1927 - 1983
PHD Founder - Marrion Stocker

PHD Is Born

Marion Stocker, founder of Society for the Preservation of Human Dignity (PHD), began her legacy of helping others over 38 years ago when she discovered the hopelessness women faced as they learned of an unplanned pregnancy. Much to her dismay, she realized that many of them chose abortion. She felt their decision to have an abortion must be made out of deep desperation. Perhaps, if help and support were available, the choice of abortion would not be necessary. If someone would only listen to them, help them, love them, their choice might be to give birth. 

Whether married, single, widowed or divorced, Marion believed that every woman deserved to be fully aware of the opportunities available through compassionate support and vital community resources.

The first response to PHD came from a simple ad that Marion Stocker took out in the Chicago Tribune. It read "Thinking of abortion? Let's about alternatives." From that moment on, Marion's phone rang off the hook with calls from women looking for an alternative to what they viewed as a pregnancy crisis.

The Legacy Continues

Today there are thousands of women in the community who are pregnant or parenting a child or children under the age of three who have limited or no network of support. Fortunately, PHD’s size and reputation have grown rapidly from a telephone crisis line into a sophisticated professional counseling center serving women throughout the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago. Countless donors, volunteers and staff continue to be committed to PHD’s core philosophy that every human life is sacred and deserves dignity. With these valuable resources PHD accommodates over 7,000 client visits each year offering free counseling, case management and educational and community outreach services that help women and their families build healthier lives.