Update Focus on the Family's Option Ultrasound Program

June 7 Update: Nearly 100,000 babies potentially saved*

August 23, 2010

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Focus on the Family is celebrating the 500th grant awarded to qualifying pregnancy medical clinics through its Option Ultrasound Program. These grants have potentially saved as many as 100,000 preborn babies.

Option Ultrasound Program (OUP) grants cover 80 percent of the cost for ultrasound machines or sonogram training, helping the medical clinics to confirm a healthy pregnancy for their clients. The ultrasound machines do much more than provide a needed medical service, however – they often introduce a woman to her preborn baby for the first time, giving her the chance to see a real-time image of the child inside her womb.

“We regularly hear from women who, years later, still regret and grieve their abortions. The desire to better serve these women, and the babies they carry, motivated Focus on the Family to start Option Ultrasound,” says Kelly Rosati, vice president of community outreach. “Our purpose is to empower women with the information they need to make informed decisions. We’re here to come alongside of them in their moment of need, offer them love – and help them find hope.”

What makes the pregnancy medical clinics in the Option Ultrasound Program Focus partners with unique is that they provide the women they serve with both counseling and ultrasounds. OUP’s research shows that the combined provision of counseling and ultrasound services result in nearly 60 percent more stated decisions for life than counseling alone.

Focus on the Family launched its OUP in 2004 with the goal of giving abortion-minded women greater access to ultrasound services – technology that Rosati says not only helps women make informed decisions, but also supports their health.
“Ultrasounds give women an opportunity to bond with her baby early on,” says Rosati. “This experience encourages her to seek early prenatal care that protects both her health and that of her preborn child.”

Rosati added: “Life is a precious gift. At Focus on the Family, we’re honored to help preserve it.”

To schedule an interview with Focus on the Family’s Vice President of Community Outreach, Kelly Rosati, and a pregnancy medical clinic that received an OUP grant, please contact Carrie Kintz @ 719-531-3312 or email carrie.kintz@fotf.org

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About Focus on the Family
Reaching about 238 million people in more than 130 countries, Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry that helps families thrive. We provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that reflect God's design, and for parents to raise their children according to morals and values grounded in biblical principles. Visit Focus online at www.FocusOnTheFamily.com .

*Editor's note: This number has been updated from 81,000, originally posted on August 23, 2010