Allegheny Reproductive Health Center

It's a typical Tuesday at Allegheny Reproductive Health Center. In the waiting room, patients are checking in and filling out charts. In the OR, the doctor, the nurse and a patient's husband prepare her for abortion. The patient's husband? Yes, the patient's husband. Ken, 32, sits beside his wife throughout the procedure, holding her hand and stroking her hair. "You're gonna make it, you're doing just fine," he says soothingly. Afterwards, Ken explains why he felt it was important to be present during surgery. "I'm her husband. I was there for the birth of our two children and felt it was only right that I help Pam through this. It was a hard decision for her and I wanted to be there to comfort her in any way I could."

Allegheny Reproductive began allowing guests to accompany patients into abortion procedure over ten years ago, and the response has been overwhelming. Grateful patients report that one of the reasons they select ARHC is that we are the only clinic in Pittsburgh to allow support people into procedure. A familiar, comforting hand to hold during the procedure is helpful to the patient, and the support people themselves benefit from being present as well.

Many couples indicate that having the man present during the procedure is a way for him to feel more included, share responsibility for the abortion and understand more fully what his partner experiences.  As one boyfriend explained, "It takes two. The decision, the responsibility, the relationship, and the emotions... my being there made me see what she went through and made the abortion more real, more serious." His girlfriend, too, feels that hisparticipation was beneficial.  Because we care about our patients' partners, we created a website for men at MenAndAbortion.com   

"Because he got to semi-experience the procedure, it's not an abstract idea anymore. It's something concrete we have gone through together that we can talk about afterwards."

Sometimes patients choose a loving family member to support them. The mother of a teenagedaughter expressed relief at being present for the procedure. "After my daughter decided to have the abortion, I wanted to be sure she was in a safe, clean environment. My daughter is 17, and having an abortion is difficult enough. I held her hand when she was in a car accident, I held her hand when she was little and had a tonsillectomy. I wanted to be there with her."

Another patient brought a sister whose own experience convinced her to provide support. "When I had my abortion, there was no one there with me and I felt so alone. I want to support her so she doesn't feel she made a wrong choice. She needs to know above anything that she is loved." The patient appreciated this show of love, stating that she felt safer and more secure knowing her sister was there.

The decision to have a special person present during an abortion, like the decision to have the abortion itself, is a highly personal one that may not suit all women. It is, however, one more way we respect the individual needs of our patients.

Suggestions for Male Partners in Coping with a Pregnancy Decision

Suggestions for Parents in Coping with a Pregnancy Decision

Counseling

We feel that the counseling at Allegheny Reproductive Health Center makes us uniquely suited to support you through your abortion. A counselor will meet with you on the day of your procedure. However, if you would like, you can talk to a counselor on the phone or make an appointment to meet with a counselor prior to the day of procedure.

We know that dealing with an unplanned pregnancy can be difficult. Talking with a trained counselor can help sort through feelings, clarify the decision, and ease anxiety. Pre-abortion counseling, non-directive options counseling, and one session of post-abortion counseling are offered at no charge for patients, parents and partners. We have a licensed social worker available for individual, group, and couples counseling at an affordable cost, or we can make referral if you prefer.

Additional Support Services

Translation Tapes

We now have translation tapes available. If English is not your first language, we can help you. Our tapes will explain the procedure, how to take care of yourself afterwards, and birth control in your own language. Translations are available for Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Serbo-Croatian, Haitian, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Lao (Thai).

Decision Making Workbook

If you are having trouble deciding whether to choose abortion, adoption, or raising your child, we now have a truly unbiased workbook available for you. This 90 page workbook encourages you to use both your head and your heart to make your decision. You can view the entire workbook online at www.pregnancyoptions.info .  Call and ask us to mail one to you for $3.00, or stop by and purchase one for $1.00.