FLORENCE — After Bethany Christian Services adoption agency in Florence closed last year, community members realized there was a real void and need for those services in the Pee Dee.
A steering committee got together and formed a board of directors to open the A Choice 2 M8k crisis pregnancy care center in Florence in October.
The goal, executive director Carla Wright said, is to counsel and educate women who are in crisis pregnancy situations so they can make the right decision for themselves.
“We sit down and discuss all their options — to abort, to adopt or for parenting,” she said.
Some of the free and confidential services the center offers are pregnancy testing, pregnancy counseling, a 24-hour crisis hotline, parenting classes, adoption information and distribute baby and maternity items to women and families that are in need.
“We’re the exact opposite of Planned Parenthood,” Wright said.
The center is Christian-based and, although they do not persuade women to choose life, the goal of the center is to provide women with all the knowledge they need to make an informed decision.
“And hopefully after all that we can make a choice for life,” Wright said.
They also counsel abstinence to someone if she isn’t married and do not distribute birth control.
In the month and a half A Choice 2 M8k has been opened, it has fielded about 30 calls and have had more than a dozen women visit their center at 1307 B Broughton Blvd.
“It’s a rare thing. We see clients from indigent and poor to a middle, upper class college student,” Wright said.
Although women of all ages can experience an unplanned or crisis pregnancy, teen pregnancy is a major concern for this area of the state, according to the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The most recent data compiled in 2006 shows three Pee Dee counties — Marion, Dillon and Chesterfield — are among the top 10 in the state for pregnancy rates among girls ages 10 to 19.
In addition to their own services, the center is building partnerships with local adoption agencies, shelters and doctor’s offices to offer more resources to clients, Wright said.
“It’s really about her health and the long-term effect — emotional, physical and spiritual,” Wright said.
This center is affiliated with Care Net, a Christian-based network of more than 1,100 crisis pregnancy centers across the country.
A Choice 2 M8k is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations of funds and new or used baby and maternity items, as well as volunteers.
To learn more about A Choice 2 M8k crisis pregnancy care center, call (843) 669-HOPE or visit its Web site, www.achoice2m8k.com.
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