Report Spotlights Pregnancy Centers

A new report on pregnancy resource centers has found that these organizations serve an estimated 1.9 million people each year and rely heavily on volunteer support. The report, A Passion to Serve, A Vision for Life, surveyed the activities of some 2,300 pregnancy resource centers in the United States that do not offer, recommend or refer for abortions. “Twenty-nine of every 30 people engaged in pregnancy center work are volunteers,” the report said. “The centers raise at least $200 million in income each year, with more than 90 percent of these funds coming from private charitable giving.” Chuck Donovan of the Heritage Foundation, the co-author of the study, said that the centers have “reduced abortions by tens of thousands.” In addition to pregnancy assistance, these centers offer abstinence counseling and education and community outreach. Some also offer medical services such as ultrasounds and H.I.V. and AIDS testing. The centers surveyed operate under three major networks: Care Net, Heartbeat International and the National Institute of Family & Life Advocates.