When you enter the door of Pregnancy Choices in Mount Vernon, WA, you immediately feel the peace of the place. Contemporary and comfortable furniture draws you in, even before you notice the scones and brownies on the table. Sitting down, you can breathe freely, perhaps for the first time in weeks. Especially if you are facing an unplanned pregnancy.

Irene Bazán, the Executive Director of Pregnancy Choice since 2019, says, “We exist to meet the needs in an unplanned pregnancy. Informed women make informed decisions.” The clientele are 19-35 year-old “abortion-determined” women. They are conflicted, usually feeling that it’s the wrong time for them to be pregnant.

Some of the clients consider a baby to be a disruption to their plans. Many feel pressure from their boyfriend or from parents, siblings, or friends to abort. Others are without resources to raise a child. The staff and volunteers at the Center walk alongside the pregnant women.

A Heartfelt Testimonial

The Winter 2020 Pregnancy Choices Update, their quarterly newsletter, included this testimonial from one of the young women who came to them:

“It was just over a year ago when I walked into Pregnancy Choices for the first time. Barely able to speak through my tears, I was desperate for help with my situation. I knew I was pregnant, and not much else. I was greeted with the utmost of love when I felt I was at my worst. I couldn’t be more grateful for the love and support I have been blessed with.

“The women that work and volunteer at Pregnancy Choices have wrapped their arms around me and guided me through the most critical moments in my life—deciding to be a mother and the journey that follows.

“My baby girl is 6 months old now and I am the happiest I have ever been. [She] shows me the light of the world. Every day we spend together brings me so much joy, purpose and clarity.”

Choices to Make

When a woman comes to the center her pregnancy is confirmed with a pregnancy test and an ultrasound. The nurse meets with her to discuss the ultrasound and the woman fills out a decision aid that presents questions for her to think about and talk through with a patient advocate. While she is at Pregnancy Choices she learns what happens in an abortion and learns about parenting and adoption. (The Center works with three adoption agencies.)

The staff and volunteers don’t pressure the women but they give information, and lots of love. “We get to love, pray for, care, and offer resources,” says Irene Bazán, “but God changes hearts.”

All of the services at Pregnancy Choices are free, and they do not accept insurance. If a client needs housing, they will help her with rent. If she needs food, they will help her with groceries. If her need is for a job or childcare, a car or a crib, they will help her get what she needs.

Bazán herself is post-abortive. She had two abortions as a teenager. In her 30s, when she became an earnest follower of Jesus, her life completely changed. She knew then that she had been forgiven for her abortions. She had peace, but she didn’t know how “not-set-free” she really was.

During her time as Executive Director of Life Choices of Wenatchee Valley, she attended the nine-week study called Surrendering the Secret, and she was finally and fully set free. The class allowed her to take her babies and her abortions to her heart. She grieved her babies and was able to celebrate them. And it gave her a new love for the ministry.

She asks, “How will abortion be ended? By the Church meeting the gamut of needs that the women have. (I can’t have this baby because _________) fill in the blank with possible reasons.” Pregnancy Choices is modeling how this can be done.

Big Changes Ahead

There are big changes going on at this amazing ministry in Mount Vernon. In May they will move to their new building at 110 N 15th St, a veterinary clinic which is being remodeled for Pregnancy Choices. And they are getting a name change. The new name will be C.A.R.E. Medical Center which is an acronym for Christ-Centered, Affirming, Responsible, Ethical. Their services will expand to include testing and treatment for STI (sexually transmitted infection) for both men and women. 

Another new service they now offer is a maternity home in Sedro-Woolley. Women can move in during their pregnancy and remain for two years. They will continue to receive the Christ-centered care that they have through Pregnancy Choices for themselves and their babies. They will also receive skills training to prepare for their future.

If you know of someone who needs the services of Pregnancy Choices, or if you would like to volunteer or donate to their work, you can call them at 360-428-4777. They are open Monday-Thursday, 9AM-5PM.

Thank you, Pregnancy Choices, for your commitment to allowing the most vulnerable of all people to experience life. We applaud the love you show to the babies and their mamas. And thank you for the opportunity to share this amazing ministry with my readers.

Ginger