True Care Women’s Resource Center in Casper, Wyo. expanded operations in 2023 after an out-of-state organization established an abortion center in town. During the past year, supporters throughout the community, state, and the country stepped up to assist the pregnancy help organization in its increased efforts to serve women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.
Serving the community’s women
The demand at True Care’s second location, less than two blocks of the Wellspring Health Access abortion facility, was greater than anticipated, prompting the need for more operating hours. This year, a special funding drive to maintain a steady schedule brought in more than enough to meet the funding goal for the rest of 2024 and fill the gap to allow the second center to be open more consistently.
“We were open intermittently and a few months ago, we realized there was a need for [serving] walk-in patients that would come to us literally off the street,” said Jessica Baxter, president and CEO of True Care.
The walk-in pregnancy help clinic is now more available for those who sought out the abortion facility but decided to not go inside.
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True Care partnered with Sidewalk Advocates for Life, which has sidewalk counselors at the abortion facility. Women who respond to the sidewalk advocates’ offers of assistance are escorted to True Care’s walk-in clinic for pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, along with other services, resources, and referrals. The sidewalk advocates also provide information on abortion pill reversal and Heartbeat International’s Option Line.
“That’s been a fantastic partnership and a great program, and they serve a fantastic purpose,” Baxter said.
True Care also began advertising the walk-in pregnancy clinic, which they hadn’t done before, she said.
“Time is of the essence (for women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy),” Baxter told Pregnancy Help News. “They want information now. Being able to be open for walk-ins allows them to come in right away.”
The second location also serves as overflow for the main center, she said.
“We are certainly seeing an uptick in patients at this location than we were last year at this time,” Baxter said.
Tweet This: Time is of the essence for women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Being able to be open for walk-ins allows them to come in right away.
Additional funding sources help True Care help women
In addition to fully funding the walk-in clinic, True Care experienced additional financial support in the past few months.
The annual Walk for Life took place the first Saturday of June and brought in one of the highest revenues for a walk event in the organization’s history. More funds are expected, Baxter said, which would put the organization over last year’s Walk revenue, which was the largest ever raised.
True Care will have another new financial blessing this summer.
Books 4 Babies, an annual anthology project that raises money for pregnancy help organizations, chose True Care as the recipient of money raised from the 2023 Christmas book. Co-organizer Candace Sessums reports that $1,400 - the largest amount raised through this endeavor - will go to the Wyoming pregnancy help organization.
“We were just honored and excited to be chosen,” Baxter said of the anthology’s funding.
The money will likely go into the center’s benevolent fund, which is used to help patients facing great financial need, Baxter said. The organization uses any extra funds for this purpose. For example, earlier this year a True Care supporter brought in a gift card she felt prompted by the Lord to donate.
“We didn’t have a patient at that time with a deep need, but two months later we had a patient come in the door with great need in order to choose life,” Baxter said. “We were able to hand her that gift card.”
That donation helped the patient take maternity leave she otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.
“We know that 75 percent of women say they choose of abortion because of lack of finances, resources, and support,” Baxter told Pregnancy Help News. “If we can provide those things, we can help her to choose life.”
Wyoming’s abortion status
The increase in funding and the consistent hours at the second location help True Care to fight the battle of abortion in the Casper community and the state. The Sidewalk Advocates report seeing vehicles with license plates from various Wyoming counties and even surrounding states, Baxter said. When first opening, the founders of Wellspring claimed Wyoming was “an abortion desert,” and chose Casper due to its central location in the state.
The state passed a trigger law in 2022, and in 2023, the legislature passed a bill known as the Life a Human Rights and Republican Governor Mark Gordon signed it into law. Almost immediately abortion supporters, including Wellspring, sued. The state Supreme Court refused to take up the measure, and the case is now back before Nineth District Court judge Melissa Owens. Earlier this year, the state legislature passed more bills related to abortion, including banning abortion pills. Although Gordon signed that bill, he vetoed the other two.
Because of the fluctuating status of abortion in the state, Baxter believes True Care and other Wyoming pregnancy centers are experiencing an uptick in financial support and volunteerism.
“I think people are very much touched by the Roe v. Wade situation and all of the laws across our state,” Baxter said.
She noted that despite Wyoming being one of the most conservative, pro-life states in the nation, pro-life protections are difficult to get passed because the abortion provider keeps challenging everything that comes out of the legislature. People are frustrated with that, said Baxter, and turn to supporting women and babies and making it possible for them to choose life.
“People’s hearts are so connected to this issue,” she added. “And if we can’t take care of it legislatively, we’re going to take care of it personally. People want to get involved, whatever that looks like for them.”
God’s guidance
Baxter and her team are considering other ways to help women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, including new avenues for parenting programs and possibly offering mental health services.
She said prayer is a pivotal aspect of their work, asking God for guidance in their endeavors.
“We are just constantly praying for God to guide,” Baxter said. “If God wants it to happen, He’s going to make it happen.”
“With Roe v. Wade overturning and this abortion clinic come to town, you wonder, and you think, ‘Hey, Lord, what are you doing?’” she said. “You pray for certain things but in the process of praying for those things, God shows up and His people show up. So, what the devil meant for evil God is turning around for good for His people and for women and their babies.”
