From Corbella’s Nurse Manager:
At Corbella Clinic, our patient process helps women who are seeking an abortion to consider making a choice for life. Our goal is to meet and accept our patients where they are, allow them to process, and provide a plan. In addition, we strive to develop a trusting relationship with every patient by providing a non-judgmental, caring, informative approach.
I’d like to walk you through our appointment process:
The appointment begins with an intake. This is where we get to know our patients. First, we learn about their life situation, feelings about the pregnancy, fears, and support systems. Next, we review their options of parenting, adoption, and abortion.
During this time, we discuss their faith (always with their permission) and offer prayer. A patient rarely declines the offer to be prayed for.
The next step is the medical intake and education. We educate about the pregnancy and the development of the baby. Most patients are surprised to learn that gender is determined at conception and that the heart starts beating three weeks after the day of conception.
We teach about the importance of STI testing since a sexually transmitted infection could lead to pelvic inflammatory disease if an abortion is performed. For this reason, we offer STI testing to all women who are considering abortion and provide treatment if the results are positive.
We educate about abortion procedures and risks, including the breast cancer risk in post-abortive women, the significance of the RH Factor, and its possible impact on future pregnancies.
This is all vital information and provides protection and awareness for our patients.
After the education portion of the appointment, the pregnancy test and STI test are completed. We inform the patient that she will return for her second appointment in a week and will receive the STI results at that time.
The final step in the appointment is the ultrasound. The ultrasound is a compelling truth. The patient is now seeing what before was a complete unknown. And as one initially abortion-minded patient put it when seeing her baby for the first time, “It’s a person inside of a person!”
We see our abortion-minded patients for up to four weekly ultrasounds. Our patient process of multiple appointments gives women the opportunity to slow down and take it one step at a time, to absorb the education and information they have received, and to process their feelings about the pregnancy. This also gives them time to bring support and guidance from loved ones into their decision.
In conclusion, our patients face very difficult decisions when they come to us. This may be a time of fear and both mental and emotional confusion. However, our patient process of multiple medical appointments, the education a woman receives, the opportunity to see her baby growing on ultrasound, and our ongoing care and support will help her slow down and not rush the decision process. All of this helps make a choice for life possible.