Abortion is more common than most people realize. According to recent data, 40% of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned – and 40% of those unplanned pregnancies are ending in abortion.¹ In Greater Portland alone, there are over 200 abortions reported every month.² For over a decade, it has been documented that one in four women, inside and outside the church, will have an abortion during their lifetime.³ This means it’s very likely that you, or someone you love, have been or will be impacted by abortion – even if you don’t know it yet.

Even still, the repercussions of abortion go unseen and unaddressed in our communities, often because the only framework we have been given for caring is through politics or protest. While these avenues of engagement serve an important purpose in the formation of societal norms, they do little to respond to the current needs of the woman discovering her unplanned pregnancy today. The community of First Image is grateful to have addressed this need in Greater Portland for over 40 years. Through our interactions with thousands of women facing an unplanned pregnancy, we have observed that abortion is rarely a decision made lightly, but it is often made quickly. Many women would choose to carry their child to term if they had support, education, and time to process.