A young woman came to the Pregnancy Resource Center of Sandy, Oregon, where I was the nurse manager and registered sonographer responsible for training nurses to do ultrasound scans. She had a positive pregnancy test and was unsure if she would carry her pregnancy to term, so we offered her an ultrasound to confirm viability and estimate gestational age. The first scan we did was disappointing for me, as she was too early to confirm a viable (living) pregnancy.

She returned days later for another ultrasound, and this time we found a tiny embryo, just a few millimeters long, with a beating heart! Though what we saw on the screen did not yet resemble a baby, its beating heart spoke to the heart of its mother. She was amazed at what she saw. When I asked her what she was thinking about the pregnancy after the ultrasound, she stated that, "After seeing the beating heart, I would have a moral dilemma if I aborted." She welcomed our praying for her before she left, and although I called her a couple of times to follow up, I did not see her again.

Recently, I saw this same young woman from a distance at a public event. Due to confidentiality issues, I could not go up to her and identify myself as the one who scanned her baby months ago, but I watched with silent enjoyment and gratitude as this young mother gazed into the face of her baby and cradled it so tenderly.

I thank God for the opportunity I had to offer this young mother the priceless opportunity to see an ultrasound of her baby, and to be the hands that conveyed His loving touch that helped to protect the life of her little one.

When I first heard the broadcast that announced the Option Ultrasound Program, I wept with joy and thankfulness for God's leading in this. I have loved seeing how this program has helped pregnancy centers across the country to increase their outreach and effectiveness in serving abortion-vulnerable pregnant women.

I also thank you, Focus on the Family, for your outpouring of support and encouragement to the PRCs of this country, especially the smaller centers, who can sometimes feel alone in their work. I pray that God would continue to use you and bless you in your endeavors for His purposes in this and the coming generations.

Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center
Sandy, OR
Audrey Stout, R.N., R.D.M.S., National Nurse Manager
National Institute of Familiy & Life Advocates
http://www.possiblypregnant.org/sandy/

All Pregnancy Medical Clinics in the Option Ultrasound Program provide limited obstetrical ultrasound as medically indicated. Clinics are licensed to operate under the supervision of a physician, using only trained sonographers. Focus on the Family does not endorse the use of ultrasound outside of a medical clinic setting and does not endorse the use of ultrasound for non-medical reasons. Patient referrals are made to physicians for follow-up diagnosis and care as needed.