‘With Every Woman, For Every Child’ – March for Life Celebrates Pregnancy Centers
Jean Marie Davis was desperate when she visited a pregnancy center eight years ago. He immediately accepted Jesus Christ as his savior when a staff member shared John 3:16, but his needs were still overwhelming.
“What now?” he asked. “I am homeless and pregnant. How can you help me?”
Davis shared his compelling testimony with a wide range of speakers—from politicians to pastors to former pro football players—in 51St Annual March for Life in Washington, DC The March, held on January 19, honored the work of pregnancy centers and maternity homes, dedicated to the need to care for mother and child during the nine months of pregnancy and in the following years.
Davis told the crowd how hopeless she was before finding the help she needed.
“I want to die,” he said. “I got hooked on crystal meth. I was trafficked from the age of two to the age of 29. I love my [baby] dead I have no life.”
Things changed dramatically, however, when she met Phyllis Phelps, a client services manager at a pregnancy center in New Hampshire. He opened his heart to Jesus and found a new, abundant life.
“Phyllis Phelps saved my life,” Davis said. “He got me into a program. And because I challenged him with the question (“How can you help me?”), he opened a house (for women) called the House of Hope in New Hampshire.”
Davis gave birth to her son and later worked under Phelps at House of Hope. Two years ago, she was named executive director of the Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. Branches PRC are part of the Care Net network.
“We live with women who are struggling,” she said. “We’re here to help. We’re here for babies. We’re here to save souls and save lives.”
Davis’ amazing story underscored March’s theme, “Pro-life: With Every Woman, For Every Child.” Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said the “often untold story” of pregnancy centers and maternity homes is the heartbeat and backbone of the pro-life movement.
“More than 3,000 pregnancy centers across the country offer help to women who face an unexpected pregnancy every year. Not only that, but they are very popular—83% of Americans support pregnancy research centers,” Mancini said.
“While the false narrative persists that pro-life Americans ignore babies after birth, the real story is that pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes are extremely supportive of women, their children, and their families before, and long after babies are born, walking with them. every step of the way.”
Other speakers at the March for Life included Congressman Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House; Benjamin Watson, former NFL tight end; Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family; Pastor Greg Laurie and his wife Cathe, of Harvest Christian Fellowship; Bishop John Abdalah, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops (USA); Antonio de Mello, Community of Jesus, Brazil; Aishia Taylor, author of Navigating the “Impossible”: A Survival Guide for Single Moms From Pregnancy to the First Year of Motherhood; and Dominick Tolentino, Penn State University senior and president of the Students for Life Club.
Speaker of the House Johnson said she was the product of an unplanned pregnancy.
“In January of 1972, exactly one year before Roe v. Wade, my parents, who were only teenagers at the time, chose life. I am very grateful that they did.
Johnson spoke about the importance of building a culture that values and protects life.
“This is a critical time to help all mothers facing unplanned pregnancies, to work with foster children, and to help adoptive families…” he said.
Pastor Greg Laurie, the final speaker, said the life issue was personal to him because he was born as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.
“My mother was married and divorced seven times,” he said. “She had a fling with a guy in Long Beach (CA), and I was conceived. Fortunately, my mother carried me to term…but it sent me on a quest early in life. I thought, ‘What meaning of my life?’ ‘Why do I have a big hole inside?’ I didn’t have a father growing up…”
Laurie’s testimony is recorded in her book, Revolution Jesuswhich was made into a hit movie in 2023. The “Jesus Revolution” of the late 1960s and early 1970s is recognized as the last spiritual awakening in the United States.
At the March for Life, Laurie prayed that the Lord would do it again.
“We pray to young women who find themselves pregnant, that they bring these babies to term and raise them or put them up for adoption. We pray that we, as the Church, are there to support these mothers…” he said. “Lord, we pray for a great spiritual awakening to sweep the United States of America. We need another revival.”
