Pregnancy Resource Centers: A Spontaneous Order Love Story

Every year, the 2,700 pregnancy resource centers in America serve women in the midst of an unexpected pregnancy. They offer medical, material, emotional, and spiritual resources for women and men facing a decision about their pregnancy. These centers walk with women and their families from the first pregnancy test to long after the baby’s birth. 

Last month’s release of Charlotte Lozier Institute’s Pregnancy Center Services Report revealed stunning findings about these local non-profits. 

Nationwide in 2019, pregnancy centers served local communities with: 

• Nearly 732,000 pregnancy tests
• Over 486,000 free ultrasounds
• 160,200 STI tests
• Nearly 1.3 million packs of diapers
• Over two million baby outfits
• More than 291,000 clients attended parenting and prenatal education programs
• More than 21,000 clients received after-abortion support
• More than 881,000 students attended sexual risk avoidance education presentation

In Mississippi, we have nearly 40 pregnancy centers dispersed throughout the state. 

These centers offer their services completely free to their communities. They are loosely banded together with national network partners like Heartbeat International and CareNet. This decentralized movement of free service clinics and centers include the assistance of nearly 69,000 staff and volunteers, with 78 percent of them being volunteers. Over 10,000 of these staff and volunteers are licensed medical workers.

It is estimated that pregnancy resource centers saved American taxpayers $270 million in 2019.

The vast majority of pregnancy centers receive no government funding whatsoever. Despite not having the support of government agencies and grants, pregnancy centers are extremely efficient at distributing goods and services according to the needs of their cities and counties. 

One of The CPC Metro Area’s two clinics can be found 100 yards from the state’s last abortion facility in Jackson. Inside, you can find a sonogram machine donated by an evangelical non-profit. This allows women considering abortion to view their child on a big screen, funded by local donors, for free. 

The waiting room and counseling rooms are filled with donated brand new furniture, the hallways lined with art donated by local artists. 

The clinic is kept cool and warm by a donated HVAC system. 

Medical and administrative staff and supplies are solely funded by churches and individuals from the greater metro area. 

The free prenatal vitamins are covered by a local pharmacist. 

The sonograms reviewed by radiologists who donate their time and expertise. 

An OBGYN compassionately offers expertise as a medical director. 

The single moms’ support groups are hosted by some of the nearly 100 local church partners, and baby and maternity supplies rush in so quickly, storage can barely be maintained. 

Even the Center’s websites, graphic design, and video production is given as free talent and time from local professionals. This is just one of the three dozen PRCs Mississippians support by their own accord. 

When left to coordinate needs with resources freely, it’s amazing what this spontaneous assortment of non-profit centers can accomplish.