ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Palmetto Women’s Center in Rock Hill has been helping women facing a crisis pregnancy since the 1980s. In 2021, more than 600 women walked through its doors.
“We want to be that source of support [for a woman] to make sure she has every she needs,” the center’s executive director Starsha Thompson said.
The Palmetto Women’s Center is a nonprofit. It offers services like free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and counseling, and connects mothers to resources. It also offers classes like budgeting and co-parenting, and parents can earn points to shop at the center’s free boutique with brand new items.
Before Thompson became the center’s executive director, she had an unplanned pregnancy a decade ago. That experience is what helps her connect to women who come seeking support.
“I called an abortion clinic, I was making plans to abort,” Thompson said. “And God just intervened in that moment and I chose to place for adoption. I know exactly what it feels like to be that woman who does not have a clue how she’s going to provide or have a clue what her future holds.”
The center is faith-based but supports women no matter what they decide. If a woman decides to get an abortion, the center helps her get counseling afterward if she needs it.
“It’s not our place to judge her for where she is,” Thompson said. “We are here to love her [and] support her, no matter what she decides.”
Thompson said the center’s services are needed now more than ever before, and she’s prepared to help women needing support.
“Women are going to need resources," Thompson said. "They need a place to find formula, they need a place to find diapers, to find wipes, for clothing – and we offer all of that."
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.