Unbiased Study Highlights the Authentic Benevolence of PRCs

One of the most infuriating tactics adopted by the abortion industry and its political supporters in the wake of the Dobbs decision has been the persistent attempts to demonize pregnancy resource centers (PRCs). Though these charitable organizations exist solely to assist mothers in need, they have borne the brunt of anti-life extremism and violence. However, even outside of the pro-life movement, objective observers can’t help but notice that the powerful work of PRCs has a profoundly beneficial impact on women.

A new study from the research journal Contraception offers statistics demonstrating the superior assistance that pregnant women are likely to find from pregnancy resource centers compared to abortion businesses. The study concluded that PRCs, on average, offer women shorter wait times and free access to services like pregnancy tests and ultrasounds — services for which abortion businesses charge upwards of $24 and $162, respectively. 

“The study is strong methodologically. The authors paired up 445 abortion facilities with a nearby pregnancy help center. Data from all 50 states were collected and analyzed,” Dr. Michael New wrote in his analysis of the study for National Review. “The authors found that over 68 percent of pregnancy help centers offered same-day pregnancy visits as compared with only about 32 percent of abortion facilities.”

Significantly, the researchers and publication behind the study have no affiliation with the pro-life movement whatsoever; in fact, the authors of the study work with the University of Pittsburgh, which has repeatedly drawn the ire of the pro-life movement for its unethical experimentation using human fetal tissue derived from aborted children. Though the authors seemingly intend for the study to serve as a call to action for abortion businesses to step up their game, the most obvious conclusion is that the pregnancy care movement is every bit as authentically benevolent as pro-lifers have always claimed.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the genuine assistance that PRCs provide for women in need, they have become one of the prime targets of abortion extremists. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced the “Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation” (SAD) Act as an attempt to censor the pro-life messaging of pregnancy resource centers. “In Massachusetts right now, those crisis pregnancy centers that are there to fool people who are looking for pregnancy termination help outnumber true abortion clinics by three to one,” Warren said soon after the Dobbs decision. “We need to shut them down here in Massachusetts, and we need to shut them down all around the country. You should not be able to torture a pregnant person like that.”

As the Contraception study affirms, PRCs do many things for women — but torture is not among them.

One of the major strengths of pregnancy resource centers is their ability to provide tailored services that respond to their local community’s needs. Most people know that PRCs offer pregnancy tests and supportive counseling; however, many people are unaware that some PRCs offer additional services to further serve those in need.

Some PRCs, for example, are equipped to provide medical care. The Charlotte Lozier Institute’s 2019 report found that 79% of PRCs offered ultrasounds, 30% offered in-house STI/STD testing (with 21% also included the necessary treatment), and 19% offered lactation/breastfeeding consultation. Other PRCs have devoted resources to abstinence programs that prevent abortions from occurring by teaching women how to delay pregnancy until marriage. The leading curriculum is Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) programs, and as of 2019, 36% of PRCs provided SRA presentations.

The abortion industry and the politicians whose campaigns profit from it are terrified of pregnancy resource centers because the truth is undeniable: when women facing unexpected pregnancies have access to tangible resources and support, allowing an abortionist to kill their unborn child becomes obsolete. Defending and supporting the pregnancy care movement ought to remain at the forefront of the policy agenda of every legislator who supports the sanctity of human life.

To find a pregnancy resource center near you, visit Pregnancy Decision Line at pregnancydecisionline.org or call 866-798-9541. Pregnancy Decision Line provides confidential, free support to anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy. You can also visit Option Line at optionline.org or call or text 800-712-4357. In addition to offering emergency hotline support and information about pregnancy and abortion recovery, Option Line connects you with a PRC near you for local support.