Bella Vita Network is a local option in a post-Roe era

This is the first of a limited series. The Toledo Free Press will be reporting on stories about reproductive healthcare options and care for women in the Toledo area. 

Story and photos by Erin Holden

TOLEDO – As we all should know by now, there are many different circumstances under which a woman might consider abortion. The question is, as the Ohio state law stands at this time, what are your options when you aren’t sure how to proceed?

For local women who aren’t established with an OB-GYN, the first step might be to do online research about her options in Toledo, and there is a lot to sift through.

The November 2023 election and the Heartbeat Bill

First, a little background on recent legislation. Senate Bill 23, also known as the Heartbeat Bill, became law in 2019, prohibiting abortion once there is detectable cardiac activity (the only exceptions are in the cases of rape and incest). That can be as early as six weeks.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, it took effect. However, last November’s approval of Issue 1 put a halt to the six-week limit, enshrining the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability. At this time, it is now legal to have an abortion up to 21 weeks and six days, though you have to receive parental permission if you are under the age of 18 (unless you can get a judicial bypass).

Exceptions for receiving an abortion after that gestational period include saving the pregnant individual’s life, or preventing other serious consequences to their health. 

Abortion Access in Toledo

There is only one abortion clinic in Toledo: Toledo Women’s Center, which used to be more commonly known as Capital Care of Toledo. They do not perform procedural abortions at this time, but provide the abortion pill, per their website, at five weeks to 11.6 weeks gestation. They have a sister clinic in Cuyahoga Falls, Northeast Ohio Women’s Center, that provides procedural abortions from five to 16.5 weeks.

Outside of this local option, the abortion pill can be ordered from various websites and delivered to women who need it. 

The Pregnancy Center

Once you get past the results for the single Toledo clinic that provides abortions, resources from Planned Parenthood, and so on, The Pregnancy Center comes up as one of the first-page options for anyone researching abortion in Toledo. They have extensive information about abortion regulations and are very clear that they themselves do not perform abortions. 

The Toledo Free Press sat down with Savannah Marten, executive director of the Bella Vita Network, a nonprofit organization that operates The Pregnancy Center, to learn more about the center.

“We have what we would call a holistic assessment. We know that pregnancy affects a woman’s entire being, and I think when we look at the healthcare industry as a whole, it tends to be about how is this affecting this person physically?,” Marten explained.

“But it affects their relationships, their emotions, their jobs, their socioeconomic status … so the first thing we do is a holistic assessment that gauges where this woman is in all of these areas,” she said.

The services the Center provides are free and include information about abortion, pregnancy tests, a limited ultrasound, community support and referrals to help with the pregnant individual’s next steps, and pregnancy classes.

They even have resources for postpartum and beyond, like childcare, lactation consulting and necessary items from diapers to clothes. All of it is free, and the organization does not take government funding.

The Pregnancy Center website does not include any language like “prolife” or espouse any religious affiliation, but the Bella Vita Network (bellavita.org) is more direct. On the homepage, it states:

Bella Vita Network is a Christ-centered organization, transforming the prolife movement by collaborating with like-minded organizations to boldly provide sustainable solutions that empower and equip individuals and organizations to make abortion unthinkable in our community and country.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Bella Vita funds The Pregnancy Center, The Haven (a support organization for women who struggle with having had an abortion, as well as their partners), and Soul Purpose. The latter is an outreach program that focuses on abortion prevention through methods like “abstinence education” and “pro-life advocating” on college campuses (bellavita.org/outreach). The University of Toledo has a chapter.

Marten stresses that the Center trains their staff to be cognizant of biases, to inform patients of all options, including abortion, and to take a nonjudgemental approach to all intakes. She said she even hears from patients who decided an abortion was the best path, and that they appreciated the support they received at the Center while they grappled with their decision.

“They know that we’re a life-affirming organization,” Marten said, indicating their transparency. “They know that we’re a faith-based organization. They know that we don’t provide abortions. It’s on the website.”

When it comes to the language on the Bella Vita site, specifically the description on its homepage, Marten said, “We actually call that our brand positioning statement. The reason we call that ‘brand positioning’ versus ‘mission’ is that ‘position’ is a posture you take, whereas ‘mission’ is something you do. And we believe it’s such a massive conversation…that everyone, including us, are trying to get our arms around when we say that we want to make abortion unthinkable.”

She notes that The Haven is located next to the Toledo Women’s Center and that the organizations “have a great relationship. We have an awesome relationship with the abortion facility there. I know that they show up every single day and do what they do because they feel just as passionate as we do.”

The Toledo Women’s Center could not be reached for comment by the publishing of this story.

Expansion plans

If you’ve passed by The Pregnancy Center location at 716 N. Westwood Ave., you’ve likely noticed heavy construction. Marten notes there is a facility being built that will include the presence of Jobs and Family Services to create easy appointments for Medicaid enrollment. It will also include a shared space for the local nonprofit Mom’s House, which will provide childcare for up to 56 children. If a mom is at an appointment at the Center, she can have the option for childcare.

All of this expansion creates a one-stop-shop for struggling pregnant women who don’t have the resources to go to several different locations for assistance, though after receiving an ultrasound clients are immediately funneled into a system of care, whether they decide to go through with the pregnancy, or if they have complications, like an ectopic pregnancy.

The Pregnancy Center website states that it informs women about their three options if they are, in fact, pregnant. Marten clarifies that those are “carry and parent, make an adoption plan or have an abortion.”

When asked for expansion on the Bella Vita description of the Pregnancy Center’s purpose, which is to “share the truth about abortion and empower her to choose life for her unborn baby through services, counseling and abortion education,” Marten replied that “we will go over what is widely agreed upon as the potential risks.” 

“We do see that go up again with the sale of the abortion pill,” she said. “There are bad actor websites. We want to make sure that, wherever she is, whether she’s walking through doors of an abortion facility or ordering those pills online, she understands the potential risks that are associated with it, just like any other medical procedure. When we share those risks, we’re never doing it in a way that is ‘this is what will happen to you.’

“We want them to think long-term about how they are going to feel about this decision. What do you believe about this? How do you anticipate this decision affecting all areas of your life?” Marten said.