Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
Heaven looks like a cute little store, with racks of baby and toddler clothes, cribs on display, fashionable diaper bags, car seats still in the boxes, and a room off to the side, stacked floor to ceiling with diapers.
This is the “Baby Boutique” at Choices, a pregnancy resource center (PRC) in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but what makes this boutique unique is the pricing:
Everything is free.
Resources and hope for families
“You can see the relief on moms’ faces when they walk in here,” Jennie Landry, the Developmental Coordinator for Choices, tells me. “A lot of decisions for life are made in the ultrasound room, when people see their baby for the first time – but a lot of decisions are made for life when they see the baby boutique. When a mom says, ‘How am I going to buy a car seat?’ but then she can look at the car seat in front of her on the floor.”
One hundred percent of the diapers, clothes, booster seats, high chairs, and the rest of it, are donations. It does not come out of the budget. And the items are new, of sound quality, and adorable.
“We’re giving women hope,” says Jess, the patient care coordinator. “That’s what Jesus does. We’re not just saying ‘keep your baby;’ we’re walking with them until their child is three years old.”
“The Lord is in this place. That’s all I can say,” reports Judy, a warm, kind woman who has been volunteering at Choices for 14 years.
Choices is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is going on 40 years in ministry, and it’s reclaiming the word “choice” for good, seeking to help women however it possibly can.
“Every time we add a service, it’s because we’ve identified a need for an abortion-minded woman, such as staying open on Saturdays,” Jennie tells me.
The staff and volunteers are always looking for “gaps” in how women in crisis are cared for. Even seemingly small services – such as providing prescriptions for anti-nausea medication – have saved numerous lives, as scared mothers with morning sickness find compassion, relief, and a group of people who care enough about what they’re going through to help them through it.
Today, Choices is a prime example of the many crisis pregnancy centers nationwide that are changing the game for expectant mothers. From humble beginnings, they can now see a client from pregnancy all the way until their child is three years old – and they make sure they are well connected with a local church, government resources, educational resources, and friends.
But Choices is not only about birth, parenting classes, men’s mentoring, and resources – it’s also about healing.
Additional support
One out of every three women in the U.S., it is estimated, has had an abortion. Of that one in three, more than half will have at least one more abortion during their lives. The leadership, staff, and volunteers of Choices long ago decided that they were going to serve not just the people who made the right decision for life, but also those who are grieving the terrible, terrible mistake of abortion. Choices offers post-abortive counseling, and it helps.
A number of the staff and volunteers at Choices are post-abortive themselves. It’s a difficult topic of conversation, but they courageously share it with the women they serve, because they believe in redemption, repentance, and new life.
READ: Report: Pro-life pregnancy centers provided over $367M in services in 2022
At Choices, everything gives off the feeling of intentionality, professionalism, and kindness. The exam tables have built-in warmers, the music is peaceful, and there is a large plaque of names and credentials in the center of the hallway when you walk into the medical side. It’s an impressive list of letters after names.
“Google tells people we are a ‘fake’ clinic, so we want people to see right away that our providers are certified professionals,” Jennie says.
In truth, the center has very high standards, including a well-rounded board that features professionals from the accounting, legal, executive, and banking fields. They take their mission very seriously, but what results is not a cold, stingy organization with burned-out employees and volunteers – instead, everyone is glowing.
“There is a real comradery and a raw honesty,” Jennie tells me. “It has to be that way, because we’re dancing with life and death here every day. We support each other.”
Remembering lives lost
In the heart of the center is a very small prayer room, with a cross on the wall and enough room for only two or three people. Opposite the cross is a string line with twelve or so ultrasound pictures. They are the ones who didn’t make it – the children who were never born, because an abortion-minded woman came in for an ultrasound, resources, and counsel, but ultimately decided to go elsewhere and have an abortion. The staff at Choices hangs their ultrasound pictures for a time so that they can be remembered, honored, and prayed for.
It’s a heavy feeling in that little prayer room, but not a wicked heaviness. It’s just… heavy, while the rest of the center feels so joyful. The staff told me that they feel it’s important to have a room where they can let the weight rest.
“Working here just grows your faith daily,” Michele tells me. “Otherwise, if you take responsibility for the successes, you’d have to take responsibility for the failures, and that would be unbearable.”
Celebrating lives saved
Fully 89% of women who are actively considering an abortion when they arrive at Choices end up choosing life for their babies. The celebrations, baby showers, and oohing and awing over proud new moms showing off their babies is heartwarming. Nevertheless, there is no complacency in this organization, which is always looking for new ways to reach women who need their help.
“Part of being obedient [to God] is being willing to be stretched and go outside the typical boundaries of [what we think of as] a pregnancy resource center,” Jenny explains.
“We have to be so much more innovative than we’ve ever been,” Michele agrees. “People have all of the answers in their pocket, on their phones, and you can get a pregnancy test at the dollar store. So why should they come here if they didn’t need someone to walk the journey with them?”
One of the greatest slanders of the pro-life movement is that it is merely pro-birth, and uninterested in the whole life of the mother and the child that she brings into the world. “It’s too difficult for vulnerable women who obviously don’t have anyone who cares about them, so we have to have abortion,” they insist.
To that, I say, “No. We have Choices.”
And with nearly 3,000 crisis pregnancy centers nationwide, the choices are growing every day.
Bio: W.A. Fulkerson is a novelist (For Whom the Sun Sings, Starfall, etc.), an award-winning screenwriter (Save My Seoul, Jubilee Media 2017), and lead editor for the Christian business news publication Sent to Win. He lives in Georgia with his wife and three children. Instagram: @wafulkerson TikTok: @wa.fulkerson.
