In defense of state support for pro-life pregnancy resource centers | Opinion

Pregnancy resource centers are the latest bogeyman of the pro-abortion movement.

Those who favor unregulated abortion have rightly determined that these centers are making a positive impact for life and are of tremendous benefit to the women they serve. That is why they have made PRCs Public Enemy No. 1 and created one of the biggest smear campaigns of our time.

The truth is that PRCs offer a real alternative for women who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. PRCs offer free services like ultrasounds, parenting classes, financial resources, and a host of other amenities.

Nearly all of them are staffed with registered nurses and most have medical directors. A scientific study released in January shows that PRCs offer more immediate care and free services than abortion clinics. This is especially advantageous for low-income families.

That is why it is so important for the Kansas Legislature to enhance the support of these clinics and pass pending legislation to create a tax credit for donations to PRCs and strengthen a proven public-private partnership model.

PRCs rely on donors for the bulk of their services, nearly all of which are offered free to women, and increasingly dads-to-be. Tax credits would allow these centers to leverage donations into a larger impact for young families across the state.

Public-private partnerships to assist PRCs have already proven to be successful in states including Missouri, Arizona, Mississippi, and others.

This is more important than ever as the United States quickly becomes a checkerboard of pro-abortion and pro-life states. Women living in states where pro-life services are increasingly being snuffed out will have to travel to states like Kansas to get an accurate view of the life-affirming resources that are available.

A pregnant woman should know all the choices before her. While the pro-abortion movement calls itself “pro-choice,” there are far too many instances of women going into an abortion clinic and being coerced into an abortion.

PRCs are under attack, both literally and legislatively, across the country. Abortion activists are trying everything within their power to limit the operations of these facilities because they don’t align with their extreme pro-abortion beliefs. They are trying to limit their First Amendment rights and go after medical professionals who practice at PRCs.

Safeguards put into the proposed legislation ensure that donations will be used in a responsible manner. The legislation explicitly states that eligible PRCs must offer services at no cost to the client and utilize trained and licensed medical professionals to perform any available medical procedures.

This is a direct answer to the anti-PRC’s baseless label of “fake clinics” that they like to throw around.

It is time to acknowledge that PRCs are where a woman is truly informed of all the choices before her. PRCs lay out options, including adoption, and allow the woman to truly make her own decision.

PRCs also do a great job of coming alongside these women and supporting them throughout the process, even when they do choose to terminate a pregnancy. Three out of four PRCs offer after-abortion recovery and support to thousands of women every year.

A true measure of effectiveness can be found by how much your opponents disdain you and your mission. That is why the opposition to these centers is so vocal. The pro-abortion side correctly recognizes that these centers are effective and helpful to everyone who comes through their doors.

Their vitriol speaks volumes about the effectiveness of PRCs.

This story was originally published March 22, 2023 at 3:33 PM.