A new pregnancy help center in Fort Worth, Texas, launched by a popular megachurch and a Southern Baptist seminary, highlights the ongoing need for such centers even in pro-life states, says its executive director.
Prestonwood Pregnancy Center opened its third location in March, this one located on the south side of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as part of a partnership between the seminary and a local congregation, Prestonwood Baptist Church. The new center will offer counseling, pregnancy tests, sonograms, abortion pill reversals, parenting classes, and material resources for new moms and dads.
Prestonwood Pregnancy Center was founded 34 years ago and is one of the largest such centers in the U.S., with 30,000 client visits each year and locations in nearby Richardson and South Dallas.
It has faced high demand even though abortion largely became illegal in Texas following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
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Leanne Jamieson, executive director of the Prestonwood Pregnancy Center, said that contrary to popular belief, abortion hasn’t disappeared in Texas.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, she said, many citizens within the state thought, “okay, abortion is illegal in Texas, therefore there will be no longer abortion in Texas.”
“But the truth was, the abortion industry was already very much moving to being present online, and so that means that a woman with a phone has access to abortion,” Jamieson said.
Most clients at Prestonwood Pregnancy Center who are considering an abortion, she said, are seeking the abortion pill, which can be accessed from out-of-state providers. A smaller percentage are considering traveling out of state for surgical abortions -- most often to New Mexico.
“So, abortion in Texas may be illegal, but it is far from unattainable -- and definitely for a woman who is contemplating abortion it is not yet unthinkable,” Jamieson said.
“We know at the heart of it, abortion isn't just a political issue, but a spiritual issue as well,” she said. “And so, although law changes and law pro-life laws are vitally important, it's far more complex than just a law change.”
Tweet This: Abortion in Texas may be illegal, but it is far from unattainable-and definitely for women contemplating abortion it is not yet unthinkable.
Jamieson has seen, first-hand, the life-saving power of Abortion Pill Reversal. One of her favorite success stories, she said, took place early in the chemical abortion pill’s usage, when a young woman who had been pressured to take the abortion pill contacted the pregnancy help clinic with regrets.
“She went online and Googled, ‘How can I stop the abortion pill? How can I reverse it?’ And the national hotline showed up,” Jamieson said. “And so, through that, she found us.”
The abortion pill is a two-step regimen involving two drugs: mifepristone (RU-486) and misoprostol.
Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone, causing the lining of the uterus to break down in order to kill the unborn baby. The second drug, misoprostol, leads to contractions and the delivery of a presumably dead fetus. The two drugs are approved in the U.S. through 10 weeks pregnancy.
Abortion Pill Reversal occurs after the mother has ingested the first abortion pill and involves administering high doses of progesterone to counteract the effects of mifepristone.
Some nine months after the young woman contacted the pregnancy center, a healthy baby boy was born. The reversal was successful.
“Within days, the young couple came to show us this beautiful baby boy,” Jamieson said. “And when I walked into the room, the young father was cradling him in his arms.”
The young father told his newborn, “These are the people that helped save you.”
The moment left a lasting impact.
“We get to watch the Lord work on hearts. We watch the Lord change hearts,” Jamieson said.
It’s “powerful,” she said, to watch a woman who has already taken the first step toward abortion have a change of heart and fight to save her baby.
“We watch a miracle happen,” Jamieson said.
The new location will also serve as a national training hub, offering restoration and encouragement for visiting pregnancy center teams, along with support for strategic planning and skills development, she added.
The new center, dubbed Prestonwood Pregnancy Center-Fort Worth, is housed in the former B.H. Carroll Center for Baptist Heritage and Mission on Townsend Drive in Fort Worth.
The proximity to a seminary -- where future pastors train -- opens the door to unique opportunities, Jamieson said. Students will be able to gain valuable hands-on ministry opportunities.
“It will allow future pastors to really understand the issue of life and how important it is -- so that when they're in their churches in a vocational ministry role, they will understand how important it is to support pro-life ministries across our nation,” she said. “I think having that first-hand knowledge is going to benefit the movement wherever those ministry leaders end up.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Heartbeat is currently the subject of two lawsuits brought by State AGs concerning sharing information about Abortion PIll Reversal.
