Birthright is moving

Yesterday we began our tour of the Birthright of Rensselaer office on the second floor of the old Murray Department Store/Schultz/Harveys/Dollar General/J&L Antiques and Things building. We were in Room 6, and were about to enter another room, a room without a number because it does not have a door to the hallway. It is a supply room. Birthright is a pro-life organization that offers loving alternatives to abortion by supporting women who have chosen to give birth to their babies.

Another wall of the the supply room.

Below is the view from the supply room through room 7 into room 8. The doorway on the right is to a very small closet with a sink. Birthright volunteers (Birthright has no paid staff but relies entirely on volunteers) use the sink for pregnancy tests.

A major service of Birthright is listening. The volunteers listen a lot in this room.

Room 8 has a small selection of maternity clothes and clothes for small children. The door leads to a storage room to which only the volunteers have access.

Looking out the windows on this side of the building, you can see the rooftops of two buildings, Talk to Tucker and Suncatchers, and the brick wall of Uptown Girls. This building does not extend back very far from the street, and you can see that its brickwork could use some tuck-pointing. According to the Walking Tour pamphlet that I think was published by the Jasper County Historical Preservation Society, "This two-part (two-story) Commercial building from 1910 had Guerney Jesson Jewelers, and then housed the first female optometrist, Clare Jesson. Rose Remick was an optometrist there, also. Dr, Sutherland, a dentist, had his office there for may years prior to the present hair salon, Uptown Girls."

The office no longer looks like the pictures above because the volunteers have been busy packing it up. Starting next week, Birthright will be open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 until 1:00, at 116 N Front Street, in a building that for a long time held the law office of Jack Nesbitt and most recently was used by Healthy Families.

Update: The Birthright or Rensselaer web page is www.birthright.org/rensselaerin.html