The landscape of abortion law in the United States fundamentally shifted about three years ago when the Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision, effectively stating that the right to an abortion was not secured for everyone in the Constitution. While state battles have dominated the discussion since that landmark ruling, the most significant Supreme Court case impacting the pregnancy help movement since Dobbs is now approaching, threatening the very existence of thousands of community resource centers nationwide. This case is so pivotal that losing it would likely lead to the mass closures of pregnancy help clinics across the country, handing a great victory to those who actively seek to eliminate these resources.

To understand the gravity of this pending legal action, it is essential to first define the pregnancy help movement, which represents the organized Christian response to the moral crisis of abortion. The broader pro-life effort can be understood through three major components: the political piece, the prophetic wing, and the pastoral wing. The “kingly section” involves political efforts, such as elections and the education of individuals to ensure votes for candidates who reflect the values that all human beings are created equal and deserve equal rights. This work extends to state and local levels. In contrast, the “prophetic wing” comprises organizations and individuals focused on exposing the graphic and horrifying truth of abortion, believing that social evils are overcome only by exposure. Like the prophets of old, this wing’s messaging creates a visceral reaction, jarring people into recognizing the ugliness of the issue.

The pregnancy help movement, however, functions primarily as the “pastoral wing”. This is the leading edge of the movement, involving Christians, churches, and individuals who organize to intervene directly and offer assistance to women facing pregnancy-related crises. The organized method for living out the commandment to rescue those being led away to slaughter is the establishment of a pregnancy help clinic. These centers, also referred to as pregnancy resource centers or clinics, are places created to provide free, intervening services to women who are tempted, pushed, or pressured into abortion, offering them a life-affirming solution instead.

The growth of this movement is remarkable: the first pregnancy help centers began in the late 1960s, and the effort has continued to expand. Today, there are approximately 2,700 such clinics across the United States. When factoring in related ministries, such as maternity homes, the total number of pregnancy help community resources stands around 3,000, all started and supported over the last four to five decades. These resource centers are fundamentally supported by the Christian community, which has been responsible for paying for them, starting them, volunteering in them, investing in necessary equipment, and mentoring mothers, all at no cost to the government for 50 years.

The services offered by these clinics are designed to be first-response intervention. Specifically, pregnancy help centers (PHCs) typically run hotlines to connect with women in crisis, much like effective national hotlines used in places such as Argentina. They advertise and talk to women on the phone, inviting those considering abortion to come in for crucial, free medical services.

One of the basic services provided is a free pregnancy test, which is often followed by an ultrasound confirmation of the pregnancy. This medical confirmation is vital because a positive pregnancy test does not guarantee a viable, intact uterine pregnancy. Furthermore, PHCs provide general education about fetal development. A substantial portion of PHCs, at least half nationwide, also offer a free ultrasound examination. Seeing their own baby on the ultrasound is incredibly helpful to women, taking the crisis out of the academic, political, and even emotional sphere and allowing them to connect with their child. The ultrasound is especially powerful for men, as seeing their own baby can spark a deep realization of their role. Men who enter the centers demanding that their girlfriends abort often leave with a vision of becoming a protector and provider, committing to welcoming their child. This process is beneficial for the entire culture. These clinics also provide educational tools and pictures for mothers to take home, helping them win support from their families. Long-term services include classes to help mothers prepare and educate them to be good parents.

Beyond saving innocent babies and mothers from pressure and threat, these centers often become an entry point for the Gospel. Many couples and women come to know Jesus Christ by learning to depend on and trust in Him during a pregnancy crisis. As has been noted, when Christians help a woman save her baby, in the providence of God, the baby often ends up saving the woman, transforming the crisis into an opportunity to learn to look to the Lord.

Given the essential, life-affirming services provided by these licensed medical facilities, the widespread attack against them is particularly alarming. In states like New York, California, Illinois, and specifically New Jersey, the attorneys general have launched attacks under the banner of deception. The movement’s opponents, such as Elizabeth Warren, have previously called for a nationwide closure of all pregnancy resource centers based on accusations of fraud and deception, simply because these centers refuse to recommend or provide abortion-related services. This perspective fundamentally deems anyone who is not pro-abortion to be an “illegitimate medical provider,” suggesting that institutions like Catholic hospitals should be closed if they are not providing specific services.

The current Supreme Court case stems from an action taken by the New Jersey Attorney General, who issued an extraordinarily broad subpoena. This demand targeted a nonprofit, donor-supported organization, requiring all donor-related information, including the names, addresses, and amounts given by every supporter, with records spanning back 10 years. Crucially, the Attorney General did not possess any evidence of fraud beforehand; the claim of fraud was made, and the subpoena was issued in order to find evidence of wrongdoing.

The resource center, First Choice Pregnancy Resource Center, refused to comply and filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General, leading to the Supreme Court agreeing to hear the case. The technical legal issue revolves around whether a federal lawsuit challenging a state attorney general’s subpoena is “justiciable,” meaning subject to a trial in court. Essentially, the core battle is whether the AG’s demand for sensitive donor information must be complied with, even when no trial has occurred regarding the underlying accusations.

The implications of this demand are profound. The subpoena, as issued, is intended to intimidate all individuals who have given or might give money to the nonprofit organization. This tactic is a direct attempt to undercut the donor base and essentially run the center out of business. Similar attempts were previously made in California to obtain donor names so that pro-abortion forces could ruthlessly attack those individuals, foundations, or businesses.

Should the pregnancy center lose this case, they would face the choice of supplying the sensitive information or immediately shutting down. Furthermore, this defeat would establish a precedent allowing every other pro-abortion state to proceed against every pregnancy help center across the nation, leading to the mass closures that opponents desire.

The pretext often used to justify these intrusive attacks is the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) protocol. Since the ending of Roe v. Wade, there has been a massive increase in the sale of abortion pills, often mailed across state lines into states protecting human life. The APR protocol attempts to counteract the effects of the first pill in the two-pill regimen—the pill that basically kills the baby—after a woman changes her mind. Many women regret taking the first pill, and the APR protocol provides a method to stop the process and save the baby. To date, approximately 7,000 babies have been rescued through this protocol. Pro-abortion forces claim APR is deceptive or bad medicine, but PHCs contend that the truth is that opponents are actively covering up research that confirms APR is completely safe and effective.

The accusations of deception are a form of “projection,” coming from those who have spent years deceiving women. These same forces have downplayed the significant dangers associated with the abortion pill, which can lead to sepsis, various infections, and even death, as indicated right on the pill’s packaging. Moreover, the accusation that PHCs involve non-medical people in medical matters is false; PHCs are licensed medical clinics that follow state laws and utilize licensed medical professionals, including trained nurses, doctors, and ultra-sonographers.

The current legal challenge is a broad attack against the entire Christian community that has organized, invested, and volunteered in pregnancy help services for the past five decades. This upcoming Supreme Court decision will determine if the legal system will defend the freedom of Christians to offer life-affirming help, or if it will destroy the entire pastoral movement by undercutting its support base and forcing mass closures. It is imperative that all members of the community get involved with their local pregnancy help center by praying for them, giving financially, and volunteering to advocate for this critical mission that attacks the greatest moral evil of our time—the intentional killing of the most innocent children.

This article is adapted from the episode transcript.