America’s Unsung Heroes: Pregnancy Help Centers
This is an exclusive column for The World And Everything In It. It’s available as an audio commentary here.
I’ve had the blessing of working with hundreds of pregnancy help centers across the country. Through Radiance Foundation, a nonprofit my wife and I established, we’ve keynoted galas to help raise millions of dollars for these vital centers.
They are the underground railroad in this fight for human dignity. Too few know they even exist, and too many wish that those seeking help and rescue will never find them. (Easily find your local center at PregnancyCenters.org.) To the radically pro-abortion, they’re the enemy. To those facing the unplanned, they’re the heroes.
There aren’t Ad Council campaigns celebrating the women who largely lead these medical clinics and resource centers. Corporate America isn’t tweeting or posting about them during Women’s History Month. Hollywood doesn’t highlight how they’ve persisted in the face of discrimination and violent hostility.
Nationwide, pregnancy centers have endured heinous attacks by pro-abortion zealots since the historic Dobbs decision overturned Roe back in June 2022. Reverend Jim Harden is a friend of mine and the CEO of CompassCare in Buffalo, New York – a state with extreme abortion policies. One of his centers was horrifically firebombed. Thankfully, no one was physically hurt. The domestic terrorists did half a million in damage. The FBI and DOJ have made no arrests. It took the FBI 161 days after the attack to ask the public for “help” in identifying the suspect caught on video. 161 days!
Recently, the center was attacked again by an activist who vandalized the medical clinic’s sign. Local police arrested Hannah Kamke for the crime. Reverend Harden writes: “The DOJ refuses to recognize the crimes against pro-life pregnancy centers as subjects of investigation on their dedicated webpage. This runs contrary to Merrick Garland’s testimony under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the DOJ and FBI are being even-handed and objective to investigate and prosecute the rash of violence against pro-life pregnancy centers.”
Apparently, violence inside and outside of the womb is okay with this current administration. It makes proposed legislation like Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s Pregnancy Resource Center Defense Actnecessary.
Millions of human beings, today, owe their lives to these directors, doctors, nurses, client advocates, counselors, receptionists, parenting class educators and volunteers. Because of their courage, care and compassion the trajectories of millions of moms and dads have been powerfully changed. I’ve traveled around the country and have seen hundreds of these centers up close, touring each one to know their unique stories. My soul is stirred to hear how God rewrites broken narratives. These pregnancy centers bring hope to desolate neighborhoods and despairing hearts. There’s a reason why over 99% of pregnancy center clients report positive experiences and that they are “respected, valued, and well cared for.”
As a nation, we should be doing more to empower the heroes that help transform fear into faith. Pregnancy center staff and volunteers won’t ask for it, but they deserve to be respected, valued, and well cared for too.
I’m Ryan Bomberger.
