Vermont recently passed a law targeting pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) which prevents the non-profit charitable organizations from allegedly “misleading” the public about the services they provide. The pro-abortion claim is that because PRCs don’t provide or refer for abortions, they can’t claim to help women who are pregnant. This has become an increasingly common tactic by the abortion industry, which is seeking to shut PRCs down because, often, they are successful in helping abortion-minded women to instead choose life for their babies.
In a recent op-ed for The Hill, Jean Marie Davis, executive director of Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Brattleboro, Vermont, shares a powerful story that demonstrates why PRCs don’t deserve to be the target of pro-abortion legislation. In fact, Davis says, a PRC was directly responsible for saving her life.
Davis shares that she was the victim of sex trafficking from the ages of two to 29. “I suffered serial abuse, rape, and even murder attempts by various pimps,” she explains. “I was heavily addicted to hard drugs such as crystal meth and cocaine. I eventually reached a point where I intentionally sought to end my life by overdosing.”
Unexpectedly, it was a pregnancy that helped her break free from bondage. She fled from her pimp with only $1.38 to her name, and after seeking help everywhere, she finally found it from a woman named Phyllis at a domestic violence shelter in New Hampshire. Phyllis connected Davis with a pregnancy resource center, which forever changed the course of her life.
“The pregnancy center provided me with free resources and support to take care of my son. I was also able to realize and pursue dreams I had never imagined, such as earning a college degree. I worked with families at the pregnancy center and secured a job at a local hospital,” Davis writes.
“If it hadn’t been for Phyllis and the pregnancy center, I would be dead. They saved my life. My son saved my life. Now, it’s my turn to defend the very cause that saved me.”
She then details the important work PRCs like hers do for both women in need and the community at large. Her organization actively works to help reduce homelessness in the area, and they have trained the police department and local schools to help identify and help victims of human trafficking. Her organization has also collaborated with the CEO of one of the largest hospitals in the state.
Despite the good work they’ve done, they now constantly face the threat of sanction. “Now, if we advertise our services in a way that Vermont’s pro-abortion rights attorney general claims to be ‘misleading,’ we face fines of up to $10,000 for each violation,” she explains. “Vermont wants to shut down pregnancy help centers because we don’t support the state’s extreme abortion agenda.”
Davis’ testimony is a powerful message that shows that PRCs are indispensable in helping people suffering a crisis.
“Our work powerfully shows that there is real help for men, women and children in need who are caught in impossible snares and feel there is no hope — whether it’s human trafficking, homelessness, abuse or abortion. Pregnancy centers like Branches exist to provide for them,” she says. “The hateful narratives that smear pro-life pregnancy centers would have some believe that I fell ‘victim’ to their work. On the contrary, because of their work, I was set free.”
