Displaying items by tag: option line
My Option Line Roots: One Journey to Help Thousands
by Nafisa Kennedy, Director of Option Line
On the evening of February 16th, 2006, I arrived at a quiet brick building in Columbus, OH. A few cars were in the parking lot as I walked toward the door. I took a nervous deep breath, carefully entered my entry code on a keypad, and wondered what my first shift on the Option Line hotline would be like. My colleagues, some of whom I met for the first time that day, welcomed me as if I were family (between calls, of course). I observed that same warmth and kindness as I heard them connecting with our callers that night.
My first hotline shift was 6 hours long, and I still remember that I spoke with twenty-six people. My colleagues told me it was a quiet shift, but as a young professional with a heart for missions, I left with a heart bursting with gratitude for the opportunity to serve twenty-six souls in as many different cities! Not only was it incredible to speak life to them, but I knew that their next step would be a visit to a local pregnancy help center. What an honor to be part of a vast network of support which always leads back to the Lord our God! At the time, I was unaware of just how much God was already at work at Option Line, and I couldn’t have imagined all that He would do.
Later that year, we received an email from a mom who said she had called and spoken to someone by my name. When Sarah initially called she was considering abortion, but because of the support she found through Option Line and her local pregnancy help center, her email contained a photo of her (the mother) and her newborn child, absolutely beaming. She had not forgotten our late-night conversation, and she wanted to say thank you.
Up until 2012, all Option Line staff lived in the Columbus area and reported to the office for every shift. As a 24/7/365 operation, Option Line consultants would arrive and depart from our building at all hours of the day and night, in every season, too. In 2012, we began testing remote work with our Columbus area team during the overnight and weekend hours. Thanks to innovative technology, and God’s leading, we hired our first fully remote team member in 2014, and this year more than 60% of our team is remote. We’ve even had our consultants answer calls while in Guatemala, London, and Mexico; advancement in technology can bring many unexpected blessings!
Some things never change though. We still have an incredibly dedicated team of people-loving servants. Just recently, one of our consultants went into labor during her hotline shift; she chose to serve other moms until the time was near and was holding her own baby within two hours of her last hotline call.
Another aspect of our service that has not changed is our approach to people: respect and empathy are integral to Option Line culture.
“My caller says she reached out a year ago and spoke to me. She remembers my voice. She was raped a year ago and reached out to our helpline. She reminded me how she felt alone and that she decided to tell her husband…they kept the baby! She said that God heard her cries and they got help at their local center. Her baby is now 10 months old!”
- Sylvia, Option Line consultant
Option Line was developed on a solid foundation by its early leaders within Heartbeat International. God has ordained every step forward, and we have seen His blessings through those serving, as well as the people we serve. While my first shift on the hotline resulted in twenty-six calls, it is not uncommon for a hotline consultant today to speak with over 100 people per shift. During that first year, we celebrated reaching a quarter million contacts; as of our 22nd birthday, we have reached 7 million. To God be the glory, forever!
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Click here to learn about Option Line's impact today and how we've expanded our modes (digital, emails, texts, chats, and calls) of making over 370,000 connections per year.
Option Line Turns 21!
In the Beginning
Established in 2003 and celebrating 21 years of life-saving help, Option Line is the only fully-staffed, bilingual, 24/7, pro-life contact center in the U.S. Since we first answered the call, we’ve served more than 7 million people who are desperate for answers in an unexpected pregnancy. Our primary goal through Option Line is to encourage and empower those who reach out to us by offering trustworthy guidance through personalized care. We accomplish this goal by communicating directly with over 1,000 men and women each day at our contact center via phone, live chat, texting, and email.
Option Line Plus
In the age of at-home abortion, pregnancy help must be available to clients the moment they reach out. Upon recognizing the invaluable impact education from a medical professional can have on women making such choices, they began a careful process of testing the addition of nurses to their team more than two years ago. The protocol for Option Line Plus was developed by leaders from our own Medical Impact team at Heartbeat International, who have experience in pregnancy help centers—their expertise and understanding of your work informs every aspect of this project.
Affiliates, watch an Option Line Call Connections video from one of our consultants who shared a recent call that changed her (and her callers') life.
Reviews Speak for Themselves
Read some responses to post-chat surveys from our contacts:
"Dalia* was very kind and helped calm some of my nerves about my situation."
"I really needed to know the facts and this is the first person to explain things to me clearly! THANK YOU!!!"
"Athena* was amazing she really helped me see what I need to do and what’s the best option for me."
"Rose* answered everything I wanted to know! I was so scared, but Rose* changed my mind on things!!!"
"Ashley* was lovely to chat to. Helped me to not feel so worried."
"This site is extremely helpful it put my mind at ease and Ana* was such a nice women she answered my questions right away."
"I`ve been on other sites and they charge you for an answer which [Option Line doesn’t] and is very understanding if someone is not used to this or has difficulties/disabilities."
Option Line Plus
Option Line has enhanced their service to strengthen the bridge for pregnancy help during hours when your center may not be available. They have added nurses to their team of professionally trained consultants! This enhanced service is called Option Line Plus.
How it Started
For the average pregnancy help center, 24/7 availability is impractical, and in many cases impossible. More than 20 years ago, Option Line began serving in the gap that exists during hours when pregnancy help organizations cannot be available. They have been serving as your 24/7/365 bilingual pregnancy help hotline—not only serving clients via phone, but through text, chat, email, and cutting-edge self-service tools on their website.
In the age of at-home abortion, pregnancy help must be available to clients the moment they reach out. Upon recognizing the invaluable impact education from a medical professional can have on women making such choices, they began a careful process of testing the addition of nurses to their team more than a year ago. The protocol for Option Line Plus was developed by leaders from our own Medical Impact team at Heartbeat International, all of whom have experience in pregnancy help centers—their expertise and understanding of your work informs every aspect of this project.
How it Works
During critical hours when most pregnancy help centers are not open, Option Line consultants can now schedule clients for a one-time educational call with a nurse. These calls are typically scheduled within 2 hours of the client’s initial contact, and scheduled calls have a show rate of more than 90%. During their interaction with an Option Line Plus consultant, a client will receive valuable education, better understand the value of visiting your pregnancy help organization, and finally, will be referred to or scheduled for an appointment at your center. When nurses are not on calls, they also answer chats, emails, and text messages.
What You Need to Do
As an affiliate, not a thing! As with all services Option Line provides to affiliates, Option Line Plus serves your center at no cost to you. If you haven’t been forwarding calls to them and would like to, we welcome you to start today! To learn more about how to become an affiliate, click here.
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Option Line and Option Line Plus should not be used for emergency or urgent care needs. In the case of an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. The information provided through this service is for informational purposes only. The nurses cannot provide medical diagnosis or recommend or provide treatment, and they are not a substitute for your doctor's care. Your health information is kept confidential in accordance with applicable laws.
For questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Option Line - Call Connections
*Names have been changed for privacy.
Option Line is free to Heartbeat International affiliates.
Click here to learn all of the benefits of being an affiliate! If you would like to become an affiliate, simply click here to get started.
Maternity Housing Coalition Partnership
by Valerie Harkins, Director of Maternity Housing Coalition
The Maternity Housing Coalition (MHC) is excited to announce three features available to Heartbeat International affiliates.
1. Announcing our new housing locator tool!
a. This tool is free to all affiliates.
b. An online application is built into the tool. With the application feature, affiliated homes receive an email with a snapshot of the potential client's information including her name, gestation, current location, and if she currently has a safe place to stay.
c. Affiliate homes are matched with a woman based on the intake information entered. When you reach out to connect with this young woman, you are already prepared with the information you need to have a successful and fruitful conversation.
2. Option Line is partnered with MHC!
a. Option Line is available 24/7, including holidays, to assist women applying for maternity housing.
3. Maternity Homes can Forward Calls to Option Line!
a. Maternity home affiliates can forward calls to Option Line after hours as a complementary benefit of affiliation. When your office is closed, even during meetings or events, Option Line is here to assist women attempting to contact your maternity home.
b. Option Line is bilingual! This gives you peace of mind knowing that even Spanish-speaking callers are being served.
c. Click here to learn how to take advantage of this benefit.
Next Step: Click here to register to be added to the housing locator tool today! We aim to create a robust directory of maternity homes where you can list your services so women can be connected and served even faster. With our partnership with Option Line, we will reach even more!
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For questions please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Option Line Turns 20!
What happens behind the scenes at Option Line?
We know that Option Line is ready to answer that call for help (or text, or chat, or email) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but have you ever wondered what exactly that looks like? Petra, one of our professional, compassionate consultants walked through how she used The LOVE Approach in a phone call with a nervous father who wanted to know how to convince his girlfriend to get an abortion. While the technology has changed and improved over the last 20 years, the way we love and offer life-affirming help hasn't.
Established in 2003 and celebrating 20 years of life-saving help, Option Line is the only fully staffed, bilingual pro-life contact center in the U.S. Since we first answered the call, we’ve served more than 5 million people who are desperate for answers in an unexpected pregnancy. Option Line makes these critical connections with women at-risk for abortion and in turn connects women to a local pregnancy help organization in their area. We provide calm, reassuring guidance as we introduce the various true options women have available to them.
Our primary goal through Option Line is to encourage and empower those who reach out to us by offering trustworthy guidance through personalized care. We accomplish this goal by communicating directly with over 1,000 men and women each day at our contact center via phone, live chat, texting, and email.
If you're wondering, this video isn't an isolated event at Option Line. Just check out below some responses to post-chat surveys from our contacts. As we celebrate Option Line turning 20 this February, we reflect on the good that comes when we love well those reaching out for help.
"Dalia* was very kind and helped calm some of my nerves about my situation."
"I really needed to know the facts and this is the first person to explain things to me clearly! THANK YOU!!!"
"Athena* was amazing she really helped me see what I need to do and what’s the best option for me."
"Rose* answered everything I wanted to know! I was so scared, but Rose* changed my mind on things!!!"
"Ashley* was lovely to chat to. Helped me to not feel so worried."
"This site is extremely helpful it put my mind at ease and Ana* was such a nice women she answered my questions right away."
"I`ve been on other sites and they charge you for an answer which [Option Line doesn’t] and is very understanding if someone is not used to this or has difficulties/disabilities."
Option Line On Your Team
Option Line is a valuable asset for every Pregnancy Help Organization, bringing years of experience in pregnancy help to every call, text, chat, or email they answer. Here are some of the many ways that your center can take advantage of the expertise that Option Line provides.
- We meet those who contact us where they are; then, send them to you. We use the Option Line Center Locator when someone reaches out to us to make sure that they get connected with the closest pregnancy help organization to them. After we answer some basic questions, pray with them, or whatever they need, we make sure they get the face-to-face compassion and support you provide because the best alternative to abortion is another person.
- We answer your phones when you can't. Whether your office is empty because of a crisis, a staff meeting, or it's simply after hours, you can set up your calls to forward to Option Line, where your callers will reach a trained consultant who cares about them as much as you do. Now offering Option Line Plus, we connect callers with trained nurses within two hours!
- We schedule appointments for your clients at your organization. If you use one of a few scheduling systems, you can give Option Line the ability to schedule appointments (at certain times) even if the call, text, chat, or email we take is after hours. Offering that connection to you immediately makes it more likely a potential client will not only set up an appointment but will show up to it and find out how you can help.
To find out more about forwarding your calls to Option Line or taking advantage of our appointment scheduling tools, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling us at (866) 260-3763 (extension 1).
What we bring to the team!
- Over 162 total years of hotline experience
- 24/7 availability
- Bilingual in English and Spanish
- Answers over 1,000 calls, chats, emails, and texts daily
- Served over 5 million contacts since 2003
- Has over 75% show rate for appointments made
- Over 28 Option Line Consultants working for you
- Each consultant goes through 29 hours of intensive coursework and training on hotline protocol for connecting with women in need of the support PHCs provide and 40 hours of coached hotline training with a supervisor
Trainings
Podcasts
Tune in to the Pregnancy Help Podcast for information on how Option Line can help you reach women in need. Topics with pregnancy help experts include:
The story of the Option Line logo
Option Line is committed to reaching those who are either facing an unplanned pregnancy, think they might be pregnant, or are close to someone who is through our 24/7 pregnancy help contact center.
Established in 2003, Option Line is the only fully staffed, bilingual pro-life contact center in the U.S. Since we first answered the call, we’ve spoken with over 4 million people who are desperate for answers in an unexpected pregnancy.
Option Line makes these critical connections with abortion-vulnerable women and in turn, connects women to a local pregnancy help center in their area. Our primary goal is to encourage and empower those who reach out to us by offering trustworthy guidance through personalized care. We accomplish this goal by communicating directly with over 1,000 men and women each day at our contact center via phone, live chat, texting, and email.
As the parent brand, Heartbeat International seeks to reach pregnant women, rescue them from a scarcity mindset in which abortion is the only option, and renew entire communities; one woman at a time.
Heartbeat International’s mission focus pillars are Reach, Rescue, and Renew. Option Line lives in the REACH pillar.
Our Option Line symbol conveys a deep, beautiful story with a litany of messages, beginning with the concept that Option Line is a central hub; both reaching out and gently guiding.
The design of the pattern within the circle spells out “Reach” in Morse code communicating our desire to offer empathetic, compassionate guidance through open and honest communications as we provide the full story and options. The colors convey warmth, hope, and approachability. Everything we are and strive to be to those who call us.
All our work points to our vision to make abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations. Option Line helps us reach that vision through its mission to reach those who are abortion-vulnerable through a 24/7 contact center.
Why each call matters
From the very first call answered, Option Line consultants, caring women trained by Heartbeat International, have been able to speak hope into panicked moments of confusion. Four million calls later, our consultants continue to treat each and every point of contact with a caller with the compassionate care she deserves. To each woman calling in, this is the hardest moment she has ever had to face in her life.
Established in 2003, Option Line is the only fully staffed, bilingual pro-life contact center in the U.S. Since we first answered the call, we’ve reached over 4 million women and men, many who are desperate for answers in an unexpected pregnancy.
Every day, more than 1,100 people reach out to Option Line via phone call, live chat, texting and email for help. The number of women and men Option Line reaches continues to grow. As a result, more lives are rescued from abortion. Every call helps reduce the demand for abortion, making abortion unwanted and eventually unthinkable.
Each call is a story...
2009 - 1 Million Calls
Even before we had live chat as a way to contact Option Line (chat launched in 2010), we served over 1 million people crying out for help through phone, a website, and email. We answered each call, we helped with any immediate pregnancy need she may have, and we connected her with a local pregnancy help organization. We know that the best alternative to an abortion is another person.
2014 - 2 Millionth Call
In the wee hours of the morning, a call came in to Option Line. On the other end of the phone was a young woman seeking abortion information. She was referred to our affiliated pregnancy help organization in Warren, Ohio that could offer her so much more than abortion and empower her to make positive choices for her future.
2018 - 3 Millionth Call
On a Thursday afternoon, Jennifer contacted Option Line through our live chat feature at OptionLine.org. She told the Option Line consultant that she was 19 years old and realized she was pregnant. Jennifer said she felt caught between what was “right” and what was “easy,” and she simply wanted the whole thing behind her. Our Option Line consultant assured her she was not alone and prayed with her. Our consultant helped to calm her fears and encouraged her to get help at a local pregnancy center near her in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
2020 - 4 Millionth Call
Early on a Monday morning, a seasoned consultant working for Option Line received a chat from a woman in India. Sorting through her concerns, the consultant worked with her to find a pregnancy help organization near her through Heartbeat’s Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help. This cry for help shows the global nature of the need for pregnancy help.
Our Work Continues & Expands...
As technology has improved through the years, we have embraced it and so that we can increase the number of people served through Option Line. Notice that the time period is reduced between each millionth call answered!
We continue to find and implement effective technology such as adding Live Chat options to connect and utilizing online advertising. This allows us to reach more women and better serve the movement.
As calls for help continue, we have expanded our services to answer the cries for help for not only women seeking pregnancy help, but also for the Safe Haven Alliance and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network.
When women seek pregnancy help, we are equipped to answer their questions and serve them swiftly in real-time.
As our reach expands, people from all over the world are finding Option Line. The fact that we are able to serve a woman in India to help locate a pregnancy help organization in her area from our call center in Ohio is another miracle of technology.
While not everyone is available 24/7/365 to serve those in need, Heartbeat International's Option Line is! And we will continue to serve until abortion is unthinkable.
*Names have been changed within for privacy.
Option Line Reaches 3 Million Calls! A Praise, A Prayer, An Action
On Thursday afternoon, Feb. 22, 2018, Option Line answered a live chat from “Jennifer,” a 19-year-old in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
As God would have it, Jennifer is the 3 millionth person to cry out for help since Option Line first answered the call in 2003.
We want to tell you a bit about Jennifer, and invite you to join us in praying for Jennifer, her baby and family in this time of great need. And one more thing: We want to ask you to check your listing on OptionLine.org to make sure we have the latest information, so we can connect women just like Jennifer to life-saving help.
Now, to Jennifer’s story:
Realizing she was pregnant, Jennifer had found Option Line—our 24-7, 365 helpline (1-800-712-HELP and OptionLine.org)—by searching online for help.
Even though it was well into the evening by the time Jennifer reached out, Option Line was ready to help her. In seconds, she was chatting with "Melinda," one of our professionally trained consultants who’s answered over 45,000 cries for help.
Melinda has two goals with each woman she helps:
First, she prayerfully works to calm the woman’s initial fears, as well as ask and answer any questions she can.
Second, she does everything in her power to encourage that woman to get help at a local pregnancy center.
As they chatted, Jennifer said she felt caught between the “right” thing to do and the “easy” thing to do. She just wanted to get this whole thing behind her.
Melinda prayed, listened, and asked questions to help Jennifer feel empowered to make a decision for life.
Before they ended the chat, Melinda offered to connect Jennifer directly with A Hope Center—a Heartbeat International affiliate—in Fort Wayne. As she so often does, Melinda also offered to pray for Jennifer and reassured her that she’s not alone.
Will you join us in praying for Jennifer this week?
Also, will you check your listing on OptionLine.org? You can just visit the site and enter your zip code to check your information. If anything’s missing or incorrect, please send updates to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Helpful Option Line Links:
