April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Amsterdam Birthright ready to help moms
Marie Vogt is certain many Amsterdam moms-to-be are drowning in a sea of mixed emotions about their pregnancies.
A number of them, she adds, may well be on the brink of securing abortions -- a devastating option they might not choose if they realized the newest Birthright center has opened downtown. But making women in "crisis pregnancies" aware that such a lifeline now exists is proving to be a challenge.
"We've got everything, absolutely everything, we need -- except clients," laments Mrs. Vogt, interim director of the Birthright center on East Main Street. "The greatest challenge facing us is getting the word out that we're here to assist those in need of our services."
Ready to serve
Pointing to one wall where stylish maternity clothes hang neatly in rows and another wall lined with stacks of designer diapers and snugly sleepers, Mrs. Vogt says: "We've been blessed with all sorts of donations to lighten the load for expectant moms and their babies. Now all we need are the women to come forward so we can help them."Birthright offers women a positive alternative to abortion. The Amsterdam office, which opened in October, is but one of more than 600 chapters worldwide.
Founded in 1968 by Louise Summerhill, a Catholic from Ontario, Canada, Birthright International believes "it is the right of every child to be born" and "that any pregnant girl or woman has the right to whatever help she may need to carry her child to term."
Many services
To that end, Birthright's volunteer counselors offer confidential, non-judgmental support to women who might otherwise give in to pressures to have an abortion. Birthright's services range from providing free pregnancy tests and a 24-hour distress hotline to such practical items as maternity clothes, infant layettes and disposable diapers.Rather than duplicating resources elsewhere in the community, Birthright refers clients to existing agencies (such as WIC) that may be of additional help should the woman decide to carry her baby to term.
Currently a satellite of Schenectady Birthright, the Amsterdam office has four volunteer counselors (Erin Cuddy, Nancy Catena, Marian Yager and Kathy Gugliemelli) who report to Mrs. Vogt. Each counselor must complete a six-hour training session prior to being officially welcomed on board. After that, counselors are asked to donate about three hours a week to the center.
On-going help
Mrs. Vogt stresses that Birthright support does not end when a baby is born. To that end, clients may return to Birthright to select new and nearly new clothing (sizes 0 to 24 months) for their offspring."We offer assistance right up until the child's second birthday,' she explains. "Our goal is to help the mother and her child get off to the best possible start."
(Amsterdam Birthright is open from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Help is available around-the-clock by calling the Birthright Hotline at 1-800-550-4900.)
(01-23-97)
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