You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.

-(John 15:16-17)

Mission & Vision

ArborVitae Women’s Center supports women in the greater Ann Arbor area who are facing unexpected pregnancies. We provide a trust-based environment in which our programs are offered confidentially and free of charge by well-trained personnel. Our programs empower women with the knowledge, tools, and caring support they need to embrace bright futures and to make healthy, life-affirming decisions.

Here at ArborVitae, we recognize that free, timely, top-quality medical services provide indispensable information to abortion-vulnerable women who are engaged in what is often a difficult and stressful decision-making process. Therefore, we will provide clinic-quality pregnancy testing, limited obstetrical ultrasound, pregnancy counseling, material support, spiritual support, and medical and community referrals – all in a beautiful, comfortable environment, in a confidential and respectful way, and at no charge.

Limited obstetrical ultrasound is a diagnostic tool that qualified medical personnel may use in order to establish a viable, intrauterine pregnancy and to gauge a baby’s gestational age.

In addition, the ultrasound image has a profound and lasting impact on the mother who sees it. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “Viewing the fetal form in the late first or early mid-trimester of pregnancy, before movement is felt by the mother, may…influence the resolution of any ambivalence toward the pregnancy itself in favor of the fetus. Ultrasound examination may thus result in fewer abortions and more desired pregnancies” (NEJM, 2/17/83).

 

This research coincides exactly with the real experience of hundreds of pro-life centers around the country, which enjoy dramatic increases in the number of mothers choosing life after they view their children’s ultrasound images in the process of medical pregnancy verification.

ArborVitae Women’s Center is uniquely placed to serve students, thanks to our vital proximity to the University of Michigan and to our student-friendly hours of operation. Our clientele can easily walk to our facility. Twenty-four hour phone access to pregnancy counselors (throughOptionLine’s national hotline number, see www.optionline.org) means that clients can, even in the middle of the night, make an appointment at our facility for as soon as the next morning. In addition, we are located in easy driving distance of several other colleges and universities: Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia College, among others.

Our staff includes a volunteer Medical Director (Philip Fleming, M.D.), paid Nurse Manager and Executive Director, plus dozens of well-trained volunteers, including R.N.’s, lay counselors, receptionists, and prayer team members. These dedicated volunteers offer a vital service at no charge, enabling our team to channel donors’ charitable gifts to clients in the most effective and life-giving way possible.