Sanctity of Human Life Week Marks Fifth Anniversary of Option Ultrasound™
Since the program's inception, it is estimated that potentially 63,000 babies have been saved.
January 9, 2009
The 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court decision to legalize abortion is January 22. The same week will mark Sanctity of Human Life Week and the 5th anniversary of Option Ultrasound™, a Focus on the Family program that provides grants for ultrasound technology and training to local pregnancy medical clinics (PMCs).
Founded in 2004 and supported by donors from all over the nation, Option Ultrasound™ has helped make possible over 400 ultrasound grants for machines or professional sonography training in 49 states. Since the program's inception, it is estimated that potentially 63,000 babies have been saved.
As more local PMCs introduce ultrasound technology in their facilities, more women will see their growing babies and gain a better understanding of their options. We now know that women are twice as likely to say they will carry their babies to term when they both receive counseling and view an ultrasound image versus counseling alone.
"An ultrasound can help a woman make a more informed decision consistent with her own values and priorities," said Yvette Maher, vice president of Focus on the Family's Sanctity of Human Life Division. "Ultrasound services also help a woman understand her body, her pregnancy and her baby's development, and, most importantly, a woman has the opportunity to see for herself what the abortionist likely will not disclose – her preborn baby."
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