Forty-three percent of pregnancies in Iowa and Nebraska, and 52 percent of pregnancies in Illinois, are unplanned according to data collected by the National Survey of Family Growth (NEJM, 2016). That means over 90,000 women may need help connecting with community and state resources, deciding between options, and more. This great need is one of the reasons Lutheran Family Service is launching a new division of its ministry, called Many Hearts Unplanned Pregnancy Support, to provide greater focus, service and resources specifically to women facing unplanned pregnancies in Iowa, Eastern Nebraska, North & Central Illinois, and most recently, Eastern South Dakota!

“The sole purpose of Many Hearts Unplanned Pregnancy Support is to connect with and serve more women facing unplanned pregnancy providing the information and support they need to make life-affirming decisions,” said Rev. Max Phillips, Executive Director of Lutheran Family Service.

Since 1901, Lutheran Family Service has helped children find loving homes through adoption. For many of those years, Lutheran Family Service has been providing pregnancy counseling to help women prepare for becoming a parent or create a loving adoption plan for their baby. With the launch of Many Hearts, Lutheran Family Service, a fully-licensed adoption agency, will focus on the adoption side while Many Hearts will focus on the pregnancy counseling and parenting side.

“With the launch of the Many Hearts brand, we hope to reach more of these women by advertising to and connecting with them directly. To do this, we needed a brand that was relatable, approachable, supportive, accepting and loving. We will be advertising on social media and streaming music platforms in which these women most often use. In addition, there will be various outreach efforts through Pregnancy Resource Centers, OBGYNs, and high school and college campuses,” shares Kim Laube, Life Ministries Director at Lutheran Family Service and Pregnancy Counselor at Many Hearts.

The Many Hearts website, www.Many-Hearts.com, is full of resources to support these women in preparing for baby to come, as well as in their decision-making to parent or place for adoption. Either way, it’s pressure-free, judgment free, and no-cost support and help. The website is also a resource for pregnancy resource centers with videos to help explain the adoption process, choosing an adoption agency, choosing a family, adoption options, hospital planning, legal aspects of adoption, and more.

“Should a woman decide that parenting is best for her and her baby, we will help support her in doing so. Or, if she decides that placing for adoption is best for her and her baby, we will help her in this journey as well through our trusted adoption partner, Lutheran Family Service. It’s our goal to help these women create a better, more stable home and future regardless of which decision she chooses. We care for and love these women,” states Laube.

Many Hearts provides women facing unplanned pregnancy helpful information, pregnancy counseling, help to apply for and connect with community and state resources, and support throughout the decision-making process and journey, including after giving birth – whether they decide to parent or place for adoption. All our services are provided to these women at no cost. Many Hearts team members can also travel to meet with these women should transportation or the cost of transportation be an issue for them. Many Hearts does not provide medical services, and will refer clients to a pregnancy resource center or physician in their area.

This program is 100 percent funded by people that care about these young women and babies, and can only continue through financial gifts. If you feel compelled to help young women experiencing unplanned pregnancy choose life, we invite you to make a gift today at: https://lutheranfamilyservice.networkforgood.com/projects/157204-many-hearts-unplanned-pregnancy-support

Women facing unplanned pregnancy that live in Iowa, Eastern Nebraska, North & Central Illinois, and Eastern South Dakota can reach out to Many Hearts for help in a variety of ways. They can text the word “love” to the number 844-764-2029, email [email protected], call 515-571-9964, or fill out the contact form on our website at www.many-hearts.com.

We invite you to help us serve more women facing unplanned pregnancy by downloading, printing, and hanging up Many Hearts unplanned pregnancy tear-away posters in women’s restrooms across Iowa, Eastern Nebraska, North and Central Illinois, and South Dakota. Tear off one of the tabs so they don’t hesitate to take one themselves! Download the poster by clicking HERE or on the image below.

About Many Hearts Unplanned Pregnancy Support

Many Hearts Unplanned Pregnancy Support is a division of Lutheran Family Service focusing on unplanned pregnancy counseling. Services are safe, supportive, confidential and no cost. At this time, the service area includes Iowa, Eastern Nebraska, North & Central Illinois, and South Dakota. Many Hearts counselors provide women with information and resources needed to make a life-affirming decision. Clients are supported during every step of their journey whether they choose to parent or place for adoption.

About Lutheran Family Service

Since 1901, Lutheran Family Service (a private, not-for-profit ministry) has been there for people in their time of need with a special focus on finding loving homes for children. As a fully licensed adoption agency, they specialize in domestic infant adoption, Down Syndrome adoption, and embryo adoption. Lutheran Family Service also has a team of Masters-Level trained, Christian counselors to provide both mental health and marriage counseling services with an emphasis on church worker wellness. Lutheran Family Service offers a number of outreach programs designed to equip people with what they need to successfully manage life challenges before they become a crisis.