Pregnancy resource centers are places of hope and healing. Safe places, if you will, where all life is precious, regardless of how a child was conceived. A place where women, no matter their age, race or religion, can find support during an overwhelming time in their lives.
Pregnancy centers offer empathy, understanding, a listening ear. And they’ve become more important than ever in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) decision. Now that abortion is no longer technically accessible in Alabama, more women are turning to the help provided by pregnancy resource centers … so what happens when another state launches a first-in-the-nation campaign against “anti-abortion centers,” as they’ve been termed?
As the Massachusetts state government ramps up its campaign against pregnancy resource centers, I think it’s important that we remind ourselves of what these centers are and the services they provide to the women in our state.
Our country can proudly boast of having over 2,750 pregnancy resource centers. Alabama alone boasts roughly 50 pregnancy care centers, providing free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and parenting classes to help educate women on their choices when it comes to an unplanned pregnancy – abortion isn’t the only option! There is help. There is hope. Pregnancy centers seek to provide that help and hope to the hundreds of clients who walk through their doors.
Most centers are faith-based, and many offer post-abortion counseling for those suffering from a past decision. They don’t exist to shame women about the position they find themselves in – they seek to show the love of Jesus to those who are hurting, reach out a helping hand, supporting mothers who have nowhere else to turn. Many abortions occur because of the lack of support given to a mother at a vulnerable time – pregnancy resource centers seek to fulfill that need by walking together with women from conception through birth, and often beyond, offering classes on parenting and life skills, preparing the client to be a mother.
Pregnancy centers aren’t just focused on the unborn baby – although that’s often the reason parents find themselves within the doors. They also focus on the health and well-being of the mother and father of that baby. They offer information on the three parenting choices young couples can make: parenting, adoption and abortion, helping men and women make informed decisions. Such information can help parents feel more prepared to raise a child.
Most centers also have formula, diapers, wipes, car seats, clothing and other essential items to help offset the costs that come with a baby. According to some reports, financial reasons are the cause of 40% of abortions – pregnancy centers want to combat that statistic and make parenting more accessible to the clientele who walk through their doors.
One little-known function of a pregnancy center is educating women who make a decision based on the feelings of a moment, take an abortion pill, and immediately regret it. Did you know that as much as we pride ourselves on our state’s conservative views, abortion is still an issue in Alabama? Doctors in other states mail “abortion pills” – Mifepristone and Misoprostol – across state lines, often with little to no oversight once the medication has left the pharmacy, keeping the abortions that happen across our state undocumented and unknown. Many women immediately regret taking the first pill – but there is hope for them!
A little-known thing called Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) is beginning to make headlines, potentially saving two out of three babies when the protocol is started within 72 hours of the first pill. Thousands of babies have been saved through APR, and thousands of little souls who may never have joined the children of this present generation were given another chance at life.
Unfortunately, many don’t know about APR, and pregnancy centers are working to educate people about this life-saving option. So many women feel hopeless and like they only have one option when facing an unplanned pregnancy. The regret they immediately feel will last a lifetime – unless we can share with them about the life-saving protocol that is APR.
Most pregnancy centers are funded by donations from businesses, individuals, and churches in their communities. Many are staffed by trained volunteers who receive no remuneration for their services. They do so because this work is important, because women need helping hands and listening ears, and because babies’ lives are at stake. This work will continue until the Lord comes back and sin and death no longer reign in this world.
To learn more about Abortion Pill Reversal, you are invited to attend St. Clair County Sav-A-Life’s annual fundraising dinner, to be held October 1, 2024. Visit https://form.jotform.com/241355837301150, or call them at 205.467.7322 for more information, to reserve tickets, or to help sponsor this event.
Kaitlyn Smith is a homeschool graduate, intent on pursuing every opportunity the good Lord puts before her. She’s blessed to live a simple life with her family of 11 on their small southern homestead, living for the glory of God alone and finding beauty and joy in the mundane, simple tasks of life.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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