This month, Pregnancy Decision Health Centers (PDHC) celebrates 44 years of rescuing lives and impacting generations, one heartbeat at a time.
Abortion was legalized in the United States with the passing of Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22, 1973. As a result, thousands of organized pro-life responses emerged around the country.
In Columbus, PDHC founders Mike and Peggy Hartshorn, along with several of their pro-life Christian friends, felt God’s calling to do more for the pro-life movement. They, along with other founding couples, began helping pregnant women in their own homes and operated a 24/7 hotline from a bedside table.
On the eighth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, PDHC opened the doors to its first center on Jan. 22, 1981. During the first year, there were 3,109 client visits and hotline calls. Since then, God has continued to provide for and bless this ministry, so more lives can be saved from abortion.
Last year, PDHC served 2,129 individuals through 3,940 visits to four pregnancy centers, responded to over 70,000 calls, texts and chats on the hotline, and provided over 800 in-person and over 16,000 online parenting classes in our Family Empowerment Center to over 1,000 new moms and dads. In addition, over 3,000 visits were provided to our baby boutique for much-needed baby items, and over 170,000 diapers were distributed.
Since 1973, according to National Right to Life’s (nrlc.org) latest statistics, there have been at least 65,464,760 abortions performed in the U.S. Pregnancy centers play a vital role and are often the last line of defense against abortion, providing hope, compassion and much-needed services and resources to women who are undecided or abortion-minded. Through this care and support, pregnancy centers help make abortion unnecessary. Last year, PDHC celebrated 952 decisions for life and welcomed 829 babies born into the PDHC family.
Recently, we received a letter from a grateful mom who visited PDHC 12 years ago. “A wonderful member of your staff helped to save my son from an abortion. I was 22 years old and very scared, and I am forever thankful for your organization. My son is so precious and a light of my life. … I cannot wait to see the lives he will touch throughout his life,” she wrote.
The month of January commemorates our nation’s observance of the sanctity of human life. It is typically recognized on the third Sunday in January as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS). SOHLS originated in January 1984, when President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 1547, National Sanctity of Human Life Day, and made the following statement:
“I call upon the citizens of this blessed land to gather on that day in homes and places of worship to give thanks for the gift of life, and to reaffirm our commitment to the dignity of every human being and the sanctity of each human life. … We are poorer not simply for lives not led and for contributions not made, but also for the erosion of our sense of the worth and dignity of every individual. To diminish the value of one category of human life is to diminish us all.
“Time and time again, we watch women walk into our center full of doubt, fear and timidity and then witness them become equipped, resilient and capable of being the wonderful mother God designed them to be. We’re able to stand beside her and walk with her during her journey and provide practical help and spiritual guidance. The best part? Watching her walk back through our same doors holding her baby that we’ve once met on the ultrasound screen together! What a gift,” Nurse Alyssa said.
Recently, a new mom shared her experience. “I was on the fence on whether or not I wanted to keep my baby. I decided to keep him and it was the best decision I’ve made,” she said. “There are ups and downs of course (mostly ups) but I wouldn’t give him up for anything. Thank you PDHC for helping with making my decision, not judging my choice, and being so helpful throughout my experience!”
Over the past 44 years, PDHC has continued to add, adapt and adjust our programs and services to meet the needs of those we serve. As we enter 2025, we are excited to announce the relocation and opening of our new Lancaster Center, which will allow us to serve even more moms and families in the community.
On Thursday, Jan. 30, we will have the new center blessed and hold a community open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon. We were blessed to have the construction buildout project completed by Elevated Integrity Construction Services, LLC. Aaron and his team did an incredible job and we are so thankful. The name of his company is true to the services and experience provided.
Many of PDHC’s church partners hold “Bottles for Life” campaigns in January in commemoration of SOHLS. This is a wonderful way to get your family involved with the sanctity of human life and helps PDHC provide much-needed resources at no cost to those we serve. For more information or to get your church involved, contact Kate at [email protected]., or call 614-888-8774, ext. 6117.
You can learn more about PDHC at SupportLifePDHC.org. For more information on the open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony, please reach out to Kathy at [email protected], or call 614-888-8774 ext. 6121.
