What Happened When this Pregnancy Center Changed its Name and Moved Right Next to Planned Parenthood?

Pete Baklinski : Feb 5, 2015
LifeSiteNews.com

"Focus groups consisting of college and high school students said the former name meant to them a place to go for help if you are pregnant, but not a place to go to find out if you are pregnant or to deal with a crisis."

(San Jose, CA)—Their continual lack of finances can be best described as an accountant’s nightmare. Paying staff was often difficult. Perseverance, hard work, and the power of prayer has no better testimony than that the Community Pregnancy Centers in California’s Silicon Valley region managed to stay open four days a week, month after month, year after year, ever since first opening in 1981. (Photo via LifeSiteNews)

But all this started to change about 15 years ago. Leadership decided to upgrade the centers from offering pregnant women basic resources to, in addition, offering them ultrasounds in state-of-the-art licensed medical clinics from professionally trained staff. Donors got onboard with the vision and funded the changes.

It was not until the three centers were renamed and relocated right next to Planned Parenthood abortion centers that donors began to see the real fruit of their investment. The number of women visiting the clinics increased dramatically and the number of babies saved skyrocketed.

"We got on target with our mission to save lives," Valerie Hill, executive director of RealOptions, told LifeSiteNews in a telephone interview.

For Valerie Hill, RealOptions' CEO, saving lives is her great joy.
Hill, 56, said that each medical clinic is now strategically located so as to offer women a better choice.

"We want to be right across the street or right next door to Planned Parenthood," she said.

Hill said the name was changed to RealOptions in 2010 to make the clinics more appealing to pregnant women wanting to know their real choices.

"Focus groups consisting of college and high school students said the former name meant to them a place to go for help if you are pregnant, but not a place to go to find out if you are pregnant or to deal with a crisis." (Photo via LifeSiteNews)

On top of offering pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, the centers also offer pre-natal care and after-abortion help. Everything the centers offer is absolutely free.

Changing the centers’ image and location has proved successful almost beyond belief.

Prior to becoming medical clinics, no more than 100 babies were saved from abortion each year. But when every woman with a positive pregnancy test received a free ultrasound, the number of saves rose from 199 in 2007 to 295 in 2010. When one of the centers moved next to Planned Parenthood in 2012, the number of babies saved increased to 568. Last year, 729 babies were saved.

"I want to see these lives saved," said Hill, who is projecting over a thousand babies will be saved this year.

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