liz@tove.UUCP (Liz Allen) (05/18/85)
In article <261@vaxwaller.UUCP> susan@vaxwaller.UUCP (Susan Finkelman) writes: > [...] I spent 3 years >doing welfare casework in Missouri in the mid '70's. Since the state didn't >have a whole lot to offer, I regularly sent young women (or girls - many >were under 18) to whatever resources I could come up with that MIGHT help. >I was told by a woman from Birthright that the woman who had come to see >her could put the baby up for adoption or IF SHE WOULD AGREE TO MEND HER >WAYS that perhaps a group could be found to help her if she kept her >baby. And I was also told not to send girls not contemplating abortion >(like they didn't need help? like life stops at birth?) I'm very sorry to hear that anything like that ever happenned. I work in a group called "The Coalition for Pregnancy Assistance" and the major issues we are discussing involve meeting the various needs of women who are pregnant and do not have the necessary resources. The major areas are housing, medical care and material assistance. The group includes representatives from the local Birthright as well as other crisis pregnancy centers, a couple area hospitals, a maternity home, etc. I can assure you that we want to help *any* woman who needs help in any of these areas. In fact, the group was formed because housing and medical care were (and still are...) two areas for which have not been adequately addressed in (at least!) the Washington DC area. We are working on trying and meet these needs. We are hoping to meet housing needs by placing women in private homes as well as establishing a group home for women that cannot be placed in a private home for whatever reason. In case you are doubting whether this need is real, let me assure you that it is. During the time I worked at a crisis pregnancy center, it seemed like there was about one woman every week who was facing some kind of housing crisis. Also, my church office has been getting phone calls quite regularly about pregnant women (and girls) who need housing -- and we have not really been publicizing these resources... (We are only *just* beginning a formal housing program...) Unfortunately, housing for girls under 18 is quite tricky legally. A private home can only house such a girl if they are cleared as a foster home -- or if they have an iron-tight legal agreement with the girl's parents. Other than that, the home could find itself facing kidnapping charges... The extra work involved here prevents us from providing housing for such girls right now. *Sigh!* In the area of medical care, we are planning to set up a pre-natal clinic to help out those women who need to get pre-natal care before they can get into some of the hospital's reduced fee maternity programs. We also have a member mid-wife and are hoping to provide low-cost labor and delivery through mid-wives in those cases where that's appropriate. (Of course, many of the low income clients are in high risk categories and so using a mid-wife would not be appropriate for them.) Currently, we're doing the best in the area of material assistance. Most of the crisis pregnancy centers provide material assistance to their clients. Private donations are the main source for this and provide fairly well in the area of clothing and the like. Furniture (like cribs) is a little harder to come by -- we get some donations and will also buy furniture from yard sales. The crib list at the center where I used to work was always long, but I think they are better able to meet these needs now. Recently, a local retailer asked one of the centers if they could use any baby furniture. You can be sure they said, yes! The retailer had slightly damaged, unsellable furniture that was still fit for use. Some of it needs repairwork, but the centers have people who help with such things already. All of the local centers are now benifitting from that! Well, I hope you get the idea. I think the Pro-Life community is waking up more and more to these kinds of needs and is beginning to provide very practical help to any women who needs it. I pray that more and more will start helping in the future as they become aware of the many needs. By the way, if any of you local people want to help, let me know! If you're not local and want to help, contact a local crisis pregnancy center (like Birthright); I'm sure they could use help. -- Liz Allen U of Maryland ...!seismo!umcp-cs!liz liz@tove.ARPA "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" -- 1 John 1:5