By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
July 15, 2004

One Siouxland organization offers the support of a friend to women going through an unplanned pregnancy.

Birthright is a pregnancy crisis center that provides women a place to go to ask questions, to seek confidential help, to take a free pregnancy test and to find friendship and emotional support.

"Our thing is love in advance," said Peg Wiltgen, co-director of Birthright in Sioux City with Kim Otto of South Sioux City, Neb. "We do anything that can help bring the pregnancy to term. The girls are quite surprised when they find out we care about them."

The Sioux City office has been open for 31 years as of last April.

"If it is a positive testing and she does not have a doctor, we recommend Catholic Charities and Crittenton Center to go to because all we do is give her a positive testing or a negative testing," said Wiltgen, a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament in Sioux City. "The doctor actually diagnoses her. We will help her find a doctor, but we won't do it for her."

Most people that go into Birthright have heard about the organization from a friend or from seeing a billboard. According to Wiltgen, the Crittenton Center sends women to Birthright.

The organization also helps women with legal, medical and educational referrals, prenatal information, maternity and baby clothes, housing referrals, social agency referrals, information on other community services and adoption information.

"It's okay not to be able to raise a child," said Wiltgen. "In fact, it is admirable. It's probably a lot harder to hand that baby to somebody else. You are going to miss that child, but you are going to smile because you will realize that child can crawl, run or ride a bicycle."

One woman came into the office 19 years after she had gone to Birthright. Originally, she had gone to Planned Parenthood, then went home and her stepmother requested that she go to Birthright. The woman brought in a check, baby clothes and a picture of a national merit scholar and recent graduate from high school that would not have been here if it were not for Birthright.

Birthright was started by Louise Summerhill in Toronto, Canada in 1968 because she felt something should be done to help women through an unplanned pregnancy.

"Louise, our founder, said, 'talk to God about the girl, not the girl about God,'" said Wiltgen. "It works out pretty good."

Birthright helps any girl or woman regardless of age, race, creed, marital or economic status, who feels distressed by an unplanned pregnancy. Women from the age of 14 to 43, single mothers and married mothers have sought assistance from Birthright.

The organization does not use "scare tactics" or pressure, show abortion slides or pictures, picket abortion clinics, lobby for legislative changes or engage in the public debate on abortion.

After the babies are born, Birthright will give the mother a quilt, the baby's first outfit, six diapers, six onezies and receiving blankets, if available. If the baby is a girl, the mother gets a dress and shoes. If it's a boy, the mom gets a little suit with a bow tie.

"If a girl would decide to adopt the child, we say come and get it, write a letter and give the child your gift," said Wiltgen.

The quilts are made by a group in Marcus that start sewing the third Thursday in September until the third Thursday in May. Then the volunteers at Birthright are invited to Marcus for lunch and given the quilts.

There is a volunteer in the office from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday to answer the phone and to help women who come in. If someone calls in and says they cannot come in during office hours due to school or having a part-time job, the volunteers are willing to meet the woman at another time Monday through Saturday.

"In those 18 hours in a week, about four weeks in a month, we might see at least 100 girls that we do tests on," said Wiltgen, a volunteer since 1991.

Birthright accepts volunteers of any race, sex or creed. All volunteers must believe firmly in the Birthright philosophy and have a sincere desire to help pregnant women.

The volunteers handle phone calls and assist women who come in for free pregnancy testing, or who wish to talk about a variety of pregnancy-related concerns. Some volunteers help in other ways, such as sorting and distributing maternity and baby clothes, cleaning the office or performing clerical work.

"You do it because you know you are needed," said Wiltgen. "It is a commitment that you make."

Marian Sullivan, a longtime volunteer for Birthright, commented that the main reason she is still involved is that she is "very opposed to abortion." She was a volunteer that worked at the desk answering phones. She currently writes thank you notes to people and organizations that donate to Birthright.

"I like to do what I can to discourage abortion," said Sullivan. "When I worked, I encountered very few girls who were headed towards abortion. They do come in though."

Birthright does not charge for its services, but relies on donations from generous supporters to continue helping pregnant women in need. They send out a letter in January to request money. Once the money is sent in, Sullivan receives a list of people she needs to send thank you's to. Throughout the year organizations donate money so it keeps Sullivan busy year round.

In May, the volunteers go out to parishes and churches to request donations as well.

Monetary donations, as well as gifts of maternity and baby clothes, are accepted at the Sioux City location, 520 Nebraska St. - Suite 322, Sioux City, IA 51101. The phone number for the Sioux City Birthright is (712) 258- 3436. Within the Diocese of Sioux City, there are also offices in Carroll, Humboldt and Spencer.

In 2003, Birthright International celebrated its 35th anniversary with over 400 chapters worldwide, including Canada, the United States and others in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Colombia. Birthright operates a 24-hour North American hotline, at (800) 550-4900. There is also a Web site about the organization at www.birthright.org.