On April 8, 2025, a small but committed group of pro-life citizens gathered to witness the official opening of a new pregnancy center in Gallup, NM.
The La Luz Women’s Center in Gallup is part of a network of other pregnancy and family support centers throughout New Mexico, run by the pro-life organization Project Defending Life (PDL).
“A least with La Luz women’s centers, we take a very holistic approach to serving women. It’s not just about helping them choose life but also helping them to thrive in their family life and in community,” said Dominique Davis, president of PDL.
Providing a life-affirming option to women can seem like a daunting task in a state that is considered an “abortion gateway”, with few restrictions on gestation term limits, little to no inspection of abortion facilities, and access to chemical abortion pills.
In addition, many areas of New Mexico have little to no access to reliable health care services, especially maternity health.
But Davis hopes the Gallup pregnancy center can make a bit of a difference. Eventually, she and La Luz staff hope to be able to offer services like ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, and STI screenings and treatment at no cost to patients.
“To be able to provide these services in a place that’s already considered a maternal health desert, maternal child health desert, lacking care and support for pregnant women and postpartum women, I just think this is a solution or an answer to something that’s been missing in this community.”
Bishop James Wall and several Christian pastors were present at the grand opening to give remarks, with Bishop Wall also blessing the new center.
Quoting Psalm 139, “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb,” Pastor Dennis Gallegos of the Joshua Generation for Jesus Church thanked the staff and volunteers for “laboring so hard” to make the La Luz Center a reality.
Pastor Mark Thomas, of Iyanbito Gospel Lighthouse, noted the importance of serving and including Indigenous people in pro-life efforts.
“As a representative of the First Nations people…I stand in the place and in the gap,” he said. “Our nation is facing issues as well, that the enemy is coming against the sanctity of life, sanctity of marriage as well. So there are ministers throughout the land that are taking a stand against this.”
After the blessing of the building, Bishop James Wall asked those present to remain steadfast in fighting for a culture of life, especially in the face of a modern “culture of death”.
“Speak the name of Jesus in a very courageous way, trusting in that truth that we hear from the word of God,” the bishop said. “We just pray that life might be respected from conception to natural death. This [center] is an answer to these prayers. And so we praise the Lord for his goodness to us.”
The initial effort to fundraise and find a place for the pregnancy center was not without setbacks, but with persistence, PDL and their Gallup volunteers and partners were able to successfully open their doors. All of the funding and organizing was done on a totally grassroots level, such as donations, rummage sales, and PDL’s annual gala.
“It kind of took long in the process of just finding a location that was everything that we wanted for the women that we were going to serve, a safe place, good visibility, and a good rent. Real estate here has been very interesting even compared to Albuquerque,” said Davis. “And we receive no state funding. We wouldn’t want to because they would make us refer for things that we obviously don’t recommend.”
The Gallup La Luz center, like all local pregnancy centers, will rely continually on the generosity and efforts of the community, and of volunteers and donors. But for Davis and other pro-life advocates, the battle is worth the effort.
“We’re always going to consider the woman and the child together. And we’re always going to consider their health and their ability to thrive in the community.”
To volunteer or find out more about New Mexico’s La Luz centers, visit laluzwc.org