COVER STORY 28 January 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good news • South Florida Edition Life hung in the balance on November 5, 2024, as Floridians went to the polls. A coalition of pro-life advocates, including pastors from around the state, had worked tirelessly to educate people on the dangerous and deceptive wording of Amendment 4, a ballot proposal to allow abortion in Florida up to the point of fetal viability - a term they failed to define. “If it had passed, the most dangerous place in the state would be the mother’s womb,” said Rob Pacienza, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Joy Wright, executive director, and the team at Hope Women’s Centers, faith-based medical clinics that exist to encourage and equip women and men to make informed life-affirming decisions when faced with unexpected pregnancies, texted each other nervously as they watched the results roll in. The decision would be pivotal to their vision of creating a culture where all life is respected and accepted as a gift of God and healthy families flourish. Finally, a tweet from Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed the result they had been praying for: Amendment 4 was defeated and the current law that bans most abortions after six weeks would stay in place. “We rejoiced!” said Wright, “and I cried. I cried because if it had passed, I couldn’t imagine the women that would be hurting, the babies, the lives that would have been lost, the confusion that would be out there. And so I was just grateful for God’s mercy and protection and that life was valued… It was emotional because we all just poured ourselves into it.” Churches like Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Rio Vista Community Church and Sheridan Hills Baptist Church had all hung large banners on their buildings urging passersby to Vote No on Amendment 4 and educating their congregations to view this not as a political platform but as a life and death gospel issue. The amendment needed 60% of the vote to pass and ultimately failed by a slim margin, garnering 57%. “It was close,” said Pacienza. “We celebrate, but we realize there is a lot of work to be done. It means the majority of the state is pro-choice, pro-abortion. Roe may no longer be the rule of the land, but it does still rule in the hearts of men and women all across America.” According to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, there were 84,052 recorded abortions in Florida in 2023 and 10,476 of those were in Broward County. Over a million babies are aborted each year in the U.S. “So we have a lot of work to do to give people a case for life from the moment of conception,” said Pacienza. “The Bible has something to say about all of life including the beginning of life. God is the author of life. He is the redeemer of life, and we need to be teaching this to the next generation.” Providing opportunities to choose life Hope Women’s Centers was birthed in the 1980s in response to the increasingly pro-abortion culture following the passage of Roe v. Wade. The Roman Catholic church was the first to really speak out against abortion while protestants were mostly silent, not wanting to get involved in social and cultural issues. Finally, a few protestant evangelicals, including Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, and Bill Billingsley, former pastor of Sheridan Hills Baptist Church among others, were convicted that “if we’re going to do something about this, we can’t just shake our fists at abortion and condemn it. We’ve got to provide opportunities for moms and dads to choose life,” explained Pacienza. Local pastors joined forces across denominational lines to stand in the gap for life. Coral Ridge established A Woman’s Pregnancy Center in Fort Lauderdale and Sheridan Hills Baptist along with pastors from what is now Park Road Presbyterian, Gloria Dei Lutheran and others began Reach Out For Life in Davie to provide the counseling, support and encouragement women facing unplanned pregnancies need. These centers merged in 1987 as Hope Women’s Centers, which now has three fully licensed medical clinics in Fort Lauderdale, North Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines. They serve women facing crisis pregnancies who often believe abortion is their only option until they encounter their loving support along with a free medical evaluation and ultrasound revealing the undeniable precious life within. As a result, more than 35,000 abortion-minded women have chosen life since its inception. Today the ministry of hope has an annual budget of $1.2 million with the majority of its funding coming from individuals, then churches, grants and special events. The budget grew significantly when Hope became licensed medical clinics in 2005. About 50 Broward churches currently support Hope Women’s Centers in some way. However, the need is great since there are only three faith-based medical clinics standing for life in Broward and 26 abortion providers. Medical services and options consultation Hope Women’s Centers provides the following services to patients free of charge. • Assessment • Pregnancy Test • Medical Consultation • Limited OB Ultrasound • STI Testing and Treatment • Options Consulting • Resources and Referrals • Gospel Conversation • Prayer Cara Tully, a patient advocate at Hope Women’s Centers, is a calming voice in the midst of the storm for many women. She greets them warmly, gently asking questions to understand their situation and what needs they have. Assuming the pregnancy test is positive, are they thinking of keeping and raising the baby, are they open to adoption or are they considering abortion? They discuss all the options, utilizing “Before You Decide,” a peer-reviewed, evidence-based booklet that educates patients on the abortion pill and abortion procedures and their risks to help them make their own informed decisions. The book addresses questions such as, “Will I still be able to have a baby after” and “Can this affect me later?” She also has a long list of community resources from which to refer patients for help, including adoption services; one-onone mentoring through Every Mother’s Advocate (EMA); Embrace Grace, a Christian support group for women facing unplanned pregnancies, assistance signing up for Medicaid; recommended OBGYNs, plus so much more. A C pt h o s dl n c s m d r sl w w m w c t W w n o S W s d g I f t S t at Hope Women’s Centers - Creating a Culture of Life Shelly Pond Good News Editor Sabrina Natt, BSN, RN and Joy Wright, executive director, Hope Women’s Centers Stacey (last name withheld) and her baby
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