You may recognize the name Carol Everett – she is a former abortion clinic owner who became pro-life after she realized that abortion was the taking of an innocent human life that could not be reconciled with her faith.
After leaving the abortion industry, Carol started The Heidi Group, a network of pro-life medical centers. Eventually, The Heidi Group included dozens of physician groups who provided comprehensive health care to women in Texas, including prenatal care.
In 2011, Carol successfully championed legislation that stripped tens of millions of dollars from Planned Parenthood and rerouted that money to pro-life pregnancy centers and other health care providers who did not perform abortions.
As The Heidi Group grew, Carol was invited to apply for funding for her pro-life network through a new state program. Abortionists went apoplectic because The Heidi Group was now able to compete with Planned Parenthood for state funding and give women real options to abortion. Carol’s network provided medical care and material resources for women and their babies – its providers saw over 30,000 clients a year. For the first time ever, Planned Parenthood had actual competition from a viable pro-life network.
The abortion machine went after Carol with a vengeance. Media outlets – some subsidized by Planned Parenthood – reported outright lies about The Heidi Group with information accessed illegally and then altered by a disgruntled Heidi Group employee. Pro-aborts within the Texas government published a report about The Heidi Group filled with falsehoods. The unending slew of slanderous articles and the erroneous report had their intended effect – Carol’s funding, which had recently been renewed, was abruptly cut off. While The Heidi Group is still operational, it has had to drastically curtail the number of women – and babies – it can serve.
This broke Carol’s heart and she called us for help.
We immediately got to work and this year the Texas Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General released the results of a long-awaited audit that debunked every false claim made against The Heidi Group.
Now Life Legal is taking legal action to restore Carol’s reputation and The Heidi Group’s ability to provide life-saving pro-life health care. This is especially critical at this time, as Texas’ Heartbeat Law (SB 8) prohibiting all abortions after a baby’s heartbeat can be detected is still in effect. In fact, the number of pregnant women seeking help through The Heidi Group has doubled since the Texas law was enacted. Carol’s dream – and ours – is that The Heidi Group will replace Planned Parenthood as the health care provider for pregnant women.
Would you please consider making a donation today to stand with The Heidi Group and pro-life health care centers to save babies by helping their mothers choose LIFE? It’s not too late to make a 2021 tax-deductible donation!