Here are The Guiding Star Project’s FAQs and answers.
Who is The Guiding Star Project?
We are a group of people who uphold Natural Law through the promotion of New Feminism.
We believe…
- In the inherent dignity of every human being beginning with natural conception and ending with natural death
- In holistic solutions to the many challenges women face in our society today
- In each woman’s innate ability to nourish life, either physically or spiritually
- That fertility, childbirth, and breastfeeding are natural biological processes and that knowledge of them empowers women
- That every life is unique, holds potential, and deserves celebration regardless of the circumstances of conception, status, or health
- That abortion and contraception interrupt natural, healthy biological processes.
What do you do?
By uniting local pro-life organizations in communities across the country, it is our mission to create comprehensive health centers that offer holistic and life-affirming services to women and families.
By establishing a national network of Guiding Star Centers, we seek to create a culture that …
- Recognizes the true beauty and dignity of women and their families
- Honors and upholds the natural feminine gifts and abilities
- Encourages women in all circumstances to embrace their dignity and find empowerment through these gifts and abilities
- Respects the dignity and value of all human persons
- Acknowledges that all women are connected by their unique feminine abilities
Why a Guiding Star Center?
- The problem: Women need alternatives.
Where holistic or life-affirming care is available, it is often hard to find and serves only a small segment of the population.
Women experiencing unplanned or crisis pregnancies often feel isolated and think that abortion is their only feasible option. Resources that they need are often difficult to find and time-consuming to access. Multiple services are rarely located in a single location.
The truth about life and the dignity of women and motherhood should be celebrated in the mainstream!
- Our solution: To create alternatives.
Guiding Star Centers will be evident by their empowering atmosphere and the convenience of a “one-stop shop” for all the support women and families need to honor their natural gift of fertility and the important role of motherhood. These Centers will meet the needs of everyday people in holistic, life-affirming ways. We will facilitate cooperation between many providers to better serve women and families in one convenient, professional, welcoming location.
Guiding Star Centers are fundamental to the mission of The Guiding Star Project. Each Center is to be officially affiliated with The Guiding Star Project and will be created by gathering existing pro-woman and pro-life organizations from the community into one shared space. Together, these organizations will offer comprehensive care for women and their families. While the resources found in a center will reflect the unique needs of the community in which it resides, some common elements may include:
- Pregnancy Resource Center — Counseling and material assistance for women with unplanned pregnancies, including access to an ultrasound machine.
- Prenatal Care and Birthing Center — Life-affirming care and natural support for pregnant and postpartum women and their families; this may include medical or midwifery care, doula support, lactation consulting, and perinatal hospice care.
- Clinical Space — Shared by the pregnancy resource center, care providers, and the birthing center; providing mammograms, STD testing, well-women yearly exams, and as many other family practice services as possible.
- Natural Family Planning —Training and support for women’s natural fertility care.
- Drop-in Child Care — A safe, nurturing place for children to play while their families are visiting the center.
- Lounge Space and Resource Center — Access to help with school or employment and information about outside resources. A peaceful space for women waiting to receive care, or those who come to the Center just because they need a break from a day of stressful parenting.
- Community Conference Space — Meeting space available to partner and community organizations.
- Administration Office and Call Center — 24-hour call center and workspace for volunteers and administrators.
There are many services that could fit effortlessly into the Guiding Star Model. Others may include post-abortion counseling, adoption services, pharmacy, massage therapy, nutritional counseling, and early childhood education. Other holistic services could have a place, too – amenities such as a coffee shop for a chance to relax with friends, a massage therapy studio, an organic market, or a consignment clothing store. Each Guiding Star Center will offer varying services according the needs in its community. One possible layout is pictured below:
What are the benefits to collaboration?
The local pro—life community includes many organizations working toward a shared goal of serving women who face unplanned and crisis pregnancies. Because they work side-by—side in the same community, these organizations find themselves competing for resources and referrals.
Increased visibility —Partner organizations will have access to rent-free space in one large building with prominent signage displayed on the exterior.
Strengthened credibility —Organizations associated with The Guiding Star Project will have national brand recognition.
Multiplied fundraising capability —Organizations will have the opportunity to participate in a fundraising collaborative.
What is Natural Law?
What is wholistic feminism?
We at The Guiding Star Project embrace the philosophy of wholistic feminism, a growing movement which crosses many cultural, religious, and political persuasions.
There are many lies spoken to women about their bodies, their talents, and their gift of being created women. Wholistic feminism answers this by viewing femininity through a lens of hope and joy. We honor the unique feminine genius – the way women think, perceive, and love as women – and celebrate that these strengths are compatible with the strengths of others.
We know that true feminine success is measured by a woman’s love for others. Not all women will physically mother children of their own, but we believe that every woman has been created with gifts that can nurture the world. This is the vital contribution every woman must make to build up a culture of life and love.
Wholistic feminism gives positive attention to the female body, honoring and upholding its unique and natural abilities. We believe that women’s bodies are not broken but are beautifully created, and that they deserve care, respect, and understanding. We reject the idea that a woman’s body must look flawless in order for the woman to be lovable. We uphold that fertility, childbirth, and breastfeeding are natural, healthy biological processes and that knowledge of them empowers women. We understand the benefits of natural methods of family planning and fertility care and are excited about the medical advancements being made in this area of women’s healthcare.
Wholistic feminists know that contraception and abortion interrupt natural, healthy biological processes and are not in the best interest of women or their families. We believe that women should not be forced to choose between their children and their education or careers. We support women who courageously choose to embrace motherhood in difficult circumstances.
How can I bring Guiding Star to my community?
Local Leadership
Gathering Resources
Governance
Taking the first step on a purposeful journey
You can contact us in several ways.
Write to us at: The Guiding Star Project, PO Box 238 Ironton, MN 56455
Email us at contact@theguidingstarproject.com, or click below.
How can I help?
If you are interested in opening a center in your area, you can learn more by emailing us at contact@theguidingstarproject.com.