Real choices for women starts with complete pregnancy support
As a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologic surgeon, it is both alarming and heartbreaking to see the blatant false messages about the thousands of free and excellent pregnancy help clinics across America.
Since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision last year, abortion has remained at the forefront of the national conversation, and abortion providers have been very busy spreading misinformation about healthcare practices for women who deserve to hear the truth when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
False messages about how pregnancy health clinics delay critical access to care and how they lure women in with false advertising are frequently spread. The truth is that women need access to factual pregnancy information, and they deserve excellent healthcare when they find themselves unexpectedly pregnant. From my work treating thousands of women over the past 17 years, I know that facing an unexpected pregnancy is already a scary and confusing time without all of the pressure to make a singular choice to abort that women/couples might later regret. Pregnancy health clinics across America are offering the compassionate and excellent healthcare that women deserve.
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When a woman finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, pregnancy health clinics serve as a first responders. These clinics, overseen by a physician medical director, offer pregnancy tests, perform ultrasounds, administer sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, give medical counseling on the risks and benefits of all pregnancy options, as well as give prescriptions for pregnancy-related medications needed. Pregnancy health clinics support women to make a decision for their pregnancy that is best for them while offering gold-standard medical services. Furthermore, these clinics offer emotional and social care, something desperately needed during an unexpected pregnancy.
It is no surprise that finance has a seat at the table when influencing healthcare access. After the federal overturn of Roe v. Wade, $198.5 million in new state funding has been focused on states that protect access to abortion — not to mention the hundreds of millions in federal funding granted to abortion providers. Abortion providers have consistently proven they are more interested in the value of the dollar than in the value and health of women. This federal funding would be in much better hands if allocated to local pregnancy health clinics that have the full intention of using funds to better serve women facing unplanned pregnancies by giving them the complete risks and benefits of all of their choices. Sadly, abortion providers present one option to women and collect another $500+ at the door to provide an abortion, regardless of the patient's socio-economic status. Oftentimes when a woman can’t personally pay for an abortion, state taxpayers cover the bill to end the life in the womb.
Pregnancy health clinics currently serve more than 2.3 million people each year, offering an alternative perspective to the profit-driven practices of abortion providers. By focusing on the needs of women and ensuring that financial considerations do not compromise their treatment, pregnancy health clinics care more about complete healthcare over monetary gain.
With 91% of Americans supporting pregnancy health clinics, Save the Storks’ National Partner Program is working to help these clinics to serve women in an increased capacity by providing a path toward AAAHC accreditation, elevating medical standards and offerings, and extending operational hours.
When it comes to providing women with choices, laws shouldn’t restrict pregnancy health clinics’ funding or access to advertising. Recent pro-abortion laws have, in fact, removed choices from women, violated First Amendment freedoms, and are an attempt to shut down life-affirming alternatives to abortion. The passage of these bills is nothing short of frightening as they actually strip away “choice” from women’s rights. It’s time we remember that life-affirming options are an important choice that includes full support and care for women and babies during and after pregnancy.
Dr. Karysse Trandem is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologic surgeon and the National Medical Director for Save the Storks, a nonprofit organization that empowers women with resources, education and support to help them choose a healthy life for themselves and their babies.
