New Visitor Information

Welcome to the site! We're glad you found us, and you are not alone! Below are some hints about how to find support and help here. Women who have found help at this site have contributed some 'encouraging words', to let you know how they felt when they first came here, and then how they found help and healing from being here. Click here to read some words from women who have found healing at this site

• Neutrality Information
  To preserve the supportive, shared healing purpose of our site, we don't allow discussion of prolife or prochoice views or issues here. We all have different views, and they are all valid and important, but in order to stay supportive of each other, we must avoid those topics. If you are interested in discussing prochoice or prolife views, you can search the web for other sites that offer discussion on those types of issues. All conversations here should be strictly about support, and not about PC or PL views, news about abortion or abortion's legal status.

• Interactive Areas:
  We have interactive areas here at the site, our message boards and chat rooms. We screen visitors as well as we can, but because of the "open global access" of the Internet, and the heated nature of anything related to 'abortion', we sometimes have people who find the site, and rush to say or post inappropriate comments. When someone does post or say things against site rules, we take appropriate action against them, and remove the comments and revoke their posting or chatting privileges.

• Talking to someone here:
  The chat rooms open 24/7 - the main chat room has assistant mangers who monitor them as their schedule permits. These women are not counselors or therapists, just other women like you who have been through an abortion, and are now volunteering as chat moderators to help other women have a safe place to talk. To check out the chat rooms, go here Chat Room Information

• Talking on the message boards:
  You can 'talk' to women through the message boards. You can put a post up on the message boards, talking about whatever you are feeling. Then during the next few hours when other women come by and read it, they can 'respond' to your post. This way you still get to talk and interact, but it's in a slower, board-based way. If you can't use the chat room, or no one is currently in the chat rooms, the message boards are an excellent alternative. Check out the message boards

• Finding a "Pen Pal" or "Chat Buddy":
  One of our special message boards is a board called "Buddies Board", and if you are interested in finding someone to start emailing with right away, you can go to this board and either put up your own post about what you are going through, so people can email you, or read the posts already there, and choose a pen pal or 'buddy' from the people on the board. Please make sure you read the important privacy information at the top of the Pen Pal board before you start emailing someone! If you are interested in finding a "Chat Buddy"or a "Pen Pal" or being a "Chat Buddy" or "Pen Pal", please visit the Pen Pals & Chat Buddies message board in the Message Board Section

• Talking on the phone:
  If you are feeling like you need to talk to someone right now, we have a couple of options for you. If you want to talk to someone on the phone, we currently do not have our own phone support here at the PASS site. However we have a web page for you that lists crisis hotlines by state, and you can call a hotline in your area right away. These hotlines are free, confidential and available 24 hours a day. People are sitting by the phones waiting to reach out to you, and listen, so please call if you feel upset or suicidal.

• Online Privacy Information:
  Please review the section on "Protecting your Privacy Online" - this is VERY important for women who want to keep their abortion experience confidential, and keep their personal information private online. Good guidelines for ALL online usage.