Abortion Alternatives Web Site Receives Grant to Reach More Women With Help
by Martha Schieber
May 21, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — This Sunday, Catholics all across the country will place envelopes in the collection basket to help the Catholic Communications Campaign (CCC). Vitae Foundation is a recipient of that Campaign and will use its funds to reach abortion-minded women on the Internet, counteracting the abortion industry, who is marketing its services like never before.
Vitae was awarded a $35,000 grant from CCC, with the stipulation that it be matched with private funds. Those private funds were recently secured, which will help expand the architecture of Vitae’s YourOptions.com, a pioneering website designed for the abortion-minded woman and her sphere of influence.
“I could not be happier with partnering with the Catholic Communications Campaign as they, too, understand the importance of mass communication and the desire to help women who are dealing with an untimely pregnancy,” Carl Landwehr, President of Vitae Foundation, stated.
Since 1992 Vitae has been encouraging a culture of life through mass communications. Vitae conducted a groundbreaking research study giving it the insight into the mind of women who choose abortion when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Based on the findings of this study, Vitae began crafting messages that speak directly to the abortion-minded woman herself.
Together with Dr. Charles Kenny of The Right Brain People, Inc., with whom Vitae has worked to determine all of its message development, Vitae set about designing a website catering to the abortion minded, 18-24 year old woman.
Since its launch in January 2009 www.YourOptions.com has seen significant traffic, with approximately 54,737 visits and 90 percent of those are new visits.
“The young generation that we used to reach through TV is becoming increasingly more sophisticated,” Landwehr noted. “They are spending more time on the Internet and using the Internet to research what to do with an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy.”
For those women who may want to communicate with a trained counselor or may want location information for local resources, the website also provides links directly into the OptionLine network. OptionLine is a collaborative effort between CareNet and Heartbeat to network qualifying pregnancy resource centers under one contact point that includes phone, e-mail, instant messaging and texting.
The CCC grant will help Vitae extend capabilities to expand its reach in pulling women farther into the site.
“Vitae is endeavoring with this site to engage the minds of some of the savviest of Internet users,” stated Amanda Wagner, Vitae’s Director of New Media. “In this engagement we have a very short window of opportunity to influence their decision processes. Within that window we must present our message in a way that is unforgettable, emotional, relevant, understanding and compassionate.”
As media and technology move forward, user expectations continue to climb and become more sophisticated. Wagner noted that Planned Parenthood websites are moving in these sophisticated directions and life-affirming sites cannot afford to be left below the curve.
Vitae will use the CCC grant to completely restructure navigation and visually rebuild the site to accommodate several new features. These new features will capitalize on emerging and realized new technology processes and communication opportunities not available in the current website.
“The communications industry is changing daily. For us to communicate with our audience we must also change daily the manner in which we communicate,” Vitae’s President explained.
“We know that unplanned, unwanted pregnancy is an equal opportunity situation, happening to women from all walks of life. This website is likewise designed to appeal to anyone in that situation who is searching for answers. Thanks to the generous donation from the Catholic Communications Campaign and a private fund, more women will find the answers they are looking for and will choose life.”
Related web sites:
Vitae Foundation – https://vitaecaringfoundation.org
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