Earlier this week, it was announced that the West Virginia Pregnancy Center Coalition has been selected to manage the new West Virginia Mothers and Babies Support Program. Because of this, $1M will be distributed to pregnancy resource centers throughout the state.
The program was initiated earlier this year by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R). In a press release, Justice stated, “This program will provide much-needed support to pregnant women and families with infants, and I am confident that the Pregnancy Center Coalition will do an excellent job of administering it.”
In response, West Virginia Pregnancy Center Coalition Executive Director Jenny Entsminger expressed she was thankful the state leaders understood “the need of our state to support pregnant women and families with practical help as they seek to provide safe and loving care for West Virginia infants.”
The grant program is designated specifically for “life-affirming social service organizations,” including adoption centers, maternity homes, and pregnancy resource centers.
West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Matthew Christiansen confirmed that the program’s goal is to provide “medical care, parenting and life-skills education, financial assistance, baby supplies and other material assistance.” Pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) across the U.S. and even globally provide a variety of free services to families who walk through their doors, including pregnancy options counseling and baby care items such as clothing, diapers, wipes, toys, bottles, breastfeeding tools and education, cribs, diaper bags, and more, depending on the center. Most, if not all, of these supplies are collected via financial or gifted donations from the surrounding communities. A growing number of the roughly 2,700 PRCs in the U.S. even offer limited medical services as well as free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests.
This support doesn’t end at birth, though one of the common misconceptions about the pro-life movement is that the care and support for the mother ends after she has the baby. PRCs demonstrate how wrong this thinking is. In fact, a large majority of support they offer is provided after the baby has been born. Diapers, wipes, clothing, parenting classes, housing assistance, employment assistance, and more are all provided even as the infant grows. Some PRCs are able to provide support to children and their families without age limit. Unlike abortion businesses, PRCs give hope and a variety of options for families with an unexpected pregnancy, a difficult home situation, financial struggles, and more.
PRCs offer genuine care, compassion, and goodwill to all their clients — and the public overwhelmingly supports their work. This is why PRCs have a lasting positive effect on their communities.
To find a local pregnancy center in your community, visit OptionLine.org.
