Abstract
Objectives
Twenty-nine states enable taxpayer funding to go to pregnancy resource centers (PRCs,
often called crisis pregnancy centers), which are usually antiabortion organizations
that aim to dissuade women from abortion. Some abortion rights advocates have called
for the elimination of PRCs. However, we know little about why women visit PRCs.
Study design
We analyzed deidentified intake survey data from first-time clients to a secular,
all-options PRC located in Indiana between July and December 2015 on their reason(s)
for seeking services, material resources provided and content of any peer counseling.
We analyzed visitor logs of all (not just first-time) clients for repeat clients.
Frequencies were computed in Excel.
Results
A total of 273 first-time clients visited the PRC during the study period. Their most
frequent reason for seeking services was free diapers (87%), followed by baby clothes/items
(44%). They most frequently discussed parenting resources/referrals in peer counseling
(55%). Only 6% of clients discussed pregnancy options and only 2% discussed abortion
during peer counseling. Nearly half of the PRC's total clients were repeat visitors.
Conclusion
PRC clients largely sought parenting, not pregnancy, resources. The underutilization
of pregnancy-options counseling and high demand for parenting materials and services
point to unmet needs among caregivers of young children, particularly for diapers.
Our findings are limited in their generalizability to typical PRCs, which are conservative
Christian and antiabortion. Nonetheless, our results suggest the need to rethink the
allocation of resources toward funding or eliminating PRCs solely for the purpose
of influencing women's decisions about abortion.
Implications
Understanding the services women who go to PRCs seek (i.e. diapers and parenting support)
can help women's health advocates better meet those needs, notably in contexts that
are nonjudgmental about women's pregnancy decisions.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 13, 2016
Accepted:
April 6,
2016
Received in revised form:
April 4,
2016
Received:
January 25,
2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
