Standupgirl.com: Reaching Teens with a Lifesaving Message.(Website overview)

More than six years ago, Oregon Right to Life's determination to reach teens with a lifesaving message took a dramatic step forward. Knowing that this generation was making the Internet its information medium, Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) created an innovative web site offering teens information on abortion: Standupgirl.com.

ORTL's desire was to appeal to girls who would not consider themselves pro-life, but who needed help in dealing with their unexpected pregnancies. And it has succeeded beyond the group's wildest dreams.

Standupgirl.com now has reached over nine million visitors and is one of the world's top five most-visited sites dealing with abortion. Visitors to the site stay for an average of 17 minutes, a long time to stay on a web site.

The Standupgirl.com web site features Becky, who tells how she dealt with her unexpected pregnancy. The site also features an "Inside Scene," which gives the visitor a beautiful in utero tour of the developing baby.

By far the most popular portion of the web site, though, is the "Dear Becky" column. Here Becky posts questions from and answers to many of the hundreds of e-mails she receives. The column inspired what is now a very lively forum, with dozens of daily entries from girls seeking advice on pregnancy and abortion-related issues.

It is very encouraging to see the peer-to-peer dialogue, as young women encourage one another and give pro-life advice to girls contemplating abortion. Some girls relate their tragic stories of the trauma and sadness their abortion brought. Others tell of how thankful they are that they overcame the pressure to ...