Abortion Conversation Project : : Open and honest conversation about abortion.

:: CURRENT NEWS ::

“Abortion and Spirituality” is the most recent area of concern for the Abortion Conversation Project, which challenges the stigma of abortion and creates resources for individuals and for clinic staff. This spring and summer ACP will be distributing A Guide to Emotional and Spiritual Resolution After an Abortion, a co-venture with the Pregnancy Options Workbooks, to all of its member clinics and prochoice organizations. In addition, they have formed the Abortion and Spirituality Working Group, which currently has two dozen members who include independent abortion providers as well as representatives from various religious groups and human service organizations. The Working Group is focusing on staff training to increase comfort levels in talking about the religious and spiritual concerns of abortion patients and their loved ones. The first product will be a workshop at the NCAP/ACP Annual Meeting in May, and a training packet will be distributed later in the year. For more information please contact us.

New ChoiceLinkup.com Directory Site
The one site that has it all—accurate reproductive health information, pro-choice groups, reproductive rights, discussion sites, and all kinds of resources and links of interest has gotten even better. Now organized as a directory that each group or individual can load themselves, it contains all sorts of features including uploads for photos, logo, document, as well as meta tags for web browsing. You can use this for small projects as well as organizations, businesses, and of course, links to your own websites. Still free, just register and load and it will be approved in about 1-2 weeks. Visit website >>

Encouraging Abortion Conversations
ACP encourages everyday conversations about abortion with advice on the website (see “Starting a Conversation” and “Public Speaking”). We also sponsor regional conversations that bring together diverse parts of the pro choice community to engage in deeper, more thoughtful conversations about abortion. The first two conversations were in Texas and Florida and we had a Northwest Abortion Conversation in May 2007. We hope to have a conversation in Tennessee next year as well as other locations. We have developed a template for conversations that help participants explore the issue, increase comfort levels in talking about abortion, and recognize our strengths in diversity. We are modifying our template for use in smaller community settings. Please contact us for more information.

PROMOTING POST ABORTION EMOTIONAL HEALTH
The emotional health and well being of women experiencing abortion continues to be a priority for the Abortion Conversation Project. Our newest handout "Healthy Coping After An Abortion" is being made available to every NCAP clinic and ACP Partner, and can be downloaded free of charge from this site. Additional copies are available in packs of 50. In addition, training materials are available for clinic staff, in an 8 page handout as well as in a power point presentation. A CD with the Powerpoint training and several additional handouts is available for a nominal fee. For more information, contact us by email. ACP expects to offer an online training for counselors and therapists in 2006. The November 2003 report of our exploratory meeting, which brought together providers, researchers, therapists, clergy, and Exhale staff and board members is still available for download in PDF format.

:: DOWNLOAD HANDOUT NOW :: “Healthy Coping After an Abortion”

ChoiceLinkUp.com is a link to hundreds of online resources for reproductive and sexuality information as well as pro choice groups. This project was started to counteract the pervasive presence of biased information about abortion on the Internet and to interlink like-minded sites. Now it helps the public access the whole range of sites, organizations and resources on reproductive and sexual justice. Click on ChoiceLinkUp.comto find information on health, rights, services, resources, and discussion, or to register your site. ChoiceLinkup is your link to the information you need.

ACP Announces Choice Link Up’s Hot Topics in Health Care – Medication Abortion Section Launched!
ACP’s newly redesigned Choice Link Up site includes Hot Topics in Healthcare, a series written specifically with patients in mind! The new Medication Abortion section is written in easy-to-understand language that offers the information and answers the questions most relevant to your patients and women searching the internet. Topics for the Medication Abortion section include Is Medication Abortion safe?, Is it right for me?, Pain Management, and Where can I get a Medication Abortion? Visit www.choicelinkup.com to view Hot Topics in Health Care, and contact us to order Choice Link Up business cards to distribute at your clinic!

“Mom, Dad, I’m Pregnant” Project Launched
Communication Advice Available for Family Crisis

Yesterday, your mother was nagging you about cleaning your room. Today, how do you tell her you’re pregnant? Your daughter has seemed remote but you never suspected she might be pregnant: how do you respond? The “Mom, Dad, I’m Pregnant” Project of the Abortion Conversation Project, Inc. addresses these questions and more on its new website and in companion handouts, “How Can I Tell my Parents?” and “How Do I Respond?” The website, www.MomDadIMpregnant.com offers specific suggestions for both young men and women and for their mothers and fathers who are dealing with a pregnancy crisis. The handouts will be distributed to women’s clinics, family planning agencies, and youth-serving organizations.

“This is a very critical time for families,” says Peg Johnston, President of the Abortion Conversation Project, “and, as abortion providers, we believe in encouraging parental involvement in pregnancy decisions if at all possible.” The website further states: “We believe that parental involvement in the reproductive decisions of young people can bring love and support at a time when a teenager may be in crisis about pregnancy, sex, or birth control. Our intent with this project is to offer support, skills, and advice to both adults and adolescents to promote communication that is not only helpful, but fruitful.”

The MomDadIMpregnant.com site includes advice for teens on telling parents about a pregnancy, considering options, information in case of a rape, and special advice for young male partners. Advice for parents highlights how to respond and improve relationships with daughters and sons, as well as special advice for moms and dads. There are sections on Minor’s Rights, and what to do if parents may be abusive, as well as spiritual, legal, and additional resources.

For more information about the project contact The Abortion Conversation Project 1625 K Street, NW, Suite 1020 Washington, DC 20006, phone 866-460-1444, or email us. Handouts are available for a reasonable fee plus shipping and handling. Click here for order form.

Spirituality and Abortion
We know that, for many women, spirituality and religious beliefs are part of their decision-making about pregnancy. ACP is exploring what will help women and their families to be spiritually and emotionally healthy after an abortion. We also want to help staff be more responsive to patient concerns about spirituality. Our exploration on this issue includes a survey of clinic staff and discussion on our Partner Bulletin Board. We will have recommendations for further projects at the end of 2007.

The Abortion Clinic Directory is a project of the Abortion Conversation Project and is a primary source of income for our activities. The site includes a paid directory of abortion services and extensive information on abortion procedures, birth control, and the decision-making process. For more information about advertising a clinic or office on the directory, contact us.

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