The Vision: Eliminate the “need” for abortion in Iowa.
The Mission: Turn FEAR into confidence by meeting the real NEEDS of women and men and providing STRENGTH for life’s tough choices.
In Iowa, more than 6,000 abortions occur each year.
Depending upon who you talk too, or what statistics you read, there are somewhere between 6,000 and 9,000 abortions performed in Iowa each year. Roughly 2/3 are performed in Iowa City and Des Moines. The rest are performed in other cities and towns across the state.
Research on abortion done by The Guttmacher Institute reviled that 95% of post-abortive women say they wish they had been given more information and 90% say knowing what they know now they would not have had an abortion.
We have a responsibility to respond to this urgent need.
Abortion may be legal, but it is not the answer to the needs of the women in our state. Regardless of state or federal law, the number one reason there are abortion providers in Iowa is because so many women feel they need to have an abortion. Abortion providers fill a “need” – not a real need, but a felt need.
Informed Choice of Iowa envisions a future where there are no more abortions because there is no longer a demand, and therefore no “need” for abortion providers. Realizing this vision requires more than changing laws or public protests.
It requires creating a culture of LIFE.
Our culture is steeped in death. From the easily recognizable violence in our media, to the more subtle common phrases we use in everyday conversation (“if I eat one more bite I’m going to die”, or “stop making me laugh, you’re killing me”), death is a prevalent theme wherever we go. Death promotes the individual at the expense of others.
LIFE, in contrast, promotes others at the expense of self. This is the example Christ lived out, and is the life we are called to as Christians. On many levels, this is a battle of LIFE and death.
Everything we do is birthed from our Vision.
Informed Choice of Iowa has identified three ways to work towards this vision. Everything we do finds its roots within these three things.
Fear:
We have to combat fear to eliminate the “need” for abortion. Fear is the primary motivator and decision making tool behind the “tough choices” our clients are facing. Whether facing an unplanned pregnancy or the possibility of a Sexually Transmitted Disease, fear influences, guides, and lies to our clients. Fear leads to death. As one pastor put it; “fear is the [influence] of the devil to disobey the Word of God.” We know from scripture that fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Informed Choice of Iowa uniquely positions itself between fear and death. In each of our programs and clinics we work to remove fear and replace it with confidence.
Needs:
Meeting the real needs of our clients is how we combat fear, whether those needs are informational, physical, or spiritual. When real needs are met, fear is replaced with confidence giving strength to make and follow the best path when facing life’s tough choices.
We are experts at identifying the real needs of the women and men we work with. We know from experience that meeting an individual’s real needs will turn their fear into confidence and give them strength to choose LIFE for themselves, their child, or their family.
Strength:
Providing strength for life’s tough choices is the most important next step after a clients needs are met and they choose LIFE . More than a tagline, this is the culmination of everything we do. Whether it’s the choice to follow Christ, to choose abstinence, to carry a baby to term, to raise a child, to choose adoption, or the choice to heal from a past abortion, we provide strength to make and follow through on those choices. Our partnerships with local churches and our referral network are keys to providing strength. The successful outcome of our client’s choice for LIFE is the elimination of the “need” for abortion in their life.
By choosing LIFE, the “need” for abortion is eliminated.
