AURORA, Ill., Dec. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Planned Parenthood of Indiana (PPIN) started a national fury when they became one of the first Planned Parenthood affiliates to sell gift certificates for the Christmas season. According to PPIN's president and CEO in a recent year, thousands of their patients opted for abortions (see Chicago Tribune on 12/3/08). Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) began selling the gift certificates today.

In response to these "death certificates," the Pro-Life Action League (PLAL) is encouraging its supporters to give to a non-profit service, Option Line, the life-saving 24/7 hotline (1-800-395-HELP) that connects callers to local resource centers that can help manage a crisis pregnancy or deal with the aftermath of abortion.

The Pro-Life Action League is giving to this cause, too. To encourage donations to Option Line and remember the birth of baby Jesus, PLAL will give away copies of the book, "What Mary and Joseph Knew About Parenting" to the first 100 donors who give $42 or more between now and December 25. Forty-two dollars is enough to keep Option Line open and taking calls for half an hour -- helping at least 14 people in need or as many as 1,000 women if 100 people donate.

"After the national outrage of Planned Parenthood's 'death' certificates that could be used for abortions, we wanted to let people know there are much better places to send their money to assist women who need help dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Therefore we are alerting our national network to send Christmas gift donations to organizations that we've partnered with for years," said Eric Scheidler, communications director for the Pro-Life Action League.

The information PLAL is sending their network includes the following:
We encourage you to give a financial gift to Option Line, the life-saving 24/7 hotline and call center (1-800-395-HELP) that facilitates connecting every caller to her local pregnancy help center (for ultrasound, post abortion help, housing, material aid, and more) so women always have the resources they need to choose life. Every gift of $42 keeps Option Line open and taking calls for half an hour -- helping at least 14 people in need in those 30 minutes. To make a gift of $42 or more go to the Option Line website, www.optionline.org. Write "Mary and Joseph" in the comments section and they will send you your complimentary book. Or, send your check made out to Option Line for $42 or more, with a note to request your book, and send to Heartbeat International, 665 E. Dublin Granville Rd., Ste 440, Columbus, Ohio 43229. (Option Line is a joint venture of Heartbeat International and Care Net.) All gifts are tax deductible.

"Jesus came into the world to give hope to those who needed help. Mary and Joseph did not have the resources to have Jesus' birth in the Ritz Carlton, but rather a humble stable and He turned out fine. What Mary and Joseph knew about parenting was that even with limited resources there are ample options to care for a child, choices we know women will get as a result of donations to Option Line," said Scheidler.