Birthright Opens New Office in St. Patrick’s Center

Birthright Counseling of St. Louis recently announced the opening of its newest branch in the St. Patrick’s/Partnership Center. This is the sixth office to open in the St. Louis area.

A non-profit, non-sectarian organization, Birthright Counseling of St. Louis, has been providing alternatives to abortion for women in the St. Louis area since 1971. Their underlying principle upholds “the right of every mother to give birth, the right of every child to be born.” Birthright, which operates solely on tax-deductible donations from individuals, helps women who are distressed by an untimely pregnancy using trained, sensitive, dedicated volunteers and professional staff. All Birthright services are free and completely confidential.

Birthright Counseling of St. Louis differs from most others in that they offer professional counseling. All counselors at Birthright of St. Louis have a master’s level counseling or social work degree because professional counseling has proven invaluable, as Birthright has discovered that pregnancy is usually the least of the problem.

In spite of available community resources, an untimely pregnancy for many women may bring seemingly insoluble problems. They may even seek an abortion because of their overwhelming burdens. The critical period for these distressed women is usually in the early stages of pregnancy. Feeling pressured by time and circumstances, these women may choose abortion as an “out.” Many of these women are unaware of the many existing resources available to them. If a woman comes to talk with a Birthright counselor and sees the real alternatives that they offer, she almost always carries her baby to term.

Some other services that Birthright offers are: free pregnancy tests, free professional counseling, financial consideration, medical referrals, medical ultrasounds, tuition assistance, home visits, maternity and baby clothing.

St. Patrick’s/Partnership Center invited Birthright to open an office at their 800 North Tucker address, which is a one-stop caring center serving the homeless and near homeless through user-friendly services all under one roof. In addition to Birthright, Grace Hill Health Services, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, St. Louis Community College, the Housing Resource Center, and Missouri Career Works are among the organizations with offices at the same location.

Anyone interested in further information regarding Birthright’s other five offices or how to assist this outreach is encouraged to visit their website at www.birthrightstlouis.org or www.stpatrickcenter.org.