Ryan Bomberger: America’s Unsung Heroes

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, March 29th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up, WORLD Commentator Ryan Bomberger says the heroes of pregnancy resource clinics need protection, too.

RYAN BOMBERGER, COMMENTATOR: I’ve had the blessing of working with hundreds of pregnancy help centers across the country. They are the underground railroad in the pro-life fight for human dignity. Too few know they even exist, and too many wish to keep it that way for those seeking help and rescue. By the way, you can easily find your local center at PregnancyCenters.org. To the radically pro-abortion, those centers are the enemy. To those facing unplanned pregnancy, they’re the heroes. 

There aren’t Ad Council campaigns celebrating women who lead many of these medical clinics and resource centers. Corporate America isn’t tweeting or posting about them during Women’s History Month. Hollywood doesn’t highlight how they’ve persisted in the face of discrimination and violent hostility.

Nationwide, pregnancy centers have endured heinous attacks by pro-abortion zealots since the historic Dobbs decision overturned Roe back in June 2022. Jim Harden is the CEO of CompassCare in Buffalo, New York – a state with extreme abortion policies. One of his centers was firebombed in June of last year. Thankfully, no one was physically hurt. The domestic terrorists did half a million dollars in damage. The FBI and DOJ have made no arrests.

On March 16th, the center was attacked again by an activist who vandalized the medical clinic’s sign. Local police arrested Hannah Kamke for the crime. The FBI arrested two people who vandalized a pregnancy resource center in Florida in January. Still, Harden doesn’t think the agency is doing enough. He writes: “The DOJ refuses to recognize the crimes against pro-life pregnancy centers as subjects of investigation on their dedicated webpage. This runs contrary to Merrick Garland’s testimony under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the DOJ and FBI are being even-handed and objective to investigate and prosecute the rash of violence against pro-life pregnancy centers.” 

That kind of violence makes proposed legislation like Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney’s Pregnancy Resource Center Defense Act necessary. 

Millions of human beings, today, owe their lives to these directors, doctors, nurses, client advocates, counselors, receptionists, parenting class educators and volunteers. Because of their courage, care and compassion the trajectories of millions of moms and dads have been powerfully changed. I’ve traveled around the country and have seen hundreds of these centers up close, touring each one to know their unique stories. My soul is stirred to hear how God rewrites broken narratives. These pregnancy centers bring hope to desolate neighborhoods and despairing hearts. There’s a reason why over 99% of pregnancy center clients report positive experiences and that they are “respected, valued, and well cared for.”

As a nation, we should be doing more to empower the heroes that help transform fear into faith. Pregnancy center staff and volunteers won’t ask for it, but they deserve to be respected, valued, and well cared for too.

I’m Ryan Bomberger.

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