Abiding Care director clarifies recent news article

We would like to clarify some statements made from the recent article regarding Abiding Care and our annual fundraising banquet, as we felt some of them were confusing and misleading.

Our mission is to walk with women who are facing an unplanned pregnancy and are trying to decide what to do. Our goal is to give her a safe space to ask her questions, help her to be fully informed about her options and be aware of every support and resource available to her should she decide to parent or place the baby for adoption. The center does not provide or refer for abortions, but does give medically accurate information about the procedures and the risks involved for each type.

Our nurses provide medical services for the purpose of helping women to make an informed decision, not to diagnose. The exception to that would be STD testing – which is so needed with STD rates being 1 in 2 for ages 15 – 24. Our nurses are trained above and beyond what is required so that we can provide the best service possible. There are not things being overlooked on scans, as the article stated, but rather that is not the purpose for the scan – we are only confirming a pregnancy. We do have a medical director who is an OB/GYN who reads our scans and will alert us if she detects an issue.

While we do offer classes on parenting and do offer some classes that delve into trauma issues headed by our coordinator whose degree is in psychology with an emphasis on Crisis counseling, we do NOT provide any kind of counseling. Our goal is to help equip them to be the best parents they can be. We also try to get to the root of some underlying problems and refer them to outside agencies for licensed counseling whenever possible.

We are also not an agency that makes sure children are hitting their milestones as was stated. But we do refer many of our clients to the Indianhead In-Home visiting program. We also follow up with clients beyond the one year mark. Our curriculum is geared for ages 0-3 years old.

And finally, our goal is to make sure women have all the information they need to make a decision and that they have the help they need – force should never be in the equation from either side. We are beyond grateful for the support our community has shown and encourage anyone to take a tour and learn more about what we offer. To do so, please call Carrie at 715-748-1235. — Carrie Kraucyk, Executive Director, Abiding Care