ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (BP) – The Psalm 139 Project, a pro-life ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), celebrated its 100th ultrasound machine placement during a dedication in Elizabethtown, N.C., Friday (May 8).
The ultrasound was placed at Mercy House Pregnancy Resource Center during a special ceremony on Friday morning which was attended by representatives from the ERLC, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and other local staff and volunteers.
This ultrasound machine is the 100th placement the Psalm 139 Project has made overall and the fifth so far in 2026.
“Glory to God for this milestone moment in the history of the Psalm 139 Project,” said Rachel Wiles, director of the Psalm 139 Project.
“Ultrasound technology is powerful and literally saves lives. It has been an honor to lead this work, and I am deeply grateful for the heroic efforts of pregnancy care centers across the country who serve as the hands and feet of Christ, offering hope and life-saving care every day. May the Lord continue to bless the ministry of the Psalm 139 Project for years to come as we look forward to celebrating the next 100 placements.”
NC Baptist leadership celebrated the state convention’s partnership with the ERLC which made this placement possible.
“It’s a great privilege for NC Baptists to participate in this strategic placement that will save lives and take part in a monumental moment for the Psalm 139 Project,” said Todd Unzicker, executive director-treasurer of NC Baptists.
“We believe every person is made in the image of God, and the images generated by this machine will reflect that eternal truth to the mothers and fathers served by Mercy House.”
Leigh Britt, nurse manager for Mercy House Pregnancy Resource Center, said the new machine will allow the center to provide more comprehensive care for its clients.
“An ultrasound is a vital early step in pregnancy care, and now women in Bladen County can receive this service at no cost in a safe and supportive environment,” Britt said. “This is a testament to God’s faithfulness and the generosity of his people, allowing us to serve women and families in an even deeper and more meaningful way.”
Since its inception, the Psalm 139 Project has provided ultrasound equipment and necessary training to pregnancy resource centers across the country. The initiative began as a way to assist pregnancy resource centers by providing updated technology as they care for many women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. It does not receive Cooperative Program dollars and is instead fully funded through donations, 100 percent of which go toward the ultrasound placements and subsequent training.
Most recently, the Psalm 139 Project has started a new emphasis called “Across State Lines,” which focuses on providing ultrasound equipment and subsequent training to pregnancy resource centers in states where abortion is readily available. Women often travel to these states to seek the procedure.
Wiles recently chronicled the journey of the Psalm 139 Project and her personal experience as director in a first-person article.
“The advent of ultrasound technology and its advances over the years have changed the way the public views life,” Wiles said. “It’s nearly impossible to contend that a pregnancy is just a clump of cells when confronted with a beating heart and images of fingers and toes.
“This is precisely why the Psalm 139 Project began. Through Southern Baptist support of this initiative over the last two decades, many families have experienced a window into the womb firsthand. This type of ministry is happening all over the country as pregnancy centers minister to those in need.
“I get to connect with the staff of many pregnancy centers, who I quickly learned are the heroes of the pro-life movement. These clinic staff show up day in and day out to do ministry where life is messy. They boldly share about the physical life growing within the womb and the eternal life Christ offers.”
The Psalm 139 Project officially started collecting funds in the early 2000s and donated its first ultrasound machines in 2004. Since then, ultrasound machines were placed in pregnancy centers periodically throughout the years.
That was until 2021-2023, when the initiative pursued a bold goal of donating 50 ultrasound machines before the 50th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.
Remarkably, Psalm 139 Project reached its goal of placing 50 ultrasound machines in these two years, and a monumental Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe in 2022, thus sending abortion regulation primarily back to the states.
The abortion landscape has completely changed since this decision, with some states passing near-full bans on abortion while others have doubled down and even welcomed “abortion tourism” in their states.
Abortion numbers have reportedly gone up since the overturning of Roe, due largely to the legality of medication abortions. The prescription and distribution of abortion pills remain a continual battle in the fight to protect preborn lives.
Despite this, Wiles said she is grateful for the massive impact the Psalm 139 Project is making both now and eternally.
“Looking back over the arc of the Psalm 139 Project, what’s the legacy of 100 machines?” she said. “We will never truly know this side of heaven, but I am confident that, because of this project, there are people walking around today who would not have been born. Beyond that, families have come to Christ and generations beyond them will be forever changed through the power of the Gospel.”
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