Women find helpful information at the Crossroads

Tri-Parish Times

The decision whether to abort or not to abort may come easy for some mothers-to-be, but many Tri-parish women are struggling to find the right answer for them.

“Many girls get lost in the cracks at home, school or in the community, because there is something missing in their life and a lot of them who are 13 and 14 years old feel like a baby or sex would fill that void,” said Kim Richard Thompson who works with women trying to make sense of an unexpected pregnancy.

Thompson is the executive director of the Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center in Thibodaux, which has helped some 750 women between the ages of 12 to 45 in its three years of service. It remains the only pregnancy resource center in the five parishes of Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, Assumption and St. James.

Crossroads provides counseling services, education on pregnancy, parenting alternatives and sexual integrity and provides a support network for mothers, Thompson said.

Of those women who have accessed Crossroads, 61 percent are abortion-minded, she said.

Making a choice

Crossroads doesn’t perform abortions or refer to clinics that provide such services. Thompson said her staff is there to present information in a neutral manner.

“When women go to the abortion clinics, a lot of the time it’s very overwhelming and they just don’t think clearly. So we encourage them to take a step back, take a breath, and make an informed decision,” said Thompson. “We don’t try to change minds, just present the facts.”

If women choose not to abort, Crossroads educates on both adoption options and parenting. Crossroads acts like an adoption liaison, connecting clients to agencies, the director said.

Clients who choose to parent, can continue to see counselors through the first year of motherhood, Thompson explained. Counselors talk through the ups and downs of becoming a parent as well as helping mothers develop a baby-friendly lifestyle.

Dr. John Milek of the Thibodaux Women’s Center is one of the certified medical professionals who provide expertise to clients during and after pregnancy. A certified ultrasoundographer performs ultrasounds as needed and two registered nurses are currently volunteering at the clinic.

Since Crossroads opened its doors in 2003, Milek n an obstetrician and gynecologist n has been volunteering his time to what he calls a worthy cause by reviewing ultrasounds, looking for any difficulties.

“Crossroads doesn’t push the client to abort or not to abort but stands at a neutral position, telling more of the story then what clients would receive at an abortion clinic,” he said.

Milek said abortion centers tend to council with a limited scope, leaving out information of the physical and mental risks involved with aborting, and that obtaining both sides of the story is essential to make a knowledgeable decision.

“We are really lucky to have that kind of help here. Sometimes I even have questions along with the clients,” said Thompson, who is eight months pregnant with her first child and sometimes finds herself unsure about aches and pains that come along with a first-time pregnancy.

Growing to educate

Crossroads is trying to expand its outreach program, to obtain more in-house counselors and staff as well as getting prevention programs into community schools.

“It’s expensive to run a business,” said Thompson. As the second director of Crossroads, She says funding is a reoccurring issue. Crossroads is a not-for-profit, 501-C organization that depends solely on private donations.

A number of annual fund-raisers contributed to the $75,000 budget of 2006 and Thompson said that less than half was spent on personnel, which includes herself as the only fulltime employee and two other part-time counselors.

Crossroads has 50 active clients at any given time, which makes it difficult to conduct in-house counseling while trying to get out into the community with the current available staff.

“The word needs to get out that there is a place for girls to go to and not feel threatened or told on, to receive information. Not only to those who are pregnant, but how to prevent from getting pregnant. Time and resources are so limited that it makes it tough to even advertise to the general public,” said Milek.

Trying to reach out

At times, Thompson has felt that Crossroad’s services are unwanted in the community. Issues surrounding teenage pregnancy such as STD prevention, abstinence, and abortion remain tough to deal with.

“We’ve tried to get into the public schools. At one time we were a part of the Governor’s Program on Abstinence, but that became controversial and schools dropped it,” she said.

Thompson said that Crossroads was first created by a Catholic board and therefore maintains a value-based background.

“We don’t refer abortion services or even promote birth control, but our policy is to talk about all available options and (we) can hold on to that freedom by not being a government agency.”

Public schools offer some parenting classes focusing on childcare to try to prevent pregnancy and child abuse, but Thompson has seen an unintended effect.

“They are great programs but we are seeing some girls who will come in and think that having a baby is a cute idea and that it would be easy.” Thompson also said that whether it’s to fill in for a missing parent at home or feeling lost at school, some women are having babies to solve life’s problems.

Of the total known outcomes, 67 percent choose to parent, she said. Only a handful of clients have entertained the idea of adoption and only one has went that route. Six percent choose to abort, Thompson said. The remaining unknown percentage results when a client calls for assistance and cannot be reached for follow-up.

For now, Thompson is inviting students to become active at the center. She makes several visits to Thibodaux Senior High and other schools to recruit volunteers to help with administrative work at Crossroads. Freshmen students are required to fill a number of service hours and Thompson uses this as an opportunity to spread the word about services provided at Crossroads.

“We are always in need of volunteers, administrative and to counsel as well as donations n whether monetary or simply baby supplies,” said Thompson. “The more help we get, the more women we can help.”