Our Daily Show! Ft. Vitality, 100 Years Ago, and More!
GODFREY - As Vitality Women’s Clinic continues their Baby Bottle fundraising campaign, the team shared more about their work to support individuals who experience abortions.
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Vitality Women’s Clinic is a faith-based, pro-life pregnancy center in Godfrey. They offer free STI and pregnancy testing as well as ultrasounds. They do not refer for or provide abortion services. Executive Director Jackie Duty and Patient Services Advocate Laura Malley, LCPC, shared more about their “Support After Abortion” group and counseling services.
“Your story doesn’t have to end with your abortion experience. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to walk that journey alone,” Duty said. “There’s something so freeing about just being able to talk about it and know that you’re in a judgment-free zone. People love you, and we want to help you get that freedom. The more that we can have these conversations and talk about these things, the more hope we can pour into the community to know that, guys, you’re not alone. There are a lot of people struggling, and you’re going to have people here who love you through it.”
When a pregnant patient comes to Vitality for the first time, Malley will talk them through their options. They always talk about the “emotional and physical risks” of choosing abortion, but Malley promises it’s “a non-judgement zone.”
Vitality’s Support After Abortion group is led by Malley and a co-facilitator who has “walked through that abortion experience.” The Support After Abortion groups are usually made up of four or five people, and Vitality offers both faith-based and non-faith-based support groups.
Malley always “plants the seed” about the Support After Abortion group with patients, inviting those who have experienced an abortion or those who are planning to undergo an abortion to join the group.
She emphasized that there’s no pressure to come to the group, but it can be a positive experience for people who are experiencing “guilt, regret, anger, denial, repression” after an abortion. She noted that she has spoken to many clients who are “triggered” by certain dates or experience other “post-traumatic symptoms” following the procedure.
Duty and Malley shared that one woman in their group was in her 80s and had had an abortion in her 20s. They believe that she “carried this pain and this trauma and never felt like she could be free” until the Support After Abortion group, which allowed her to find “freedom from guilt, freedom from shame and condemnation.” Malley encourages people who are struggling after an abortion to reach out.
“There is hope. You can walk through the grieving process. You can let it go. You can forgive yourself. You can forgive others that led into this decision,” she said. “I think the thing that I’ve seen is that there is hope. Man, when you can walk through that forgiveness process and walk through the healing process of it, it’s like this whole weight falls off of them.”
Duty and Malley are also hoping to invite more men to utilize Vitality’s services. They believe men have opinions about a partner’s abortion, and they want to offer them a space to reflect. They’re also hoping to provide more experiences for men to support them through a partner’s pregnancy.
All of these offerings are made possible through fundraisers like the Baby Bottle campaign. This fundraiser encourages community members to donate by filling baby bottles that have been distributed to local churches and businesses. You can also donate online to support Vitality’s work, or click here to learn about volunteer opportunities.
To learn more about Vitality Women’s Clinic, including how to receive services, make an appointment or join the Support After Abortion group, visit their official website.
This featured article is sponsored by Vitality Women’s Clinic. To get your business or organization featured on RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
