You might be surprised to see this as you drive down the road: A church in Phoenix has rented a billboard reading, "Don't abort, we'll adopt."
Our partners at KNXV spoke with members of the St. Steven's Parish who say they hope the advertisement will encourage women to consider adoption if faced with unplanned pregnancies.
"That's what our goal is, you know, not to be judgmental. That's not what this is about," a program coordinator for the church told KNXV.
She said there are members within the church who are willing to adopt but also alluded to the parish's partnerships with "Catholic charities."
News of the billboard comes less than a year after Arizona implemented stricter laws for abortions.
Some of the changes include mandatory counseling prior to the procedure; parental consent for minors; and coverage under Arizona's health exchange only if the woman's "health is severely compromised," unless the patient has purchased an additional insurance rider.
In its most recent data from 2013, the Arizona Department of Health Services said it received reports of more than 13,000 abortions that year.
This video includes an image by Gage Skidmore / CC BY SA 2.0.
