PRCs alleviate the stress of an unplanned pregnancy
The first week of November marked International Stress Awareness Week. Stress levels in the United States are at an all-time high. The American Psychological Association’s 2020 survey found that two out of every three adults (67%) experienced increased levels of stress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly, Americans are stressed and need resources to combat the sources of their anxiety.
Perhaps one of the most stressful events women commonly experience is an unplanned pregnancy. In 2018, 45% of the six million American pregnancies were unplanned or unintended. Roughly 40% of those unplanned pregnancies ended in abortion. Tragically, this means that only one out of every three unplanned pregnancies in the United States results in a child being born alive.
Thankfully, pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) exist for the sole purpose of supporting women needing assistance during their pregnancies. The approximately 3,000 PRCs spread across the nation seek to combat the stress and anxiety that women face as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.
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The impact of PRCs is immense. In 2019, pro-life pregnancy centers provided $266 million in free services (such as counseling, pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and STI testing) and material resources (such as food and clothing) to women.
The need for PRCs has only been augmented by the enactment of pro-life laws, such as the Texas Heartbeat Act (SB8) that prohibits elective abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected (around six weeks gestation). Since the law went into effect on September 1, PRCs in Texas have been inundated with women seeking their assistance and resources. Thankfully, the state has been well-equipped for years to meet the demand. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, “Pro-life pregnancy centers provided nearly $33 million in total services, materials, and support at virtually no cost to Texas women and families in 2019 […].”
PRCs not only provide children the opportunity to be born, but they also improve the conditions in which children are born by seeking to minimize the stress that mothers face during pregnancy. According to a Columbia University study, one in three women (33%) experience psychological or physical stress during pregnancy. Women who experience stress during pregnancy are more likely to give birth prematurely, and their children are more likely to have slower central nervous system development.
For all of the benevolent services that PRCs offer, the pro-abortion movement is nevertheless intent on eradicating all alternatives to abortion businesses for women seeking reproductive assistance. A quick internet search of “pregnancy resource center” will drudge up countless articles hailing PRCs as “fake abortion clinics” or “fake women’s health centers.”
PRCs are not “fake abortion clinics.” Rather, they are an entirely different type of organization that recognizes both the struggles of mothers facing unplanned pregnancies and the inherent human dignity of the unborn children in their wombs. In every pregnancy, whether planned or unplanned, there are two key players — the mother and the baby. Abortion businesses offer a “solution” that stops a child’s heart and breaks the mother’s. Conversely, PRCs provide substantive care to both the mother and her child.
Pregnancy resource centers provide meaningful, practical assistance that helps mothers follow the counsel of Philippians 4:6-7, which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Consider supporting your local PRC today. You can locate the PRCs near you by clicking here.
Originally published at the Family Research Council.
Joy Zavalick is Research Assistant for the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council.
