When unprecedented global pandemics appear, everyday crises don’t go away. Women still face unplanned pregnancies. People still suffer from sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Underprivileged mothers still fight to provide for their children. If anything, the current pandemic exacerbates crises like these.

Pregnancy resource centers exist to meet those needs. There are well over 2,000 in the U.S. alone. Despite being misrepresented and even vilified in the mainstream media and by abortion advocates, such centers are currently deemed essential in many places.

“We’re doing our very best to show up and to serve our community, and to do it with the best protocols possible,” said Karolyn Schrage, executive director of Life Choices in Joplin, Mo. Founded in 1989 and supported by several Catholic and Protestant congregations, the organization has two health clinics, including Choices Medical Services in Joplin, and a mobile unit.

Schrage spoke with The Stream about the organization’s work amid COVID-19, providing a glimpse into the vital ways pro-life centers serve their communities.

Holistic Services in a Chaotic Time

Schrage describes Choices Medical Services as a “full-service sexual health clinic.” It serves women, men, minors, and people caught in sexual exploitation. (See Life Choices’ full report of services offered in the past 30 years.) Helping “vulnerable people and minors” often means working closely with local law enforcement. Local officials back the clinic’s work as essential, she said.

An obvious priority at the clinic is helping pregnant women who are scared or weighing their options. People feel especially “vulnerable and unsettled” about having children right now, Schrage said. With appropriate precautions, the clinic is still offering pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STD testing, and judgment-free counseling. The team also connects clients to resources for things like housing aid.

“When you are postured as a healthcare entity that provides holistic services, then whether there’s a tornado or a pandemic, people are drawn to the fact that you generally care with a holistic perspective,” Schrage said. “We really are that sip of cool water in the middle of a chaotic world.”

Parenting classes and “sexual risk avoidance and prevention” classes for teens are now online. Life Choices also conducts curbside delivery of diapers, wipes, and other supplies for new moms.

“So far we can’t even find a space in our schedule to have a break,” Schrage said. “Every one of our slots for the pregnancy tests and the STI are booked out in advance. So our team is kept hopping.”

Pregnancy centers around the nation are performing a “balancing act,” Cindy Hopkins said, protecting the safety of staff and patients while still serving the community.

A “Fearless Church” Supporting Life

Schrage praised her team’s resilience, noting that they’re “living off of” a quote from Christian pastor and author A. W. Tozer: “A scared world needs a fearless church.” Fearless doesn’t mean being reckless, she pointed out. Listening to and following official recommendations is a “service to humanity.” But “we still have to be those individuals who are choosing to be warriors on the frontline, not worriers.”

Cindy Hopkins, Vice President of Center Services and Client Care at Care Net, also emphasized the importance of the Church. “The centers are doing the best they can to keep their heads above water because they’re called and they’re passionate,” she told The Stream. “But without the help of the Church at large, they can’t do it on their own.” Life Choices is one of over 1,000 Care Net affiliates in North America.

How to Support Your Local Pregnancy Center

Hopkins recommended people call their local pregnancy center directly. The centers can share what their exact needs are, or connect people with individuals in the community who need assistance. (Find your nearest Care Net affiliate center here.) “Prayer and financial support will never be turned down,” she said.

Schrage anticipates that financial support will be “catastrophically needed” after the pandemic. This will be especially true as centers that had to close or operate without community support try to return to business as usual. There could also be a rise in unplanned pregnancies as a result of COVID-19, she said. Pregnancy resource centers may be busier than ever.

Financial support isn’t possible for everyone, especially now. “Volunteerism is one of the biggest gifts that can be given to your pregnancy center,” Schrage said. That could mean making masks to donate while quarantined, or volunteering in person once it’s safe to do so.

“We’re really proud of them, to be honest,” Hopkins said of Care Net’s affiliate pregnancy centers. As of last week, 96 percent said they remained open in some capacity. “So many of us, including myself, are hunkered down at home, but they’re putting their life on the line and serving.”