“I’ve been where you are now—but you haven’t been where I’ve been.” In his work as President and CEO of Care Net, Roland Warren can empathize with couples experiencing unplanned pregnancies. More than forty years ago, as students at Princeton University, Roland and his girlfriend, Yvette Lopez, found themselves in that position.
When Yvette visited the university’s health services office, a counselor urged her to have an abortion, saying, “How are you going to graduate from Princeton and become a doctor (her dream at the time) with a baby?” The couple, however, was not deterred and decided to have a baby. Today, the Warrens, both Princeton graduates, have two sons, Jamin and Justin, and three grandchildren. Yvette’s dream of becoming a doctor also came true.
Pro Abundant Life Legacy
In an interview with LiveAction.org, Roland reflected recently on how that college decision has been a life-changing blessing for his family. Over the years, she has shared her testimony with couples facing unplanned pregnancies. He understands their tension and the crisis that is coming—but he also knows that they “have not been where he is” and have not witnessed what God can do.
In the interview, Roland recalled a candid moment from 2022. As his wife held their newborn grandson for the first time, he thought, “This is the product of a decision he made forty years ago in a moment when he saw nothing of the future, but understood that God had a plan…And here is the result of that decision. It’s just amazing.”
“What’s crazy is—that child they want us to throw in the trash [first born son Jamin] actually went to Harvard. He is smarter than the two of us.”
At the time of that decision in college, the young couple “instinctively” knew that Yvette was indeed carrying a child.
“We don’t want to compound one mistake with a second mistake,” Roland said. “We also want to get married. It wasn’t our plan (have a baby first and then get married). We just know that God is there…that he is at the center of it all.”
“It’s an important part of our story and that’s why reaching people as soon as possible to talk to them is really important.”
Helping couples see that God is at the center of their unplanned pregnancy is something that happens every day at nearly 1,300 Care Net-affiliated pregnancy centers across the country. Staff members offer support, encouragement, and hope and help dispel pro-abortion cultural narratives such as “no good will come of this pregnancy.”
“Women have abortions because they are under an illusion that this abortion will make their lives better,” Roland said.
Couples dealing with an unplanned pregnancy are in a “whirlwind,” but helping them see from a higher perspective can make a difference.
“When you step into the eye of the storm, it gives insight into what’s going on in your life situation. You can look up and hear from God,” said Roland.
By the grace of God, couples will understand that good can come from their unplanned pregnancy. That’s what happened for Roland and Yvette Warren, who can now look back with gratitude and celebrate a legacy that extends beyond their own children and grandchildren and helps inspire Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life movement.
