Pregnancy Clinics are under attack across the United States. Physically, they have become targets of arson, firebombing, graffiti, and property damage. Socially, they have been defamed as “fake clinics.” Politically, they are in danger of being unprotected and unfunded entities.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently vetoed $21.4 million in funding for Pregnancy Clinics that help women find abortion alternatives or adoption programs. This political decision furthers defamation and misinformation about the purpose of Pregnancy Clinics. It also creates an advantage for abortion providers as taxpayer money funds them rather than the Pregnancy Clinics who provide multiple resources for women.

Defaming Pregnancy Clinics

The current rhetoric on the side of pro-choice or pro-abortion advocates in the news, on social media, and even in our school systems is that Pregnancy Clinics are not “real clinics” and are there to “lie to women and prevent health care.”

Governor Whitmer’s Communication Director Bobby Leddy cited the reason for the veto is mostly attributed to “connections to fake women’s health centers or implementation concerns.” Pro-Choice political leaders like Whitmer openly align themselves with the same message vandalizers are spreading.

Leddy elaborated, “As such, Governor Whitmer is expected to veto funding for centers that often purport to offer comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, but don’t, preying on women at a vulnerable time in their lives.” It is a far cry to accuse Pregnancy Clinics of being predators just because they do not offer abortions when they do in fact provide essential medical care, support services, and free resources.

Tax Dollars Fund Abortion

In July, Gov. Whitmer spoke on her goal to provide for Title X clinics, or clinics that are publicly supported and categorized under a federal grant program. Whitmer supports Title X clinics that provide “comprehensive health care and reproductive freedom.” In other words, she supports clinics that will provide abortions and emergency contraception including Plan B and abortion pills.

The disregarded truth is that Pregnancy Clinics do provide comprehensive care for women while Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers’ primary service is abortion. Planned Parenthood is a business while Pregnancy Clinics are ministries and nonprofits that would still be serving women no matter what the law says.

Pregnancy Clinics Far Exceed Abortion Clinics

According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, there are 13 Pregnancy Clinics for every one Planned Parenthood. While there are nearly 200 Women’s Health and Pregnancy Clinics in Michigan, there are only 15 Planned Parenthood locations. However, which clinic sees more government funding?

Medicaid has been the long-standing provider of Planned Parenthood’s government revenue. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood reported $616.8 million in government funding. Are abortion providers like Planned Parenthood giving comprehensive care to low-income families and women in crisis to validate this funding?

As the leading practitioner of abortion in the United States, Planned Parenthood performs hundreds of thousands of abortions while other non-abortion services they offer continue to decline. Planned Parenthood is 41 times more likely to perform an abortion than to provide prenatal care. Of the three pregnancy-related services Planned Parenthood provides (abortion, adoption referral, and prenatal services), abortion makes up 97 percent.

The Truth about Pregnancy Clinics

Pregnancy Clinics receive are not truthfully represented for the services and care they provide for women. What do Pregnancy Clinics in the United States do for women? They offer professional care to women and youth on a free or low-cost basis.

Pregnancy Clinics provide essential services including pregnancy testing, consultations (education on parenting, adoption, and abortion), medical services (early obstetrical ultrasounds, medical exams, STD testing and treatment), prenatal and parenting education, material assistance (diapers, baby outfits, new car seats and strollers), sexual risk avoidance education, after-abortion recovery support, medical care referrals, connections to community and public health resources.

Data from 2019 shows Pregnancy Clinics across the U.S.

  • Served close to 2 million people
  • Provided $266 million in free services
  • Offered parenting and prenatal courses to 291,230 parents
  • Performed 486,213 free ultrasounds
  • Provided 927,251 free consultations with new clients
  • Provided 731,884 free pregnancy tests
  • Offered 1,290,079 packs of diapers
  • Supplied 2 million baby clothes

Of the 2700 centers in the 2019 data,

  • 810 locations offered STD testing
  • 563 locations offered STD treatment onsite
  • 305 locations offered Abortion Pill Reversal
  • 120 locations were Medical Mobile Units with Ultrasound
  • 2,525 locations offered material assistance
  • 10,215 licensed medical professionals worked or volunteered

This is just a glimpse of what Pregnancy Clinics offer women. The care continues to grow. In 2021, there were approximately 3000 Pregnancy Clinic locations including mobile units. Pregnancy Clinics are adapting to meet more needs in their community including expansion for outreach to victims of human trafficking, clients with opioid addiction, and those struggling with mental health problems due to past abortion and trauma.

Called to Love

While many political leaders have the platform to harm life-affirming help for women, we, as Christians, are called to love. Pregnancy Clinics are slandered because they meet essential needs for women in times of crisis, doing the work Jesus called us to do. There is nothing “fake” about the medical, educational, and tangible help these Clinics provide.

Continue to support Pregnancy Clinics and women in your community. Speak truth in love about the sanctity of life as you defend preborn lives. Your help ensures women and babies are supported with multiple resources and pointed toward life and salvation.