Why Crisis Pregnancy Centers Could Be Shut Down
Wouldn’t it be great if all the crisis pregnancy centers in our country closed down?!
Shut down completely. No crisis pregnancy centers anywhere around.
We could close them if there was no longer a need.
No more unwed mothers, pregnant teens, married or single moms trying to make a decision about an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.
It could happen.
Most likely though, it won’t.
I’ll tell you something else that would be awesome, and that’s this: all pregnancy centers in this country given such powerful support from the Christian community that they didn’t struggle to have money to pay staff, buy equipment or pay their light bill.
It could happen.
But it hasn’t – yet.
There’s a story a former German tells about Sunday mornings in his church during the Nazi regime. Train cars hauling Jewish people passed by his church on Sunday morning. Each Sunday morning when the whistle blew, the congregation started singing loudly so they would not hear the cries of the prisoners inside those trains.
The Christians inside that church probably weren’t sure what to do. Maybe they felt there was little they could do. So they did nothing – except sing louder to drown out the cries from those prisoners.
That story makes me bristle because I think they should have done something.
Many of them did. There are plenty of stories out there about the holocaust and non-Jews who risked their lives to rescue friends and strangers.
But what about the ones who just sang a little louder and did nothing else?
Sadly, I’ve been guilty of the same. Is there any one of us who hasn’t been guilty?
I decry abortion and declare that I am pro-life.
But then: just how pro-life am I? How pro-life are you?
What have we done or invested to support and prove our cause?
Do we decry abortion and pro-life agendas, and then turn a deaf ear to those who are in the trenches providing help and alternatives?
Do we even know how many pregnancy centers there are in our county or in our state? Do we know where they are located?
I’m embarrassed to say that until a few years ago, I didn’t know.
Virginia is one of thirty-eight states that has a fetal homicide law. This means that, if a woman carrying an unborn child is murdered, the killer is charged with a double homicide. Yet my state allows for that same unborn child to be killed and removed from the womb through a procedure called abortion.
We shudder in horror at the discrepancy. We decry the loss of life. We say we are pro-life.
Yet, should we need to stand trial for being a pro-life person, would there really be enough evidence to convict us?
It’s true that many women with unplanned pregnancies would never consider abortion. In time, the fear of having another baby when they didn’t think they were ready for one changed to anticipation and joy. Years later these same moms cannot imagine their family without this “unplanned child”. By carrying an unplanned child to term, we are declaring we are pro-life.
During one of my pregnancies, I was offered a test to see if my baby would be “normal” or if he would have spina bifida or Downs Syndrome. I asked the obstetrician if, since abortion was not an option, there was any other reason to do this test. My question told him that I was pro-life.
And I ask myself: is that really enough?
What have we done to encourage young women to consider giving their child life? What have we done to help give girls an alternative to abortion? What have we done to support those who choose life?
What really have we done?!
I never considered finding a pregnancy center to support. I never considered that, by offering an ultrasound to an unwed mother, she might also learn of the offer of the greatest Gift of Jesus Christ. Yet it has happened, time and again.
I am ashamed that it never occurred to me to put my money where my mouth is. It never occurred to me to find a way to show my support in tangible ways.
My county in Virginia does not have a pregnancy (pro-life) center. The next county does.
Transition Pregnancy Solutions (formerly Little Life) sits on an obscure road off the main drag of Danville, Virginia. It’s a small clinic, and its purpose is to help pregnant women and their partners consider choosing life instead of death for their unborn child.
No one is pressured, but facts are shared and ultrasounds are done to determine the age of the unborn baby.
In 2015, Transition saw 287 clients. The youngest was fourteen. 218 of those clients had pregnancy tests and 110 had ultrasounds. The majority of these women came seeking support for difficult life situations in addition to pregnancy needs. And 31 precious ladies who came to the center actively planning to abort their baby changed their minds and chose to let their child live. Some chose to parent; others to place their child with an adoptive family.
Each client who enters Transition hears about Jesus Christ from the staff and is able to talk about her spiritual life. In addition, the staff prays with each client and gives her a special Bible that has been carefully highlighted and filled with 87 sticky notes marking special verses reassuring her of God’s love, protection, and plan for her life.
In the past weeks, I’ve become aware that this pregnancy center is in desperate need of more monthly donors (fittingly called Lifesavers) to continue to meet its monthly budget. This year, Transition is seeing record numbers of clients, proving that the need is very real for the center in our region. Although there have been changes (such as the name change a few years ago), the mission remains the same: to help men and women facing crisis pregnancies and to provide Hope in a hopeless world.
It seems we’re in the church singing but ignoring the train cars passing by.
What can you do?
- Ask God to show you what He wants you to do. Listen to Him. Then do it.
- Give money. Did you know Pregnancy Centers across the country (including Transition) are funded entirely by donations?!
- Volunteer . Transition needs men and women to serve as client advocates and walk alongside its clients. Transition needs volunteers to help with administrative tasks, such as filing and helping stuff envelopes, etc. Volunteers can work from their homes preparing Bibles (mentioned above). Volunteers are also essential in helping with fundraisers.
- Work. There are many projects around the facility that could use a helping hand. There is so much work to be done and the laborers are few. Contact Rena DeAndrea, the Executive Director, for more details on current needs.
Be a Lifesaver. Make sure there’s enough evidence to convict you.
My county (Halifax) boasts 122 churches.
Pittsylvania County (where Danville and Transition are located) has 165 churches.
287 churches within two counties!
If every church in these two counties alone gave $24.00 per month, this pregnancy center could continue to provide life and hope to struggling women.
If you’re not from my county or my state, find a pregnancy center close to you and see what they need. Then do something about the need.
If you’d like to give to Transition, contact information is at the end of this blog.
Maybe, just maybe, we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Maybe we can choose to be a part of the battle and help fight for LIFE! It’s time we choose to be a Lifesaver!
No matter where you live, I encourage you to find a center that is helping young women choose life for their babies.
Find a way to help. Donate your time or your money. All you have to do is ask.
You could donate time landscaping, provide curtains for exam rooms, or help fund specific equipment. If you like to sew or crochet, you could make blankets, and pray for that unborn baby with every stitch you crochet. Ask God to surround that baby with not only physical warmth and love, but a knowledge of the true Love. And, while you’re stitching or sewing, you can pray for the mother of that unborn child who has some difficult choices to make.
There is something else you can do. You can help finance the causes of clinics like this.
If you’re concerned about how the money is channeled, then find a specific area you can support. You might not want your money to go toward painting the building, but you could pay the electric bill for a month or make a mortgage payment. You can give money for equipment. You can provide layettes for mothers who choose to give life.
No matter how you help or contribute, you will be part of a team that is saving lives.
Be a Lifesaver.
Someday, a little child will be able to say thanks.
Contact information:
EMAIL: renadeandrea@transitionps.com
PHONE: 434.836.5433
ADDRESS: 2960 North Main Street Danville, VA 24540
