{"id":178668,"date":"2018-02-06T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=178668"},"modified":"2018-02-02T18:08:06","modified_gmt":"2018-02-02T23:08:06","slug":"ten-numbers-know-pregnancy-centers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/ten-numbers-know-pregnancy-centers\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten numbers you should know about pregnancy centers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>) With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear a challenge<\/a> to a 2015 state law that forces 200 privately funded pregnancy centers to advertise California\u2019s taxpayer-funded abortions, many who were previously unfamiliar with these pro-life nonprofits are becoming aware of them for the first time.<\/p>\n

To be sure, plenty is riding on the case, National Institute for Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra<\/em>, which the Court agreed to hear on grounds that the law in question\u2014the so-called \u201cReproductive FACT Act\u201d\u2014violates pregnancy centers\u2019 free speech rights as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n

Though the Court declined to hear the case on grounds that it violates religious liberty, its free speech tack echoes an earlier ruling<\/a> by a lower court that halted the law on grounds that it violates the California Constitution\u2019s guarantee of the \u201cindividual freedom of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the case has gained national attention, so have pregnancy help centers\u2014long considered the best-kept secret in the pro-life movement.<\/p>\n

Here are 10 numbers to know about U.S. pregnancy help centers and medical clinics, gathered from national networks Heartbeat International, Care Net and NIFLA:<\/p>\n

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  1. <\/b>2,752 Locations <\/strong><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While it\u2019s true that locally run pregnancy help centers (including medical clinics and mobile ultrasound units) significantly outnumber abortion businesses, it\u2019s an exaggeration to claim\u2014as Slate.com<\/a> and The Huffington Post<\/a> most recently have\u2014 that the nonprofits outnumber abortion clinics at a 3-to-1 margin.<\/p>\n

    According to Heartbeat\u2019s Worldwide Directory of Pregnancy Help<\/a>, there are 2,752 pregnancy help locations throughout the U.S., while the Guttmacher Institute<\/a>\u2014originally founded as Planned Parenthood\u2019s research arm\u2014reports 1,793 abortion clinics in the U.S.<\/p>\n

    Comparisons such as 3-to-1 and even 2-to-1 (a claim debunked<\/a> by Politifact in 2016) rely on a misleading comparison between pregnancy centers and stand-alone abortion businesses\u2014which excludes hospitals and clinics that perform genuine medical services in addition to abortion.<\/p>\n

    Out of the nation\u2019s nearly 1,800 abortion facilities, 704 are stand-alone abortion businesses, according to a recent report<\/a> from Operation Rescue. That number includes 490 businesses that offer both surgical and chemical abortions, but no genuine medical services.<\/p>\n

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    1. <\/b>Six in 10 Centers Offer Free Ultrasounds<\/strong><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Offering each woman and her family the chance to meet their newest member in utero, six out of every 10 pregnancy centers in the U.S.\u20141,661 total\u2014serve women with free limited obstetric ultrasounds.<\/p>\n

      \"Pregnancy<\/p>\n

      While it\u2019s impossible to definitively pinpoint the effectiveness of an ultrasound (given the complexity and uniqueness of each woman\u2019s journey through an unexpected pregnancy), mothers like Kelsey<\/a> say they decided against abortion the moment they met their child through an ultrasound at a pregnancy center.<\/p>\n

      \u201cIt was an indescribable moment for me,\u201d Kelsey said. \u201cI believe it was the moment I unconsciously decided I could never get an abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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      1. <\/b>A Total of 248,832 Free Ultrasounds<\/strong><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Up 10 percent from a 2011 study<\/a> by the Family Research Council, pregnancy centers in the U.S. combined to deliver 248,832 ultrasounds in 2016\u2014a number that is continuing to rise as more centers add ultrasound services.<\/p>\n

        Performed to confirm a viable pregnancy, every ultrasound at a pregnancy help medical clinic is free to clients, with donors covering nearly all costs involved.<\/p>\n

        Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood\u2014which receives over $550 million per year in taxpayer funding\u2014charges its clients<\/a> $150 for an intake visit that comprises an ultrasound, lab work and \u201coptions counseling\u201d prior to an abortion.<\/p>\n