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Suppose you or someone you know is facing an unexpected pregnancy. In that case, you should know that pregnancy resource centers are devoted to offering women alternatives to abortion by giving them real choices. Centers explain the options available and offer various services to support women and men throughout the pregnancy and beyond.
Wondering what options are available for an unexpected pregnancy affects millions of women every year. The reasons are varied for why a pregnancy is difficult, but many say they feel unsupported and that it’s a really tough time to be pregnant. Yet, it is not very clear what are the available alternatives to abortion.
One of the best places to find alternatives to abortion is at a pregnancy medical clinic (PMC) or a pregnancy resource center (PRC).
Once referred to as crisis pregnancy centers, PMCs and PRCs are nonprofit organizations devoted to offering services to support women and men throughout pregnancy and beyond. They are filled with caring individuals who are there solely to support the unexpected mother and father.
For example, Laurie Perkins of Wise Choices Pregnancy Resource Center in Texas, who loves speaking with clients, shares, “We’re always trying to figure out how to help families better.” She cherishes being a supportive voice that speaks truth in a difficult situation. “I feel honored to help women come up with a plan, even when things look impossible and hard,” she says.
Pregnancy resource centers are numerous and widespread. Many are affiliated with PRC networks such as Heartbeat International, Care Net or the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, while others are independent or part of smaller networks.
Cindi Boston is vice president at Heartbeat International, which counts more than 1,500 U.S. PRCs among its affiliates and maintains a contact list of many others. She estimates that there are between 2,600 and 2,700 pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. Most women around the country – not just in big cities, but in medium-size and smaller communities as well – have access to a PRC.
"These centers are the most effective tool for women considering their options. We see a tremendous number of women choosing life for their children as a result."
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and looking for options, there are free, confidential services available:
You are not alone. Connect with caring, confidential professionals to get all of your options.
Some pregnancy resource centers are just that – strictly resource centers, providing information and nonmedical services. Many others, however, are also medical clinics to varying degrees, with a professional staff that can include doctors, nurses and many other medical professionals.
At any PMC or PRC, you can count on getting information and counseling about alternatives to abortion, as well as referrals for medical care and other assistance.
PRCs provide counseling and classes that address not only the decision to have a child, but the options afterward such as whether to raise the child yourself or to make an adoption plan. They might offer classes in parenting and sometimes even general life skills, which could include anything from healthy relationships to financial management. Many also offer material support, including basic baby supplies like diapers, clothing and formula.
When Marta found herself unexpectedly pregnant, she didn’t think she could afford to have and raise a child on her own living in New York City. The chance to see her daughter flourishing in her womb via an ultrasound convinced her to choose life. On top of that, God has proven faithful and continued to care for Marta and her little girl.
Centers with a medical component might offer any number of other services – all of them either free or low-cost – such as pregnancy testing, ultrasound examinations, and STI testing and treatment. Many are surprised by the ultrasound and all that it reveals. In fact, Dixie’s decision was affected by the sonogram image she saw with the free ultrasound service provided to her.
“There are a variety of levels of medical centers,” Boston says. “Some of them do prenatal care. Some of them even have a birthing center.”
And for those services that these centers don’t provide directly, they typically work with other agencies that will.
“Pregnancy resource centers specialize in networking, gathering information and developing relationships with a variety of community organizations,” Boston says. “Every center is a one-stop location for pregnancy-help resources, and most have a very long list of partners to provide services as needed.”
Some of those additional services include:
Naomi’s story:
“I can’t have this baby alone,” Naomi said, visibly upset as she poured out her story to the workers at Sierra Pregnancy and Health (SierraPH). She had recently discovered she was pregnant and was struggling because she’d assumed she was done having kids. Other than the child she was carrying, her youngest child was 12. She also knew the father wouldn’t be part of the baby’s life.
“An unexpected pregnancy felt like the last thing she needed,” says Cary Wilcox, executive director of SierraPH in Roseville, California.
While at the clinic, Naomi received a pregnancy test and ultrasound.
“During the ultrasound, she saw the heartbeat and her baby’s arms and legs,” Cary says. At that moment, Naomi realized her baby wasn’t “just a lump of cells.” Compassionate staff members reassured her that they would walk with her throughout her pregnancy and beyond.
“She was grateful, and it brought her comfort,” Cary recalls. “When she left, she said, ‘I guess I’m having a baby.’ ”
Every day, hundreds of women walk into centers like SierraPH, grappling with decisions surrounding an unexpected pregnancy or in need of sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing or an ultrasound. These women are vulnerable and desperately need support. For every woman who visits a pregnancy center, a caring and courageous staff member or volunteer is there to help.
What an initial visit to a pregnancy clinic looks like will definitely vary from place to place. But what happens at The Keim Centers – a group of Virginia-based PRCs with five locations in Norfolk, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach – is common practice at many PRCs.
“We have a nurse and a patient advocate who meet with the woman,” says Paige Coulter, director of nursing for Keim. “We do a urine pregnancy test on site, and we usually get the results on the same visit.
“The nurses meet with the patient, go over her medical history, and just get to know her and see what services would be appropriate. The advocate also meets her, gets to know her—her situation, why she’s considering different options for the pregnancy. We’ll offer a limited ultrasound if it’s appropriate and provide education about all of her options for the pregnancy.”
At just about any PMC /PRC Boston says you’ll get more than just professional expertise. You’ll also find warm hearts and firm commitment.
“When you walk into a pregnancy center, you’ll experience warmth, kindness and compassion both from the staff and from volunteers,” Boston says. “The people are specialists in bringing care, comfort and practical solutions. They listen, and they learn about a woman’s situation, walk her through her options and empower her to make decisions. Pregnancy centers provide classes and ongoing support systems. They’re in it with her for the long haul.”
First and foremost, PRCs exist to help women facing an unplanned pregnancy and provide them with alternatives to abortion.
“Our goal is to reach the woman who believes that abortion is her only option” says Wendy Manos, vice president of development for The Keim Centers. “No woman wakes up and thinks, I want an abortion today. There’s something driving her to think she has no other choice.”
Whatever that something is, it generally boils down to fear – and that fear is often magnified by the feeling that she’s all alone in her pregnancy. She may feel abortion minded because she thinks there’s no one to help her. In addition, there may be other people who are upset, disappointed or angry with her – or would be if they even knew she was pregnant. She may even feel disappointed or angry with herself.
More often than not, women come in alone, Manos says. “In fact, sometimes telling us they’re pregnant is the first time they’ve told anyone. And when a woman says it out loud, sometimes just hearing herself talk about her situation can be a game changer. It opens up our conversation. We find out what fear is driving her to think that abortion is the only option. Then we share resources to help her deal with the problem.”
That’s a familiar story at most pregnancy clinics, says Heartbeat International’s Cindi Boston.
“Most of these young women feel completely alone when they walk in the door,” she says. “When we have an injury or illness, people rally around us. But an unplanned pregnancy is a separator for many women. They may have shame or regret. They may feel abandoned by the boyfriend.”
When that happens, people at the PRC/clinic step in to provide all the support that they can. In addition, they may be able to help the woman find support from others – and, perhaps, a community of new friends and mentors.
Naomi’s Story Continued:
After her first visit to Sierra Pregnancy and Health, Naomi continued to drop in once a month. She signed up for the clinic’s parenting classes and, by attending, was able to earn baby items such as diapers and wipes. One day, she brought her 10-day-old son with her.
“When she walked through the door, she had a huge smile,” Cary says. “She was excited to introduce her baby boy to us. Looking out the window, we reminisced about the night she walked in and the distress she had felt.”
Naomi replied, “I think about that night often, and it brings me to tears thinking that I almost chose not to have him.”
Cary is humbled and grateful that her team helped Naomi feel like she could choose life for her son. Those who serve in PRCs stand on the front lines of an intense battle between life and death. There, they invite women in hard situations to meet the One who loves them deeply and offers them hope.
On some occasions, however, a young woman does have the support of a boyfriend, parents, family members or friends when she first arrives at a pregnancy resource center, or she may receive that support from them afterward.
“There are times when we’re speaking to people around her – her family, her friends, the father of her child,” Boston says. “There are times when we’re speaking to whole family units.”
PMC / PRC staff recognize this as an opportunity to help others love her in this journey. Which is why they’re engaging more dads than ever. Boston says they’ve had men who weren’t planning on being involved in the child’s life change their minds simply because a male mentor spoke plainly to them:
“They had an older man talk about the responsibilities of being a dad – and the joys of being a dad. The young men rose to the occasion, got involved, and stayed involved. They eventually married their child’s mom and built good lives together.”
Recently, a pregnant young woman and her mom came into Wise Choices Pregnancy Resource Center in Texax. The mom wanted her daughter to choose abortion so she wouldn’t “ruin her life” by having a child, shares Laurie Perkins, Client Services Director. “Instead of counseling the young woman, I decided to talk with the mom,” Laurie recalls. “After lots of tears, the mom decided to help her daughter parent her baby.”
Months later, the women showed up at the center with the young woman’s infant daughter. “Both women were beaming,” Laurie adds. “The mom was so proud of her daughter and adored her new granddaughter. They thanked me for the work we do here.”
The Charlotte Lozier Institute shares that from 2016-2020, “… an estimated 828,131 Lives Saved.” And Focus on the Family has seen over a million mothers and their children saved from the tragedy of abortion since starting their Option Ultrasound Program in 2004. And these numbers, while great, don’t reflect how special each individual story is. “The people who work in the pregnancy health movement have to be some of the strongest, most humble people,” shares Heather Lawlwess, Executive Director of Reliance Center a cost-free reproductive health clinic, focusing on maternal health care. Heather emphasizes. “We have the opportunity to speak into women’s lives. My team feels called and really honored to be doing this job.”
Boston also shares a fantastic story from when she used to be a PRC director before taking her position at Heartbeat International, telling of a pregnant woman who’d just received a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis. She was set to begin chemotherapy the next week and was told that she had to get an abortion.
Boston says that when the woman first arrived at the PRC, she wept uncontrollably. “I’m pregnant, and they told me I have to terminate, but I don’t want to do that,” the woman said. “But a nurse handed me your business card and said you might be able to help me.”
This woman knew the risks. She’d been warned of fetal abnormalities that could result from the chemotherapy. She was told not only that the child might die but that her own life was also in danger.
“They gave her the worst-case scenario on everything,” Boston says. “But she said to us, ‘If you will stand with me, I will carry this baby to term.’ ”
So, every week for eight months, she went for her chemo treatments and then came over to the PRC.
“We prayed with her, mentored her, gave her gasoline cards, paid for part of her housing,” Boston says. “While fighting for her life and her child’s, she shouldn’t have [had] to fight financial pressures, too.”
The story ended happily: “That baby was born beautiful—perfectly healthy.” But Boston remembers the story not just for the result but for what it dramatically illustrates about the work of PRCs everywhere.
“These centers just step up to the plate and do whatever it takes,” she says. “That’s one example of what they do daily – throughout the United States and the world.”
Greta Henry, the director of a pregnancy resource center in Illinois, shares inspiring stories of how centers like hers are changing the minds of abortion-seeking moms and saving pre-born babies’ lives. Rain Pierce joins the conversation to tell her dramatic story of past domestic violence, drug abuse and God’s redemptive power in her life.
Many PRCs also offer help for women who’ve already undergone an abortion and are experiencing trauma. This help can take the form of private counseling, classes or small support groups. Loving women even when they choose abortion is the goal. Therefore, they provide a setting where women can talk through their experiences and feelings, and to assist them in finding physical, emotional and spiritual healing.
Likewise, The Keim Centers reach out to post-abortive women.
“We offer opportunities to those who’ve already made that decision and followed through with it,” Johnson says. “We offer classes to help them find healing and restoration. That’s also part of sharing the love of Jesus.”
Laurie Perkins of Wise Choices Pregnancy Center in Decatur also sees how God is using her broken past to help others. At 18, Laurie had an abortion. “I didn’t make the right decision, but the Lord allows me to share my testimony and comfort others who have chosen abortion,” she says. “There is healing on the other side, and God works all things for the good of those who love Him. He is a redeemer.”
Pregnancy resource centers or pregnancy clinics serve people of all faiths or no faith at all, and they’re not about “forcing their religion” on anyone. But they’ll share their Christian faith freely with anyone who wants to hear about it when the time and circumstances are right. Many women welcome this message. They want someone to pray with them, to talk about God’s love. And not just to talk: They take comfort in finding people who demonstrate that same love, treating them in a kind, caring manner–people who are truly pro-life not just anti-abortion. This is especially important if those same women aren’t getting that treatment from other people in their lives.
PRCs are places where women in difficult situations will find professionals and volunteers motivated by faith and caring hearts; people who will walk alongside them every step of the way.
“Pregnancy resource centers are the hands of Jesus to a woman who’s facing an unplanned pregnancy,” Boston says. “We believe that no woman should have to stand alone in that situation. I could tell you story after story about women who walk in desperate and walk out with joy because they realize: ‘I’m not alone.’ ”
Yarimar from Family Life Services in Washtenaw County in Ypsilanti, Michigan, shares, “What sticks out to me are the really overwhelming circumstances so many women are facing,” Yarimar says. “One woman said her baby’s grandparents were encouraging her to get an abortion. Another shared she could barely take care of herself, let alone a child.” Many women’s stories are messy and can involve a lot of brokenness. “While I clearly see God’s beautiful work in each of the women I see, getting involved in their stories—and offering them a path to restoration and healing—looks different than many would expect.” Each center works with the women where they are at.
You’ll find a similar perspective at The Keim Centers.
“Our main focus is to save lives, spare hearts and further the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” says Cindy Johnson, Keim’s communications director. “Everything we do comes from that. We seek to save the lives of babies, to spare the hearts of mothers and families, and – when the time is appropriate – to bring the Gospel as often as we can.”
Hear the story of a teen girl who had an unplanned pregnancy and decided to keep her child…a child who would one day become the director of a pregnancy clinic! Laura Hughes shares about the compassion, love and support she received from her family and the incredible forgiveness available to all men and women through Christ.
Naturally, there’s a strong relationship between pregnancy resource centers and the faith community. Although most PRCs aren’t formally tied to a particular church, the bulk of their support – including volunteers and donors – comes from “the people in the pews.” That’s how PRCs are able to offer women so many services for free or at minimal cost.
This support enables PRCs to partner with churches and parachurch ministries in creative ways, and these same relationships then help open doors for the women the centers serve to find new communities to stand by them throughout their pregnancy and afterward.
One such community is Embrace Grace, a ministry that connects women with unplanned pregnancies – as well as single moms in general – to various church-based support groups.
Embrace Grace, which currently is active in 540 churches across 47 states and eight countries, was designed to supplement the work of PRCs, according to its president, Amy Ford.
“Women may get the Gospel at PRCs, but they need some place to grow in their faith and a group to grow with – in this case, a group that includes other moms,” Ford says. Pregnancy resource centers refer women to a local church that’s hosting an Embrace Grace class as well as holding a free baby shower.
“Sometimes the baby shower gets them in the door, then Jesus does the rest,” Ford says. “The pregnancy centers are amazing, but the church is forever. Embrace Grace is just a bridge to get young women there.”
Ford says that maybe these women think that church is for “perfect” people, or that they have to have their lives together before they walk into church or else they’ll be judged and shamed.
“There are so many misconceptions,” she says. “When we can just get them past that barrier and get them to try church even one time, it’s amazing to see the transformation that often follows. They start going every week, and even when the program is over, they stay and raise their kids in the church.”
In addition to Embrace Grace classes, the ministry also offers a companion program, Embrace Life, for after the baby is born.
“It’s still about the love of Jesus, but we add a lot of practical things about where you go from here,” Ford says. “Things like parenting skills, time management, financial stewardship, dating and purity.”
Programs like Embrace Life refute one common accusation against pregnancy resource centers and pro-lifers in general – that their only concern is that the baby is born, with little thought given to helping the mothers and children afterward. Yet nothing could be further from the truth as many work to support birth mothers.
“We believe brave moms raise brave kids, and spiritually healthy moms raise spiritually healthy kids,” Ford says. “We want to get that cycle started. We’ve helped empower more than 6,000 women, and we’re seeing them change the [negative] patterns that have gone on in their families for, in some cases, generations. They say, ‘I’m going to break this pattern and create new legacies for my children and my children’s children.’ ”
Yarimar Cherney at Family Life Services of Washtenaw County in Ypsilanti, Michigan says. “Christians who step up to become ambassadors for their local pregnancy centers, raising awareness, helping with fundraising and networking, are doing priceless work for God’s kingdom.”
To date, pregnancy resource centers have received virtually no government funding. Unlike abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood – which has long received hundreds of millions in federal funds annually – PRCs are completely dependent on donor support.
“Our supporters are vital,” says Wendy Manos of The Keim Centers. “We’re 100% supported by the generosity of our community, both individuals and churches.” So if you ask Manos what the most important thing her PRC needs first is funding. And while any donations at any time are welcome, regular ones are especially so. “We really can use monthly donors,” she says. “We need regular, reliable support to develop the budget.”
PRC funding comes in a variety of levels from people with a variety of incomes, yet Manos is struck by just how many people feel called to give.
“We do have some major donors,” she says. “But we often find that those who have the least give the most.”
Help doesn’t always arrive in the form of money. Supporters often donate needed items, including baby supplies – diapers, wipes, clothing, etc. Rest assured that these items rarely go to waste.
“A lot of moms tell us that everything they got for their baby came directly from us,” Manos says. “They don’t get baby showers: The people in their life are pushing them toward abortion.”
Above all, she says, supporters give their time. Keim has more than 400 volunteers helping out at its five locations.
“Without our volunteers, we could not operate,” Manos says. “They do so many things. They range from receptionists to patient advocates to people working the phones in the call center. We even have families who bring in their own children to help with our mailings.”
And so it goes with pregnancy resource centers in general, says Heartbeat International’s Cindi Boston.
“The biggest need is simply for the community to get involved, one person at a time,” she says. “You might say, ‘I don’t have a lot of money, but I can give $50 or $25 a month.’ You might say, ‘I can’t give money right now, but I can give my time.’ Either way, you can help.”
Help could take the form of serving as a volunteer mentor to a young woman who needs someone in that role, or coming to the pregnancy center and praying for the women who come in each day. It could mean encouraging the staff of the center, bringing them lunch or writing kind notes. It might involve inviting a pregnancy-center leader to speak at your church. It may even mean sweeping the floor.
“There’s always something you can do,” Boston says.
Updated December 31, 2020. © 2020 by Matt Kaufman. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
