welcome to come with her to her medical appointment – as long as she wants him included.

    • Do you mean he can come into the consult room to discuss pregnancy options, his feelings, and his concerns? To hear about the support our donors and our community partners provide? Yes, with her consent.
    • Do you mean he can come into the ultrasound room, to observe with his own eyes the life that is growing inside her? You bet, with her consent.
    • Do you mean he can hear medically accurate information about the different types of abortion procedures? Definitely, with her consent.

Here in the clinic, we have more than a “he can come” response. We encourage our clients – as they are trying to make decisions about their pregnancies – to bring the fathers of their babies with them when they come for their appointments. Even during COVID, when restrictions were tight for the sake of safety, our directors went against the norm by continuing to allow women – as they were making pregnancy decisions – to bring the babies’ fathers with them. He was too important to leave out; her wants and needs for his input were too important to disregard.

He’s that important to her and the entire decision-making process – so he’s important to us, too.

His thoughts matter to her and play into her final decision about what she will do with the pregnancy. And while women may make voting decisions based on collective persuasion, they make pregnancy decisions usually in pairs. That’s why our clinic is a safe space for her to process her pregnancy and understand her options while including him; a safe space for her to receive important medical services and accurate information, with him by her side.

And a safe space for both of them – to learn the truth, to hear and be heard, to leave knowing about the life she is carrying inside her – that living, valuable, life. When people know the truth, they aren’t so drawn to the false narrative of the day.

And listen, the world may not believe in God, as if dismissing Him dismisses His truths. But God’s truths are still true – they would be even if no one believed them. So, when God says He created male and female – with the ability to multiply – it was not accidental that two people were involved. When she says he matters, she is speaking from the heart God created inside her. Babies involve two parents. It’s the way God created it to be.

Read More News Updates

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

33 Women

33 Women
33 Women

33 Women

An Update from Our Client Relations Manager

I knew there were women. But I wanted to know how many women. So, I looked through our files. The number is 33. Throughout 2021, 33 women entered our clinic doors either determined to abort their babies or strongly considering the abortion option.

Now to be clear, there were a lot more women who entered our doors also planning to abort. But what makes these 33 women significant is what they learned during their appointments at Alcove Health Women’s Clinic.

Through our medical services, each of these women found that either they weren’t pregnant (meaning their pregnancy test at home was either invalid or there was an error in the use/reading of the test) or they did not have a viable pregnancy (meaning there was no heartbeat).

These 33 were considering, if not planning, to leave our clinic and contact an abortion provider. And they didn’t even have a pregnancy to abort.

Here at Alcove Health Women’s Clinic, you help us serve moms and save babies. For these 33 moms, you served them so – rather than fast-tracking it to an abortion clinic or mail-to-home abortion provider – they slowed down and got the information they needed to make a wise and safe choice.

Now you may be thinking, so what? No babies would’ve been harmed in these abortions. Why is this blog-worthy material?

Two reasons.

First, because God protected these women and He is always blog-worthy. We can all celebrate that.

For these 33, the medical services they received here at Alcove Health Women’s Clinic were a safeguard – over their bodies, their hearts, and their futures. You see, an abortion – even one on a baby that doesn’t exist or isn’t alive – is still an abortion to the woman. God – in His goodness – sheltered each of these women from the life-long impact of thinking she had an abortion. So they did not suffer physical complications, or post-abortion symptoms, or relational difficulties, or spiritual heartache. All because these 33 individual women were given an opportunity to learn the truth before they took any action.

You can see God’s hand of protection all over these women’s stories.

Ten years from now, these 33 will not be contacting us asking for post-abortion recovery. For these women, you – our supporters – didn’t save babies, but you sure did serve women. God provided a way for them to know truth. And that one truth will affect them their entire lives.

Secondly, this is note-worthy because we know that you may be the first contact a woman has when she is considering an abortion. Be it a friend, a church member, a co-worker, or a family member.

We want you to know that even the woman who is 100% confident she will only consider an abortion still cannot have 100% confidence that she even knows what’s going on inside her body – or if she’s even pregnant – until she visits Alcove Health to get the important information our services provide. For free.

As our community of support, you are also the voice in our community. Perhaps you will meet a woman determined to abort. Remind her we’re here for her to provide the same services that served these 33.

Remind her of these 33 women. She could be one of them.

Read More News Updates

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

Local Women Find They Don’t Need Abortion to Secure Their Futures – They Need YOU!

Local Women Find They Don't Need Abortion to Secure Their Futures - They Need YOU!

The front end is easy to see.  

You believe in life. It’s sacred. It’s undeniably alive. So you protect it. You speak up, you give money to Care Net Peninsula, and you pray that pregnant women won’t default to abortion. 

And that is what happens – women do choose life. 

Women bring us their unplanned pregnancies – unsure of what to do; full of the fear that their unplanned pregnancies will give birth to unplanned babies. With the culture screaming in their ears it’s hard to imagine anything other than an inevitable end – unplanned babies will ruin their lives. 

But then women find Care Net Peninsula and get the help and hope they need. 

And then they choose life. 

But in the back of your mind, you wonder. Then what? 

If you’ve supported Care Net Peninsula’s mission to serve moms and save babies, you may hit a wall when you try to envision what happens after her pregnancy decision. After the birth of the baby. As the reality of that choice weighs fully – with a new life sleeping in the next room. 

Pro-abortion advocates weave a pretty dismal story – a woman’s success and happiness hinges on her opportunity to abort her child. Without abortion, how will women survive? 

But here at Care Net we are not story-writers. We’re story-tellers. We tell true stories. Stories that you – our donors – help our clients create.  

We are privileged to see the women you help – months and years after they choose life for their babies. Incredible, successful, happy women. Doing life. Raising their children. Working hard. Proud, powerful women who defy the loud lie that abortion saves women.  

Women like Kapria . . .

“I was confused, sad, and at rock bottom” Kapria remembers the weariness of trying to make a pregnancy decision.  “I had to do something. I needed to be reminded in some way, somehow of Jesus being my anchor.” 

So she turned to Care Net’s clinic, Alcove Health – questions and all. 

She walked through our doors with confusing emotions of doubt and fear. Questions were flooding her mind – Will I be a great mom?,” Who will help me? She even wondered, Is God going to hear me?” 

After meeting with her advocate, Sheri, the confusion started to clear. She allowed the truth to overrule the lies and calm her fears.  

She was “confident and awakened.” She knew God wanted her to keep her child.  

Kapria says her pregnancy was “stressful, hard work, encouraging, and transformational.”  

Draw that picture in your mind. Kapria was not dragged kicking and screaming – fighting the pregnancy decision all the way to the delivery room. No, she found the truth and allowed it to change her. Her life was changed through her pregnancy. 

Wearing not-yet-two-month-old Baby Emmanuel swaddled in front of her, she told her own story at Care Net Peninsula’s Walk 4 Life this year. Far from that day she first walked into our clinic, she told a different story. With her own voice.  

With a mind full of gratitude and a heart full of love, Kapria spoke of her life. “I love my son. I love my children. I’m so very much grateful.”

“Thank you for reminding me that through God, all things are possible,” Kapria said. 

Abortion proponents would say her life is ruined. She’s lost her power, her voice, and her ability to have a successful, happy life. After all, they say, women need abortion to secure their futures. 

But women like Kapria – real women with their true stories – show us otherwise. Their lives stand in contrast to the idea that women need abortions. Women like Kapria choose their babies and themselves; their babies’ futures and their own futures. 

At Care Net Peninsula, our services start with a moment – that first call to our clinic.

And then there are more moments – that first connection with an advocate, that first peek at the ultrasound screen, that first conversation with one of our Registered Nurses.  

Every single life-changing event starts with one moment. 

But these moments turn into lifetimes. Lifetimes not doomed to failure because a woman chose to protect her unborn child. Women not living lives full of regret about what could have been – if only they aborted. 

No, we find women fully aware that they saved themselves when they saved their babies. 

When you’re part of the Care Net family, you empower women to understand the truth. You help women see a real future – one that does not need to include an abortion procedure.  

You see, the abortion industry may need women, but women do not need an abortion. Women live successful lives with their babies. 

When you give to Care Net Peninsula, you become part of every one of these life-changing moments. Your generous support – providing pregnant women with the help and hope they need to choose life – turns these moments into successful lifetimes. For babies and moms. 

Read More News Updates

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »

What Is Plan C?

What Is Plan C?

“Plan C is the idea that there is one final option in a three-step plan.”

Most women have heard of Plan B (sometimes called the “Morning After Pill”). It’s the emergency contraception pill taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. You don’t want to be pregnant, so you take a pill to make sure you aren’t. 

But Plan C? What’s that? 

Plan C is the idea that there is one final option in a three-step plan. When birth control (Plan A) and emergency contraception (Plan B) fail to prevent a pregnancy, you need a Plan C.

Plan C reduces all your options into one final option – abortion pills to be taken at home, with the entire process completed there in your home.

But hold on, before we rush into an ABC plan that is supposed to be a “one-size-fits-all” plan, let’s consider the actual options that are available to us. 

You deserve access to the full range of options because there isn’t just one final choice if your Plan A and your Plan B don’t go as planned. An unplanned pregnancy that exists, despite using birth control and taking a Plan B pill, has more than one final option. 

What’s more, Plan C – without in-person access to a provider – makes some pretty risky assumptions. It assumes you are actually pregnant and in the early stages of pregnancy. It assumes you are not in the process of a miscarriage. It assumes your pregnancy isn’t ectopic. 

You don’t need assumptions as part of your “Plan C”, you need accurate medical information so you can make the best decision for your reproductive health.

There’s a place you can receive medical services (like a pregnancy test and ultrasound), support, and a safe place right here in Newport News, Virginia. It’s called Alcove Health Women’s Clinic. What’s more, you can explore all of your options and get the medical services you need at no cost to you.

Don’t let anyone plan your life for you. Don’t settle for assumptions and a “good for all” single option. You deserve better.

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What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

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Delivered Discreetly To Your Home

Delivered Discreetly to Your Home

Abortions Are An Unnecessary Risk

We can all agree there are times when our only option is a risky one. For instance, if I was being chased by someone with a knife, then I’d probably risk knocking on a stranger’s door for help. Or if I was stranded on a deserted island and a stranger offered to help me home, I’d probably risk accepting help from a stranger.

Because these risks would be worth it.

Because the alternatives would be riskier.

But then again, there are times when the risk isn’t worth it when it’s not even necessary.

Mail-to-home abortions fit into this last category.

The FDA requirements for medical abortions (by pill) require that a woman see a provider in-person to receive the medications. This requirement has been removed temporarily during the COVID pandemic.

While the restriction has been removed, the need it met has not been removed. There are good reasons – for our health as women – that a visit to the provider is required by the FDA. You see, good medical care often requires care that can only be provided in person. 

Like an ultrasound. It can’t be delivered to your mailbox. For years, an ultrasound was required standard of care prior to receiving an abortion in Virginia. Why? Because it gave a woman the information she needed. Because it protected her health. An ultrasound shows if a pregnancy is ectopic. An ultrasound reveals if there is even a viable pregnancy. We’re smart women – these details are important. 

Maybe not to the abortion provider. To the abortion provider these details – an ectopic or nonviable pregnancy – mean their services will not be purchased. 

But to a woman’s health, well, this information is vital.

And ultrasounds – here in Hampton Roads – are available. And free. Right at our clinic Alcove Health. No gimmicks. Just safe care because we care about the women in our community. 

Risky procedures don’t make sense when we have better options that are free.

There are times I’ll take some risks. 

But not with my health. Not when I don’t have to. Not when the safe answer is also the free answer.

Say no to risky procedures; say yes to safe medical care. 

What Is An Options Counseling Session?

But there’s one service that seems to many of our donors as, well, mysterious. We use words like “safe space” and “lovingkindness” when we discuss our services, but what exactly is this thing we call an “Options Counseling Session?”

Read More »