Ultrasound machines save lives.
According to the Psalm 139 Project, a pro-life ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, “Most women in a crisis pregnancy who are given a glimpse of the life within them choose life.”
The Project, designed to make people aware of life-saving technology and help pregnancy centers minister to abortion-vulnerable women, recently donated an ultrasound machine to Sav-A-Life’s Family Hope Center in Andalusia, Alabama. An Oct. 3 dedication ceremony included ERLC team members, staff from Covington Baptist Association, local pastors and area Sav-A-Life staff and client advocates.
Board Chairman Leroy Cole led a dedication prayer while others placed their hands on the ultrasound machine, thanking God for it and for the lives saved when women “see” their preborn babies.
“Early in a client’s pregnancy when the movement of the fetus can’t be felt, the client may not feel like a mother — but as the monitor shows life in the womb and that tiny heartbeat is revealed, it’s at that very instance the spirit in the mother is stirred up and the bonding begins,” said Christy Watts, Andalusia’s Sav-A-Life executive director.
“We know several abortion-vulnerable clients have changed their minds. One client said she thought it was just a bunch of cells until she saw the ultrasound of her baby.
“We have had clients call asking how much an ultrasound will cost. It’s a blessing to tell them it is free of charge,” Watts said.
The center’s previous ultrasound machine was 12 years old and had technical problems, according to the center’s nurse, Jan Gager.
“I read about The Psalm 139 Project in The Alabama Baptist about two years ago and brought the information to our Sav-A-Life executive director,” Gager recalled. “She applied, then COVID hit. At the beginning of 2021 [she] reapplied and we received our new ultrasound machine in June.”
Several days of training also were provided for Gager and another nurse who volunteers as a client advocate.
The Psalm 139 Project believes every “mother, every child, every heartbeat matters to God,” according to their website.
“It is a privilege to partner with Sav-A-Life’s Family Hope Center in Andalusia as they meet women where they are, provide life-saving care and share the hope found in the gospel,” said Elizabeth Graham, ERLC vice president of operations and life initiatives. “The generosity of individuals committed to the serving of vulnerable mothers and preborn babies, as well as the support of local churches, helps us bless centers like Sav-A-Life with these life-saving machines, at no cost to them.
“We will continue to advocate for the vulnerable until abortion becomes unthinkable and unnecessary across the globe,” Graham declared.
The Family Hope Center opened in 1992 and serves a five-county area in south central Alabama, offering free pregnancy tests, ultrasound scans, a maternity clothes closet and baby items. It is supported by local OBGYNs, the health department and about 25 area churches and organizations, and sees some 600 clients per year.
The Psalm 139 Project focuses on aiding pregnancy resource centers by donating ultrasound machines and providing training. The centers use the machines in their life-saving work to support women and families in crisis pregnancy situations, helping many make the choice for life.
One hundred percent of financial contributions designated to the Psalm 139 Project go toward purchasing ultrasound machines and providing training; no Cooperative Program resources are used. Tax-deductible gifts may be made at psalm139project.org, or via check to ERLC, 901 Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.
