MASSACHUSETTS PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS TO A.G. HEALEY AND SENATOR WARREN, “PLEASE COME AND SEE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO”
July 21, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]
Tel: 617-242-4199, Ext. 232
BOSTON -- Recently, pregnancy resource centers have been wrongly accused and egregiously misrepresented to the media, lawmakers, and the general public. Our reputations have sustained significant damage. Although we prefer to do our life-saving work out of the spotlight, it’s time to shine a bright light on who we are and what we do for all to see and understand.
“Pregnancy resource center” is a broad umbrella term that consists of licensed medical clinics, medical offices, maternity homes, and parenting support centers. Misleading lists of “Fake Clinics” published online or in local newspapers, and sadly touted by some of our highest elected officials, fail to take into account that many centers do not claim to be “clinics” at all. The services offered in each of the approximately thirty pregnancy resource centers throughout Massachusetts vary greatly, but all are committed to offering quality, compassionate care at no cost to those we serve. Pregnancy resource centers are guided by ethical standards that include being honest and truthful in communicating with our clients and advertising the services we provide. Most centers are affiliated with national organizations that also require adherence to nationwide standards, including truth in advertising.
We are proud of the quality, compassionate care we provide every day in cities and towns across the Commonwealth. Doctors and nurses serving in our medical clinics and medical offices provide a vital service to women and families through early pregnancy diagnosis, STI testing, prenatal health education and pregnancy options counseling. We ensure that women and families facing an unplanned pregnancy have the comprehensive information required to make an informed decision – one based on fact and not fear. To that end, we provide education on adoption, parenting, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and fetal development for all clients.
Our client advocates assist every client with a customized care plan that covers: insurance, housing, material support, food security, and more should there be a need.
Our maternity homes provide safe learning environments for mothers who have already chosen to continue their pregnancy. Mothers receive housing, job training, and education that helps them succeed in providing for their families. Parenting centers offer continual care and material resources for mothers and their children. In 2021 alone, our centers served nearly 3,000 women, providing over 1,500 pregnancy tests and more than 1,200 ultrasounds at no cost to our clients. We also distributed over a quarter of a million dollars-worth of goods for free, including 20,000 packages of diapers and 1,000 packages of baby wipes. We also helped nearly one hundred women with post-abortion counseling, and we do all of this through donations from local supporters.
Our work empowers women in a safe, supportive space where they learn about all their options and have access to resources they need to make the choice that is right for them. Sadly, many women are still not adequately educated on fetal development or on the risks of abortion and how having an abortion may affect them emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. Adoption is also still very misunderstood and is often rejected as a positive, viable option.
And while we recognize that abortion is a choice that many women ultimately make, we do not perform or refer for abortions, nor do we provide ongoing prenatal care. After a woman makes her decision, we continue to provide support and resources for her to successfully parent or release for adoption and offer comfort when an abortion experience causes grief or regret.
We are an essential part of the communities we serve. Many of us have been doing this work for decades and rely on thousands of local supporters, who desire to help women and families. Our work does not cost the taxpayers of Massachusetts anything,
To Senator Warren and Attorney General Healey, and to any other elected official who has questions, we extend an invitation to you to come and meet our teams and tour our clinics. Based on what we hear you say, you seem to be receiving false information regarding pregnancy centers from biased sources. Unfortunately, some people are so angry about the recent Supreme Court decision that they feel the need to lash out, and they’ve made us the target. There were even two incidents of vandalism this month against clinics in Worcester. You may not agree with us, but at least have the courtesy of educating yourselves in person about our work before you criticize it. Come and see who we are and what we do. Be willing to listen to the women we serve. We know it will put your mind at ease.
Massachusetts Coalition of Pregnancy Resource Centers