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On January 22, 2021, PDHC will celebrate 40 years of rescuing lives and impacting generations. Founded in 1981, PDHC was the FIRST comprehensive pregnancy center, providing four core services since 1984: Pregnancy Intervention, Family Empowerment, Youth Development and Abortion Recovery Services. As a pioneer in pregnancy resource centers, PDHC’s comprehensive services are designed to serve the whole person; mind, body, and soul. PDHC’s rich history in the community is an opportunity to reflect on the thousands of lives that have been saved and changed over the last four decades. Through our founders, board members, medical directors, nurses, staff, teachers, volunteers, donors, our church, business and community partners, and prayer warriors, God continues to richly bless this ministry with growth and perseverance. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19
To share more of PHDC’s rich history; PDHC was the FIRST pregnancy center in the United States to have multiple sites and branch offices and the FOURTH in the United States to offer ultrasound services. Even amidst the pandemic, texts and chats to our 24/7 hotline are up 25% over last year. Women vulnerable to abortion are feeling even more anxious and fearful during this time. Chemical abortions are on the rise, representing almost 40% of all abortions in the United States. PDHC’s new abortion pill reversal services give women who have taken the first abortion pill and regret their decision, a second chance to save their babies. Timing is critical and PDHC stands ready to help. PDHC was the FIRST pregnancy center in the United States to receive a federal grant for abstinence education (now referred to as sexual risk avoidance education). Last year, our education team taught almost 10,000 students in 58 schools about making healthy choices to achieve their life goals. Because of the pandemic, schools closed down in March and our education team was not able to reach our students in the classroom with their valuable, positive messaging. They have worked diligently to record and video all their new curriculum in preparation of the upcoming virtual school year and will be working closely with community partners to reach students in Learning Extension Centers. PDHC was the FIRST pregnancy center in the United States to develop a post abortion support group. One in four women have experienced abortion* and 9 out of 10 women don’t know where to go for support and healing.** With the rise in chemical abortions, a new study shows an overwhelming 83% of women reported their chemical abortion changed them, 77% stated they regretted their abortion decision, and 38% reported issues with anxiety, depression, drug abuse and suicidal thoughts.*** PDHC provides hope and healing to women who have experienced abortion through connection meetings, recovery support groups, weekend retreats and a 24/7 hotline. Due to an increasing need, PDHC has now expanded our recovery programs to include help for those that have experienced pregnancy loss through miscarriage. Just like we have for the last 40 years, we want to continue providing these life-saving and life-changing services for another 40 years. Whatever your calling to serve at PDHC has been, then and now, thank you for walking alongside the women who need this wonderful ministry. “…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 Blessings, Kathy Scanlon President *Guttmacher Institute **American Psychological Association ***Heroic Media & Shapard Research
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I want to thank you for such wonderful support and well-wishes as I begin a new journey as PDHC’s next President. It is a responsibility I don’t enter into lightly.
The legacy of PDHC was preordained from the beginning as Mike and Peggy Hartshorn answered God’s calling for them and joined the pro-life movement after the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973. In answer to this historic decision, they, along with passionate pro-life friends, envisioned the first pregnancy help center in Columbus to provide abortion-vulnerable women the compassionate care, hope and practical support needed to choose life for their babies. What started out as answering hotline calls from their home, evolved into the opening of the first “Pregnancy Distress Center” on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade in 1981. God knew that 39 years later, this would grow into today’s PDHC, one of the most comprehensive pregnancy resource centers in the state of Ohio, saving thousands of lives and impacting families for generations through programs and services designed to serve the whole person; mind, body and soul. You and I are all part of God’s plan for this life-saving ministry. We have each been called by name. We all serve in different capacities for one beautiful cause – to save the lives of God’s most precious and vulnerable, each created in His image with a life planned from conception. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5. Recently I hung a sign in PDHC's office that says, “In this office, we do teamwork, we do help, we do friendship, we do coffee, we do motivation, we communicate and listen, we do respect, we do punctuality and laughter & cake, we do great things, we are a team.” This reminds me every day that we are all in this together. We are all individual pieces of a puzzle that when completed, is transformed into a beautiful masterpiece. Whether we are members of the staff, the Board, a volunteer, a donor, a prayer warrior, or a woman and family needing help, we all need each other to make life-saving changes, all for the glory of God. We need God every day to walk before us, guide us and complete us on this journey together. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10. Thank you for taking this journey with me, I am truly thankful for each and every one of you. You are a blessing and a light to many. Enjoy this beautiful rendition of The Blessing” from Elevation Worship with a global choir. For Life, Kathy Scanlon President When I tell people about PDHC’s newest service of abortion pill reversal, the most common response I get is, “I didn’t know that was even possible,” or “I’ve never heard of that.” Their immediate response is to ask for more information. What is really important to know, is that surgical abortions are on the decline, but medication abortions are on the rise and account for nearly 40% of all abortions in the United States. That number continues to rise as abortion providers offer medication abortion services right here in our community and women can order the abortion pill online and have it delivered right to their doorstep.
What we also know, is that many women regret their abortion decision immediately or soon after taking the first pill in the two-drug protocol. Once the first pill is taken, there is a 72-hour window to help reverse her abortion decision. PDHC stands ready to help in this critical time with abortion pill reversal. Every woman that reaches out for help deserves that chance. At the end of 2019, more than 1,000 babies have been saved and born healthy in the United States using abortion pill reversal. Recently, I came across a few brief videos that help explain the reversal process:
Help us get the word out that there is help for women who regret taking the abortion pill and want a second chance to save their babies. Timing is critical. Thank you for your continued support and prayers, we couldn’t do this without you. Blessings, Kathy Scanlon Interim President May is a month of celebrations. It is often the first month where it truly feels like spring, a new beginning. We see life all around us, in the beauty of newly blooming flowers, spring showers, green lawns, leaves on the trees, blue skies, birds chirping, sunshine and warmer weather.
May 2nd is National Babies Day, a day to celebrate babies. It’s a time of renewal and a baby’s new life is something very special to enjoy and celebrate. On May 5th, we celebrate our wonderful teachers. What an honorable and influential calling for one’s life. The greatest of all teachers was Jesus. He was addressed many times in the gospels by the disciples as teacher. Jesus himself used the term when he said, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am.” John 13:13. May 6th – 12th is National Nurses week, influenced by Florence Nightingale, who shaped the nursing profession and evolved the industry. When I reflect on nursing I often think about the life of Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to caring for the sick and poor. One of my favorite quotes of hers is, “ We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” On the second Sunday in May, we celebrate motherhood on Mother’s Day. This is a day where we pause and say “Thank You” to the women who have given us life, raised us, sacrificed for us, corrected and encouraged us throughout our lives. I reflect on Mary, the mother of Jesus, who devotedly surrounded him with her generous faith, hard work and selfless love and actively participated in his saving mission. When I think about all we celebrate as a community in the month of May, I realize how much of this reflects on the services provided at PDHC every day. For 39 years, PDHC has been a source of hope and help in protecting the God-given intrinsic value of every human life. Without the beauty and joy of life, what would there be to celebrate? At PDHC, our teachers inspire the lives of middle and high school students, teaching teenagers the importance and impact of making healthy choices to best achieve their life goals. They teach them to value themselves and the importance of healthy relationships and influences in their lives. For all the Teachers out there, we celebrate you for your passion for teaching, your love of the individuals you impact, and your love of the subjects you teach! Nurses at PDHC possess the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13. They show Faith in trusting God for guidance and wisdom as they provide a listening ear and words of comfort and reassurance to women who are facing challenging or unexpected pregnancies. Hope in trusting that God is in control and leaning on Him to provide them with just the right personalized care for each mom, meeting her exactly where she is at this time in her life. And above all, genuine Love for the women and babies whose lives they are blessed to touch and share in their individual journeys. For all the Nurses out there, we celebrate you for your compassion, expertise and trust. At PDHC, we empower women to become the best mom they can be through practical support, parenting education programs and an enriching support system throughout their pregnancy and beyond. They become a part of the PDHC family. We celebrate all of the moms, grandmas, godmothers and moms-to-be out there! Life is a celebration and we are thankful for all of our partners for life in the community whose generosity of time, talents and treasures make all of this possible. Thank you for walking alongside us to rescue lives and impact generations. Blessings, Kathy Kathy Scanlon, Interim President We are looking at our work from a new perspective after a couple of months of the COVID-19 crisis. I know for me, there have been times of fear of the unknown, but through it all, I have also been inspired by stories of pure faith, hope and selflessness. This is what drives and inspires me in the frontline work we do to save precious lives every day at PDHC.
At the forefront of my mind during this crisis has been the reminder that “Do not be afraid,” or “Fear Not,” appears 365 times in the Bible, one time for each day of the year. What a source of strength and encouragement this has been for me, especially Isaiah 41:10; “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” We are all in this together. Not one of us has been unaffected by this crisis in some way. Today, I was reminded that God wants to use times like this to bring something good out of each of us. My prayer has been to ask God where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. At PDHC, we are not changing who we are or what we do. We are coming together as an incredible team of passionate and dedicated individuals to adapt and adjust the ways we are meeting the needs of those who need us most amidst this crisis. We know both surgical and medication abortions are still happening near each of us every day. We are seeing newly pregnant women, who are more vulnerable to abortion amidst a temporary crisis or set of circumstances, with an even greater sense of fear and anxiety. We are also seeing more women who are reacting in fear and choosing to perform their own abortion via the abortion pill, either received from a nearby clinic or ordered online. I was completely stunned at the number of websites available for online access to abortion drugs. There are at least 86 of these websites. Medication abortion accounted for more than one-third (39%) of all abortions in the United States – that number continues to rise. Click on this link to see a video provided to us by a doctor with the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG): https://www.tiktok.com/@joebaca/video/6809023992129654021 Now, more than ever, we need to be there to provide hope and support during crisis to women facing unexpected or challenging pregnancies. God’s perfect timing allowed PDHC to join the Abortion Pill Rescue Network at the end of 2019 in preparation for this global crisis we are currently facing. We are now equipped to help women who regret taking the abortion pill and want a second change to reverse their abortion decision and save the life of their baby. We have already saved lives. Women who have taken the abortion pill have a 72-hour window to initiate this life-saving service. We are answering this need with our 24/7 phone, text and chat hotline. Women can reach us any time and we are able to get them into our centers quickly for life-saving help. With the stay-at-home order, many women are feeling isolated and need someone to talk with about their pregnancies. We are fulfilling that need. Our nurses are responding with personalized phone consultations, listening to their questions and concerns and providing women with the hope and resources they need. We are also seeing many women and families affected financially during this pandemic and more in need of crucial and scarce material aid such as diapers and wipes. We are providing for these needs. Our parenting class participants want to stay in touch and continue their education to be the best parents they can be. Our parenting class program has been transformed into an online platform and is now available in Spanish. We are connecting with parents in need. We aren’t going to stop doing what we are called to do. God knows the plans He has for each precious life. Maybe the next baby saved at PDHC will be a next generation doctor, nurse, police officer, firefighter, teacher, advocate for life…the list goes on. Each a precious life with God-given gifts and talents. It’s our time to shine for the glory of God, He’s got this. Thank you for your prayers. We can’t do this without your help and continued support. God Bless You All, Kathy Kathy Scanlon, Interim President For God has not given us a spirit of fear |
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