Heart of a Child Ministries is an organization devoted to educating school children about the miracle of life through the powerful visual of live ultrasound. Ministry professionals create age-appropriate presentations for children from elementary school age through high school, supplementing the ultrasounds with scientific information about fetal development in the womb. The organization also presents to adults through church and community groups.

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Heart of a Child was founded in 2012 by Bernie and Nikki Schaefer, who were inspired by their seven-year-old daughter Grace. On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the family was praying before the Blessed Sacrament at their parish church. After prayer, Grace told her mother she wanted to make something to sell and then give the money "to mommies considering abortion. Those babies may be small," Grace said, "but they are people."

The child described what became a pro-life "prayer pillow." Schaefer says the hand of God was definitely at work because at the time, her homeschooled daughters were taking sewing lessons from a seamstress who visited their house. The seamstress helped them make a few sample pillows and Grace's idea took off.

With the help of another professional seamstress, Mitzi LeClair, and some willing volunteers, almost 2,000 pillows have been produced, and for four years they donated their sales revenue to help pregnant mothers in need.

Then in 2015, Grace and her mother were invited to share the story of the prayer pillows with students at a Catholic middle school, and since that first presentation, thousands of K-12 students have heard the "pro-life, pro-God, pro-woman, and pro-family message behind the pillows."

Age-appropriate presentations

"With that first successful presentation," Schaefer explains, "we developed a full-fledged pro-life education ministry through the Hand of God. Being able to see a baby in the womb and hear his or her heartbeat is so important and impactful to children. We've seen the experience make an impression at all ages and grade levels."

Heart of a Child makes presentations at Catholic schools, other Christian schools, and even at public schools. Its website points out that "85 percent of women who see their babies on ultrasound choose life," and that children properly instructed learn to value life. "Our presentations include age-appropriate conversations with students — about the gift of life for young kids, and including the topics of abortion and adoption for older kids," Schaefer explains.

The organization's website includes video trailers of its presentations, which parents, teachers, and interested citizens can view. A short description and link to each trailer is noted below.

• K-3rd grade presentation focuses on Scripture, songs, fun fetal facts, live ultrasound, and interactive hands-on activities.
• 4th-6th grade presentation focuses on Scripture, fun fetal facts, live ultrasound, adoption speaker, and interactive hands on activities.
• 7th-8th grade presentation focuses on Scripture, fun fetal facts, live ultrasound, adoption speaker, and gently introduces the topic of abortion through the story of the pro-life Prayer Pillows.
• High School & beyond presentation focuses on Scripture, fun fetal facts, live ultrasound, and abortion, adoption, and abstinence speakers.

In addition to Nikki Schaefer, who holds a Master's degree in Social Work and Art Therapy, Heart of a Child's team of professionals includes sonographers, masters-level health and mental health professionals, and pro-life parents. The website states: "We are from different faiths and backgrounds - united in Christ and in God's call to share the gift of life and love with others."

The organization offers videos on a variety of pro-life topics, including adoption, choosing life despite difficult circumstances, and choosing life for a child with disabilities such as Down's Syndrome. The beauty of adoption is featured in some of the presentations. Heart of a Child also provides a video to help women heal after abortion.

Informing parents

The school presentations are made by Schaefer and the sonographers, but her group includes 15 speakers on their high school volunteer list alone. Some speakers are paid as needed, as are some sonographers. One of the speakers, Kristen New, is a woman whom Schaefer compares to the famed pro-life speaker Abby Johnson, who converted after witnessing late-term abortions in a Planned Parenthood clinic. New converted after witnessing a second trimester dismemberment abortion at a clinic (not Planned Parenthood). Schaefer notes that the list includes a man "who has had to go through healing after experiencing a partner's abortion."

Volunteers include pregnant women who donate their time for on-site ultrasounds during the school presentations. Schaefer explains that the organization's guidelines "are set by our presiding doctor. Pregnant volunteers must have had their 20-week baseline ultrasound, and so the ultrasounds performed in class occur after our volunteers' 20-week baseline, or between 20 and 30 weeks of pregnancy."

While parents generally welcome these sessions, some are more reticent, fearing that younger children may be subjected to graphic images of aborted babies or discussions of human sexuality. Schaefer counsels that the presentations do not include either, and instead focus on the humanity of the unborn child. The key question after the ultrasound presentation, Schaefer notes, is: "What did you see that tells you that this is a human being?"

Schaefer says that once parents understand what their children will learn — the topic of abortion, for example, is not raised until middle school age — they support the scientific and age-appropriate instruction on the development of human life.

Looking to the future

From its humble beginnings in Nebraska, Heart of a Child has grown and now reaches into five other states, including Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, and California. Schaefer says they are looking to add Illinois and Minnesota in October 2022. "We can’t be the ones to always travel, but instead, what we really want to do is inspire other organizations to adopt the same educational model that we use, because it works."

In fact, a 2020 Live Action news article posted on Heart of a Child's website notes that "Focus on the Family has also used ultrasounds to try to change hearts and minds, and even hosted a live ultrasound presentation in Times Square" in 2019, where "approximately 20,000 people watched what Paul Batura, vice president of communications for Focus on the Family, described to the Omaha World-Herald as a 'game-changer,' explaining that the ultrasounds serve as 'a window on the womb.'"

But Heart of a Child remains unique in that its primary mission is to educate through ultrasound. "We employ the three S's in our instruction," Schaefer describes, "Science, Scripture, and Speakers, the formula we use in Christian schools. But in public schools, we have to forego Scripture because, as we've been told, it makes the message too religious." Nonetheless, the biological and scientific instruction so powerfully demonstrates the humanity of the unborn child that the organization believes it's worthwhile to modify the presentations.

Schaefer relates that "we have a new website just for public schools called ScienceoftheUnborn.org. The website tells public school teachers and administrators: "Our goal is to provide ultrasound education to middle school and high school students to create awareness of the scientific development of the human person in the womb. We work with you and your science curriculum to share the development of the pre-born person with your students. We have professional sonographers who perform live ultrasounds on pregnant volunteers and project the ultrasound on a large screen for your students to see.

"We share fetal development slides and discuss the fascinating growth of the zygote, embryo, and fetus. We can customize each presentation to fit your curriculum goals."

Schaefer and her team pray that, with God's grace, the ministry will continue to grow. "We want to partner with like-minded organizations and encourage them to adopt our program because, again, it's proven to work."

Observers familiar with Heart of a Child agree. "If anyone knows a pro-life teacher, this is a fantastic opportunity," notes Phyllis Schlafly Eagles Researcher Gwen Kelley. "We should spread the word about this organization far and wide."

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