The Source’s motto is “your place for women’s health” and volunteers and staff with the nonprofit clinic work hard to make that happen says Matt Kouri, interim CEO of the organization.

“We have just recognized over the years a deeper need by the women that we serve for a more holistic approach to their health,” Kouri said. “And so, we focus heavily on the woman and delivering a woman-centered, customized sort of higher-touch health care, as opposed to the traditional crisis pregnancy center.”

Kouri said The Source does not provide abortion services and takes a pro-life stance, but the main focus isn’t to be a pro-life organization, but rather an organization that provides support to women facing unexpected pregnancies so that they do not feel they need to have an abortion. As such, The Source’s clinics provide well-woman care such as pap smears, breast exams and connect women to resources such as ultrasounds, mentoring and counseling, treatment for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy tests, Medicaid enrollment help and professional counseling.

“We have clinical staff who can provide health care – pregnancy care – during at least the first trimester of pregnancy with prenatal vitamins, prenatal care to help the pregnancy to be healthy in the hopes that the woman might choose life for her child,” Kouri said. “And, if she does so, we provide her with lots of supports whether its mentorship, someone to walk with her if she needs that, clothing, baby food (and) training on how to be a parent.”

The Source also assists women in finding adoption resources if they prefer to carry to term but are not able to raise the children themselves, Kouri said.

Birth control is also provided by The Source, but the nonprofit’s medical staff are very particular about which options they choose to offer, Kouri said. All birth control provided at The Source’s clinics prevent fertilization rather than causing a fertilized egg to be discarded because the organization’s stance is that life begins at fertilization.

Health care remains the priority for The Source’s clinics though. In 2019, The Source’s Houston clinics served 2,181 women over the course of 9,489 visits with parenting classes, material assistance, referrals and other services. That number dipped in 2020 due to the pandemic with 1,394 women being served across 6,539 visits, according to data provided by The Source.

For those women who have chosen to have abortions, The Source’s staff recognize how traumatic that decision and experience is, Kouri said.

“We are as pro-woman as we are pro-life,” Kouri said. “And that’s an important distinction, and we approach (helping women who have had abortions) with love and care and compassion and understanding – not with guilt or shame or judgment.”

In early October, The Source announced a merger between its two Houston area clinics and its Austin clinic. The two Houston area clinics are located in the Texas Medical Center and in the Spring Branch area. According to the press release, the goal of the merger is to provide services that make abortion unnecessary across the state.

“Our unique focus on providing high quality, whole-woman care and our bold plan to build a statewide network of clinics are truly what sets us apart and positions us for success,” said The Source’s Executive Director of Services Mary Whitehurst.

Kouri said the move will also help pro-life clinics such as The Source catch up to pro-choice organizations that have historically marketed themselves better. With that mindset, the merger aids The Source in reaching more women overall in the Katy area, Greater Houston and Texas in general.

“Our vision is that within 10 years we are matching Planned Parenthood’s footprint in the state of Texas – that we’ve got 25 clinics in the state,” Kouri said.