The number of PreBorn! Network Clinics continues to grow, with Cradle of Hope, a rural Iowa Pregnancy Center becoming one of the newest additions.  

Dr. Marc Newman, pro-life speaker and founder of Speaker for Life, visited Iowa as the keynote speaker for Cradle of Hope’s spring banquet in April 2025. He asked Cradle of Hope’s founder and executive director, Peggy Knudson, about the needs of the Center and she said they needed, “An ultrasound machine. Ours is quite old and needs to be replaced.” He asked if she had heard of PreBorn!. Knudson had but didn’t know much about the organization. 

“I didn’t know all that they did,” Knudson said. “He hooked us up, and off it went!” 

She filled out an application and went through a few interviews, ensuring Cradle of Hope aligned with PreBorn!’s mission. In the summer, Knudson, her staff, Cradle’s board of directors, and the organization’s volunteers, received a visit from PreBorn!’s Bob Foust for training.  

“We are in the beginning stages of our relationship with PreBorn!,” Knudson said, “and we are so thrilled.”  

The Blessing of an Ultrasound 

In August, the latest Iowa PreBorn! Network Clinic received a new ultrasound machine. Additional trainings have taken place, including how to put the machine together and how to operate it. Knudson said she and her team are happy with the machine. 

“What a blessing this machine is! It does more than our other machine ever did,” she said. 

For example, Melissa, the nurse trained in sonography, can now conduct transvaginal ultrasounds and 3D ultrasounds. On their old machine, a preborn baby’s heartbeat was barely detected at seven weeks. The new machine can detect and show a baby’s heartbeat much sooner — a critical feature in helping women see their baby for the first time. The ultrasound machine reaches more women by showing their preborn child’s heartbeat at an earlier gestational age. 

“More and more mothers are coming in with early pregnancies,” she said. 

Although Iowa has a heartbeat law, the state borders Illinois, an abortion-friendly state. And, like many others, women in Iowa order abortion pills online. Reaching these women before they have an abortion is critical, as is providing them with an ultrasound that picks up a preborn heartbeat earlier than Cradle’s previous machine. 

PreBorn! Trainings 

Training on the ultrasound machine is just one of PreBorn!’s numerous offerings for Network Clinics. Knudson is learning how to reach abortion-minded women before they travel to Illinois or order the abortion pills online.  

“The training has been remarkable and thorough,” she shared.  

She plans to incorporate targeted advertising to reach more abortion-minded women—something she had done in the past but cut back due to the expense. After the training, however, she sees the value of going back to online advertising. 

“That needs to be put back into my budget,” Knudson said. “Women are on their phones and on the internet, and we want to reach more of those women.” 

She is also looking to create a TikTok account with the help of a staff member to monitor engagement and create informative videos. 

“I don’t mind doing videos, and I’m pretty good at it . . . but someone else would have to maintain TikTok,” she said. “I’m of a different generation, so someone younger has to help.” 

Knudson also recognizes that what worked five or 10 years ago no longer does. “My advertising needs to look different, and it needs to sound different [to reach more potential clients].” 

She’s learned that advertising messages need to differ between various audiences: potential clients who are abortion-minded, women and families who simply need extra support through classes and materials, and donors/supporters. 

Trainings on how to present the gospel to clients and potential clients have also helped Knudson and her team. “Although we have always been a Christian organization, and the gospel is at the root of what we say and do, we’ve never been intentional about praying with clients,” she said. “We’ve not carried it through and asked them, ‘Do you want to surrender your life to Jesus?’” 

Online trainings and evangelism webinars offered by PreBorn! have helped the staff and volunteers to “be more comfortable” with that aspect of client encounters, she said, including the women who stay at Cradle of Hope’s Mother’s Home, which opened two years ago. The four-bedroom house has, thus far, served 18 women. An expansion is planned for the spring of 2026, which will add an office, another bathroom, and a suite for overnight staff and volunteers. 

“I want them [the staff] to be more comfortable talking with the residents [about faith and Christ]” Knudson said. “They [the clients] can say ‘no,’ but at least we’ve asked.” 

Romans 10:17 tells us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (NKJV). So, if we are faithful to present the invitation of the gospel, the Holy Spirit will work out the rest.  

Embracing  PreBorn!’s Mission 

PreBorn!’s mission, along with the opportunity for impactful outreach and growth in her area, drew Knudson to the organization. 

“Their heart is to save babies, yes, but also to reach people with the gospel of Christ. That has impressed me beyond measure. I’m excited to be part of the PreBorn! family because of their heart for souls and the sharing of the gospel. We are more intentional about doing that now,” she said. 

Becoming a PreBorn! Network Clinic takes time and intentionality. The curriculum, called The Invitation, is evangelism-based and focuses on clients’ spiritual transformation. Clinics who’ve implemented the training have reported increased salvations.  

Operational and administrative trainings are also provided, along with webinars. There’s even an on-site training that focuses on improving a Clinic’s abilities for fundraising, organizational development, leadership, marketing, and more. 

Resources and grants, including new ultrasound machines, are available to PreBorn! Network Clinics as well. 

Knudson said she is “excited and thankful” for the support PreBorn! offers its Clinics. 

Positively Impacting Southeastern Iowa 

Located in a community of approximately 8,500 people, Cradle of Hope is making a significant impact in southeastern Iowa.  

As the organization continues to grow, additional staff and volunteers are needed. Three new staff member have already been hired, including a retired nurse and a social worker, both of whom work with incoming clients and residents of Cradle’s Mother’s Home, providing educational programs, goal-setting endeavors, and additional medical services. 

The Clinic has also saved the lives of preborn babies through the abortion pill reversal (APR). Thus far, Knudson and her team, alongside the Clinic’s medical director, have helped four women, including one living in Missouri. 

“I received a call from the APR Hotline on a Sunday morning,” Knudson recalled. “The caller said they were unable to find a Clinic within 120 miles to help this woman. I happened to be visiting my sister in the hospital, otherwise, I would have been in church and not able to answer the call. I contacted our overseeing doctor. He was just leaving church and picked up the phone. He called in the [progesterone] prescription to a national chain, and within two hours, the woman in Missouri had the prescription. Her baby was saved!” 

According to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which oversees the APR hotline and outreach, fewer than 30% of Pregnancy Clinics offer APR. A great need exists, especially in the rural Midwest. Knudson plans to respond more strongly to that need. “We have to fight this [abortion pill] battle aggressively,” she said. “APR is not something we’ve been aggressively advertising, but now we will. This [situation in Missouri] propelled us toward what we need to do.”  

Knudson plans to conduct more outreach and marketing about the APR service that Cradle offers. “We plan to go full force ahead,” she said. “Our overseeing doctor is more comfortable with the process, and we feel confident this is what we need to do and to make it known.” 

Partnering with PreBorn! Strengthens Outreach 

Knudson believes that partnering with PreBorn! will increase Cradle of Hope’s growth in serving abortion-minded women and strengthen the impact of the organization’s outreach, touching hearts, lives, and souls. 

“We are really thrilled about being part of the PreBorn! Network,” Knudson said. “We believe this was a God-ordained partnership. I’m excited about it and about our future with them.”