This report reveals the guidelines governing pregnancy centers’ work and the specifics of how they operate.
LANSDOWNE, Va., October 4, 2016 -- Care Net, a nonprofit ministry that supports one of the nation's largest network of pregnancy centers, has released a new data- and story-driven report detailing the work of the thousands of community-based organizations around the country that are often referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers.”
Through data collected over the last 8 years from its network of over 1,100 affiliated pregnancy centers, the report illuminates the impact these centers have on women, men, families, and the communities they serve. Additionally, by putting a spotlight on Care Net’s standards of affiliation and the commitment of care and competence to which its affiliates agree, the report reveals the guidelines governing pregnancy centers’ work and the specifics of how they operate.
The report covers various aspects of pregnancy center operations, including location, advertising and signage, phone answering, and client feedback. This detailed look at their work illustrates why they have become some of the most trusted local organizations in the communities in which they operate. For example, the report shows that at least 97% of Care Net-affiliated pregnancy center clients have reported positive experiences after their visits.
Accordingly, the report details the confidential, compassionate, and free services these clients – women and men seeking assistance with unexpected, unplanned, or unexpectedly complicated pregnancies – receive. For example, between 2008 and 2015, Care Net-affiliated centers have provided 823,186 free ultrasound scans, 2.3 million free pregnancy tests, and over 940,000 people have received parenting support and education, and nearly 1.4 million people have received material resources.
The value of the services provided by Care Net-affiliated pregnancy centers was over $56 million in both 2014 and 2015; this amounts to over $112 million in free services for women, men, and families in the last two years. In 2015, for example, Care Net-affiliated centers provided $32,634,880 in free health services, such as ultrasounds, to the women and men they serve. Many of these services are provided in low-income and at-risk neighborhoods, offering families a way to get critical resources and support at no cost during a challenging time in their lives.
The report comes at a time when unfounded speculation about the work of pregnancy centers has become common from abortion supporters. In contrast to the conjecture provided by critics of pregnancy centers, the information in this report is based on widely collected data, client satisfaction surveys covering thousands of people, analysis of agreed-upon standards and practices, and stories from real clients. For example, critics of pregnancy centers often indicate that centers “appear” to be medical but are not. However, as this report outlines, whenever pregnancy centers offer medical services, such as ultrasounds, they function under the authority and direction of a licensed physician who is in good standing with the physician’s state licensing board; they only utilize trained and licensed medical professionals to perform medical procedures; and they carry sufficient medical liability coverage for the center and all medical personnel (unless they have their own coverage).
The report introduces fact-based analysis about the work and impact of pregnancy centers, and gives communities data-driven information on which to base their decisions about the services that are available to them through pregnancy centers. Most of the information in the report is already publicly available, but this report presents it in one place to give more context and a deeper understanding of the depth, breadth, and impact of pregnancy center work.
