Sunday, January 19th, is Sanctity of Human Life Day. First proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, this day marks a special time to acknowledge the inherent value in every human life – born and unborn. For us at PCC, it is also a time to re-center ourselves around why we are committed to saving lives and strengthening families.
Ever since the passing of Amendment 3, which implies the possibility of coercing Missouri pregnancy resource centers like PCC to refer for abortion, we’ve been asked, understandably so, what we will do if we find ourselves in that predicament sometime soon.
The short answer: We will gladly die on that hill.
This scenario is unlikely to come into play since the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on this exact issue in NIFLA v. Becerra in 2018 when the State of California tried to force pregnancy centers to violate their consciences by referring for abortion.
But court case or no court case, let me be clear – PCC’s board, staff, volunteers, and I are unwavering in our commitment to not only defend the lives of the unborn but to honor the humanity of every person that walks through our doors.
January 1st marked the beginning of PCC’s 25th year and, while many things have changed, our shared, fundamental belief that every life matters to God remains the same. And we could never, in good conscience, knowingly say or do anything that would detract from that truth, least of all refer for or perform abortions.
It takes all of us ─ together ─ to create a culture of life, of which PCC is a microcosm. God doesn’t call any of us to all the issues, all the hills, if you will. And he doesn’t even call us to address all the issues within the issue.
God has created and called PCC to be the “boots on the ground” in the pro-life cause. That means we work directly with those women and men navigating unplanned pregnancy. Eyeball to eyeball and heart to heart, willingly entering into their struggle as if it was our own. Because it is. Christ’s compassion compels us to love others as we have been loved, and I can promise you, on that point, we will never waver.
In today’s culture, so many of us are quick to share our passionate opinions with great fervor on every subject, no matter how insignificant. We die on hills we never should have climbed. Yet we cower in the face of true injustice. It takes courage to challenge the cultural narrative and give voice to the voiceless and vulnerable.
But that’s the hill God has asked us to climb, to stand proudly in support of those who desperately need hope and help. That’s the bold choice each of us has made, come what may.
So, here’s to the next 25 years of saving lives and strengthening families right here in our community! And may God bless you for joining us in this noble mission.
Blessings,
CEO
