Carol Clews, ‘towering figure’ in Maryland’s pro-life community, dies at 78

Carol Clews, the former longtime leader of the Center for Pregnancy Concerns in Baltimore who spearheaded the expansion of pro-life pregnancy resources centers throughout the region and was part of a protracted legal battle to defend free speech rights, died April 16. She was 78 and had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Archbishop William E. Lori called Clews a “towering figure” in the pro-life community whose life was dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable.

“In her many years working at the Center for Pregnancy Concerns, Carol showed genuine love and compassion for pregnant women who were often scared and alone and had nowhere else to turn,” Archbishop Lori said. “She gave them more than material support. She showed them kindness and encouragement.”

Clews began working for the Center for Pregnancy Concerns in 2003 as development director and was named executive director a year later. The nonprofit Christian outreach organization, which has included locations at Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, provides free sonograms, pregnancy testing, counseling, material assistance, job training and other forms of assistance for women facing unexpected or crisis pregnancies.

Archbishop Lori said the archdiocese was proud to stand by Clews’ side when the City of Baltimore passed a 2009 law requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to post signs stating they do not provide or refer for abortions or contraceptives.

Clews and other opponents of the law argued that it violated the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and unfairly targeted pro-life centers while not requiring abortion providers to indicate which services they do not provide.

Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien teamed up with the Center for Pregnancy Concerns in a legal battle against the law that was picked up by Archbishop Lori. The archdiocese and the Center for Pregnancy Concerns ultimately won an eight-year legal back-and-forth over the ordinance.

“Carol was not intimidated,” Archbishop Lori said. “She stood up against an unjust law.”

In a 2010 interview with the Catholic Review, Clews pointed out that requiring the signs forced pro-life pregnancy centers to send out the “implied message” that abortion services are available elsewhere and should be considered. The law made pro-life pregnancy centers violate their moral and religious beliefs, she said, because it required them to “legitimize” abortion clinics.

Monsignor James P. Farmer, pastor of St. Thomas More in Baltimore, collaborated closely with Clews on multiple pro-life initiatives for many years. He called Clews, an Anglican parishioner of Church of the Resurrection in Lutherville, a woman of “deep faith.”

“She saw the pro-life movement as her mission in life,” Monsignor Farmer said, “and all her activity stemmed from a deep spiritual perspective.”

Monsignor Farmer described his friend as a “great visionary.” She was part of a leadership team that oversaw the 2017 purchase and renovation of a dilapidated, 100-year-old building located right next to a Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Baltimore. The building was converted into “Options@328,” a pro-life resource center that opened and was blessed by Archbishop Lori last year.

“She saw that as a possibility and brought it to fruition,” said Monsignor Farmer, noting that Clews did not give up on the center even as there were numerous delays and financial challenges along the way. 

“She persevered and persevered,” he said.

Thomas Schetelich, former board chairman at the Center for Pregnancy Concerns, said Clews was gifted at looking for the best people to staff the Center for Pregnancy Concerns.

“It was largely through her efforts that a really strong team was built at the center,” he said. “Her legacy is not just a building. Her legacy is the team of people that she built there at the center.”

Clews, who retired from the Center for Pregnancy Concerns last year, was passionate for the cause of the unborn child, mothers and families, Schetelich said. 

“She saw the ministry as a way to reach and save families as well as individuals,” he said.

Under Clews’ leadership, the Center for Pregnancy Concerns added locations in Arbutus, St. Ann Catholic Church in Baltimore and on Howard Street for a current total of five sites.

Gretchen Carney, development director of the Center for Pregnancy Concerns, said Clews’ death is a “huge loss to the pro-life community.”

“We are all heart-broken,” she said, “but we are here to carry on in her honor.”

Clews is survived by her husband, Vince, and four children of their blended family. A memorial service will be offered May 15 at 1 p.m. at the Anglican Church of the Resurrection.

Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

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