It’s often been asked: How is the pro-life movement providing long-term care beyond birth for both the mom and the baby? And does the pro-life movement care as equally about moms as they do about the birth of their children?
These are good questions, so let’s dig in and talk about them and the role of long-term continuum care.
Overwhelming Challenges for Mothers
There are primarily two people involved in an abortion – the mom and the preborn child. Yes, the father is also important, along with the baby’s siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and so forth. But the mother and the baby in her womb face the moment-by-moment crises and the subsequent consequences involved in an abortion decision. And remember, the baby doesn’t have a voice in the final outcome.
It’s troubling to consider the incredible pressure a mom experiences during an unexpected pregnancy. She is overwhelmed with a rush of fear, shame, and confusion, along with a sense of being inadequate and totally alone. She carries this very personal burden by herself – often abandoned by the father and ostracized by parents, family, friends, and coworkers.
The challenges she faces are enormous. How can I do this alone? How can I tell my family? What will others think of me? How can I afford a child (or maybe another child)? How can I bring a baby into the mess of my life? What have I done? I don’t think this is possible!
She is in desperate need of support from compassionate people who will encourage and care for her.
Many moms facing crisis pregnancies are unemployed or underemployed. She lacks proper healthcare, housing, transportation, education, and financial stability. This expecting mother often feels completely helpless without the emotional, physical, spiritual, and tangible support she desperately needs.
A recent study[i] showed that a majority of women felt high levels of pressure – both circumstantial and interpersonal – to choose abortion. Yet, through the experience of operating our own pregnancy centers, we have found that 76% of pregnant women seeking an abortion say they would prefer to parent if their circumstances were different. Women typically seek an abortion because they feel they have no other choice. A long-term continuum of care addresses these circumstances.
Exploitation of Women
There are roughly one million women seeking an abortion in the U.S. each year. Sadly, the abortion industry purposefully targets and exploits them.
Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry have created a system of death: one that only seeks to remove the “problem” of an unexpected pregnancy by taking the life of an innocent child. Moms are preyed upon by the abortion industry and in their desperation are convinced that abortion is the only solution.
Women have been told for decades that abortion is the quick, easy, and unquestionable remedy to their difficult circumstances. But the reality is, after an abortion, these same women will continue facing the same challenges that drove them to seek an abortion in the first place.
That’s why we focus on the mom’s needs as much as her baby’s needs. In fact, we are able to rescue children through caring for moms.
Women-Focused Solution – Continuum of Care
There is hope … there is a better solution.
Women facing an unexpected pregnancy need true help and hope, not just a quick “fix.” And that’s why each mom and the child in her womb must be shown that they are as equally valuable in their inherent worth and dignity as all other human life. From the moment a mom facing an unexpected pregnancy calls – through her pregnancy, and beyond – the pro-life movement is there to ensure she gets the long-term care and support she needs.
Ending the tragedy of abortion in America requires an innovative approach that successfully connects women who are seeking an abortion online with a life-affirming system of care. Life decisions are made when the mother is supported by a compassionate team of nurses, counselors, and social workers who share the truth about her options. This is in stark contrast to the abortion industry, which tells women that abortion is the only option.
Pro-life organizations across the country have a track record of being genuinely concerned about the mom’s fears, listening to understand what she needs, and providing care throughout – and in some cases, years after – her pregnancy. Tangible resources are provided, including free ultrasounds, transportation, childcare options, housing assistance, education, maternity healthcare, counseling, parental instruction, diapers, baby clothes, cribs, baby showers to celebrate her child, and so much more.
The pro-life community provides moms with the network of support they need. This is because the pro-life movement is full of people who care deeply about moms and desire to see both mom and baby set up for long-term success.
Building a Culture of Life
Every day, pro-life advocates just like you show the deepest commitment to both the mom and child by providing holistic and much-needed services through thousands of pregnancy centers across the country. The benefits of this care give a mother facing an unexpected pregnancy the greatest opportunity to gain stability and to do what she truly desires – parent the child in her womb.
The focus must be building a culture of life where every mom and child is cherished. We will continue to innovate and pioneer new approaches until the vision to make abortion unthinkable and unnecessary is a reality. And that includes caring for both the mom and baby for the long haul, not just until the baby is born.
Do we care about the child? Of course! Do we care about the mom? Absolutely! In the hearts and actions of pro-lifers, both mom and child are equally valuable in their fundamental worth and significance.
[i] Tessa Longbons, David C. Reardon, Ph.D., “Study: Many Women Who Had Abortions Felt Pressured by Others”(May 25, 2023)
Study: Many Women Who Had Abortions Felt Pressured by Others