Abundant Life from Conception to Natural Death

Transform Minnesota is proud to highlight one of our affiliate ministries this January during Sanctity of Human Life month. New Life Family Services believes that a holistic approach to pro-life work leads to reduced abortions and thriving families. Life decisions need support: Being pro-life is more than saving babies. It is about raising children, helping mothers and fathers build healthy relationships and families, providing adoption services to both birth families and adoptive parents, and supporting families in their practical struggles and nurturing their spiritual development. NLFS works with one goal in mind: that families would not only choose life, but would have abundant life. They accomplish this through three program areas:

1. Conquerors offers both one-on-one mentoring and group sessions designed to provide healing for those who have experienced an abortion
2. First Care Pregnancy Center provides free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, STD testing and treatment, pregnancy counseling, adoption services, parenting education and support, material assistance, and referrals to additional agencies and organizations
3. New Life Adoptions offers comprehensive adoption services for both
   birth parents and adoptive parents

New Life’s First Care Pregnancy Centers serve over 5,000 women and men each year. In 2019, they distributed over 70,000 diapers, provided 1,412 pregnancy tests, 451 ultrasounds, 2,363 parenting sessions, 1,044 STD tests, and prayed with 1,465 clients.

Last year, Transform Minnesota hosted a panel on Holistic Pro-Life beliefs. Previous Parenting Education Manager for First Care Pregnancy Center, Elisia Kraemer, addressed two commonly held beliefs in the pro-life sphere that are misleading: 1) if women are made aware of the fetal development in their pregnancy, they will choose life and 2) men and women facing unplanned have the resources they need to make life-affirming choices. New Life has been influenced heavily by the understanding that 60% of women having abortions already have one or more children and nearly half of the abortions in MN are paid for by public assistance.

She explained that “the issue is not that women don’t know their baby is a baby…they look at their current circumstances and feel that if they were to add another child, they simply would not make it. They may actually feel that if they are being a good mom, they are going to have an abortion so they can continue to care for the children they already have.” She shared examples of how quickly men and women can lose housing, employment, and the basic resources needed to raise a child. “When [we] focus solely on fetal development hoping we can convince them that their unborn child is valuable – which is so true – but don’t offer them any tangible support for the very real situation they are in–it is not only tone deaf, but short-sighted.”

Elisia emphasized the importance of being pro-life rather than pro-birth. “Do we reserve the right to care for one group of people over another? Do we cast aside people because we are so intent on focusing on the individual we consider to be most vulnerable? The reality is that any person standing in front of us was once an unborn child that we sought to advocate for and protect, and if we saw the awesome truth then, that they were fearfully and wonderfully made in the womb, that never stops being true. We ought to see it and call it out in every person that we interact with, regardless of the circumstances they are in. We need to expand our understanding of what it means to be pro-life and adjust how we engage with people at all ages and stages. We are engaged in a spiritual pro-life battle that extends far beyond abortion. It is our calling as Christians to restore, defend and advance each human life in any way that we can.”

One of Transform Minnesota’s eight public policy principles is to ‘safeguard the nature and sanctity of human life.’ We are also part of the MN Alliance for Ethical Healthcare which is a diverse coalition of faith-based organizations, medical professionals and other advocates committed to ensuring real care throughout life’s journey. The alliance advocates to prioritize care rather than hasten death. Learn more here. We encourage Christian leaders to recognize that honoring the sanctity of life extends far beyond the beginning of life. It values God’s image in the disabled, elderly, terminally ill, and the tiniest building blocks of life on the frontiers of biomedical research.

This January, Transform Minnesota remembers and grieves those lives lost to unnatural causes, including abortion and physician-assisted suicide. We believe that because God has created each of us in His image, that every life holds dignity and purpose, regardless of life stage. We also believe that the Church is called to support those facing unplanned pregnancies or difficult end of life circumstances. Christians can have a significant effect on our communities when we come around our neighbors in holistic pro-life love and care.

For ways to become involved as a volunteer for New Life Family Services, click here.