Heartbeats - Summer 2023 | First Coast Women's Services | Pro-Life Charity

Annual Life Banquet – September 28th, 2023

Dr. William Lile is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. He has served as a hospital OB/GYN Department Chair and as an instructor with both the University of Florida and Florida State Medical School OB/GYN residency programs. A passionate pro-life advocate, Dr. Lile took over a practice that was the largest provider of abortion services in Pensacola, FL, and immediately put an end to those services. He is part of a nationwide network of 500 physicians who voluntarily perform abortion pill reversals and serves as a medical adviser for the Florida Human Life Protection Amendment.

Alyx’s Story

“She saved my life when I chose life,” Alyx reflected as she shared about the impact of First Coast Women’s Services. She was homeless, carless, jobless, and suicidal when she came to First Coast Women’s Services. Alyx, from Oklahoma, came to Florida after finishing her time in the military. Florida life was always her dream. Still reeling over some of the issues she faced overseas, she found herself in a low spot, and then pregnant. When she shared the news with her boyfriend, she was kicked out and left to fend for herself. Because of this pressure, abortion seemed like a viable option. “I was so scared; I was definitely thinking about abortion.” Thankfully, Alyx had a friend who offered her a safe place to stay and knew about First Coast Women’s Services and the free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and material services we offer. Over time, Alyx was able to take Earn While You Learn classes, find a home, and have the support of the staff and volunteers of FCWS.

Now, three years later, her daughter Astrid has been a source of strength and hope to her. Her daughter’s name means “strength and beauty”. Alyx has now graduated from FSCJ with a degree in IT Security and is continuing to work hard as a single mom to provide for her daughter. She is attending a local church and is finding a strength she never knew she had through her relationship with Christ.

To watch a video of Alyx’s story and hear other testimonies from our clients, click HERE.

A Letter from the CEO

The Enemy of LIFE is Posing a New, Very Real Threat in Florida!

In June, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v Wade. Governor DeSantis has signed the 6-Week Ban on abortion in Florida into law. Although the 15-Week ban on abortion is being challenged in the courts and, therefore, delaying the enactment of it and the 6-week ban, the pro-life Florida Supreme Court will likely decide to enact both laws over time. We are in a unique time in Florida with all three of these legislative bodies supporting the unborn in the Sunshine State.

However, evil never gives in without a fierce struggle. The pro-abortion activists have rallied nation- wide support to finance putting an amendment on the Florida ballot to permanently allow abortion up to birth, with a doctor’s recommendation. If passed, it would usurp all laws in Florida protecting LIFE. It reads, “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion – No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” They included the right to a parent’s notification, not consent, in the case of a minor, believing this change would fool some voters into voting for it.

This heinous Constitutional Amendment is the only path open to the pro-abortion movement. They raised almost two million dollars in a month and are paying as much as $50 per hour for those gathering voter signatures to place this amendment on the ballot.

It will require more than 870,000 signatures of registered Florida voters, but they already have more than 200,000. People with clipboards gathering signatures have been seen in Trader Joe’s and gas stations in Jacksonville. They ask, “Won’t you sign a petition to protect women’s health?” Even those who support LIFE may be fooled into signing, if they are not paying attention. If this Constitutional Amendment reaches the ballot, it will require 60% of the voters of Florida to approve it. Once again, the almost limitless financial support of the pro-abortion lobbyists will pour money into advertising to get it passed. Please share this information with everyone you know.

Although I thought it was important to share this information, I don’t want to leave you with only negative news. The Lord is doing wonderful things through FCWS. We now have more than fifty male mentors and have doubled the men’s clients we serve in just half the year. The father of the baby is still the most important person in influencing the mother to choose LIFE, and these men are also learning how to be good fathers. We are in the midst of our most successful Baby Bottle Campaign and have calculated that the campaign has raised more than two million dollars in the last twenty years. The Lord has been faithful to supply all that is needed to do what He leads us to do, and He is using you, your prayers and your generous giving. Thank you!

Judy Weber, CEO