Access to prenatal care

Here in Prince William County (where Chalfont House is located), Virginia, the Board of Supervisors approved an illegal immigration crackdown in October 2007. This has apparently begun having an impact on illegal Hispanics who have sought prenatal care, according to this article by the Examiner even though the law does not reduce illegal's access to prenatal care. Always a highly charged issue, the article drew heated comments on both sides.

Women need to seek prenatal care as soon as they discover they are pregnant, according to this WebMD article. So even if the pregnant woman is considering an abortion (tell the receptionist if this is the case so that they can try to get you in sooner), she should go to a doctor for a prenatal exam... the doctor can determine how far along she is, whether the pregnancy is tubal (2% of all pregnancies are!), and can test for STDs that may need immediate treatment.