Pregnancy Resource Centers Provide Invaluable Services and Support to Women and Families Throughout the Country
Pregnancy resource centers (“PRC” or “pregnancy center”) across the United States serve a unique purpose for American women and their families. They are established to directly provide critical client services, materials, and counseling for low-income women. Outspokenly pro-life, these organizations do not perform, induce, or refer for abortions at any given time. Some of the services they do provide, however, include pregnancy testing, obstetrical ultrasounds, educational classes on sexual risk avoidance, counseling, and STD testing and treatment. Their care also extends to more practical needs for mothers, including baby clothes, diapers, strollers, and other material goods donated from the community. In their goodwill, pregnancy centers provide these services and materials at little to no cost.
In partnership, pregnancy centers work with their communities to provide extended care and assistance. They refer women to local job centers, maternity homes, housing agencies, drug rehabilitation centers, public health resources, and social service organizations. Many programs are also readily available, including: parenting and childbirth classes, adoption support, fatherhood programs, and abortion recovery programs. According to CareNet and the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the estimated value of the services provided by the 2,700 pro-life pregnancy centers across the United States in 2019 was $266,764,916. And by 2021, there were 3,000 PRCs providing their invaluable services for low-income women. This staggering total is the result of many dedicated communities coming together to support these pregnancy centers and the women they serve.
With the Overturning of Roe v. Wade, it is Important, Now More than Ever, to Support the Good Work Pregnancy Centers do for Underserved Women and Families
Now that we are in a post-Dobbs world, it has become increasingly important to support pregnancy centers. Recently, PRCs have been subject to attacks ranging from individuals vandalizing PRCs’ buildings to legislators putting forth legislation specifically targeting pregnancy centers for their pro-life views. According to Catholic Vote, about 84 PRCs and pro-life groups have been attacked and vandalized since the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade last May. Consequently, it is important to support PRCs in their continued efforts to serve women and families, especially when most PRCs are funded solely by donations from their local community.
AUL Responds to the Rising Need To Support Pregnancy Resource Centers in a Post-Dobbs World Through New Model Bill
One way to support PRCs is through pro-life legislation. Americans United for Life (“AUL”) recently released new model legislation under our American Life Initiative in response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. One of AUL’s new model bills is the Pregnancy Options Tax Credit Act. This bill acknowledges the invaluable services that PRCs offer to women by extending a tax credit for individuals and businesses that donate to pregnancy centers. Under the bill, individuals and businesses will receive a tax credit for their donations that reduce their tax liability, dollar-for-dollar. For example, the model language of the bill states that a taxpayer can receive a tax credit in the amount of either 50% of their voluntary cash contributions or $1,000, whichever amount is lesser. Thus, if an individual donates $1,000 to a PRC, they will receive a $500 tax credit (which is 50% of their voluntary cash contribution), i.e., their tax liability will be reduced by $500. The bill also allows for unused tax credits to be carried forward for five consecutive years. Notably, the bill’s model language can be adapted to any tax mechanism that a state employs, such as state income tax or property tax.
Ultimately, the bill provides an opportunity for individuals who support pregnancy centers to invest more in their community and put their money toward helping underserved women and families. This is all done at the individual taxpayer’s prerogative and not as a government mandate. As pregnancy centers receive additional financial support from their local communities, they will be able to extend the reach of their care to more women and families. Arizona, Mississippi, and Missouri have enacted similar laws that allow state residents to receive tax credits for their PRC contributions. Since enacting these laws, those states have seen an increase in donations to pregnancy centers and an increase in the number of pregnancy centers.
AUL’s Commitment to Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers
AUL is committed to enacting life-affirming measures that support pro-life pregnancy centers, which is why AUL created the Pregnancy Options Tax Credit Act. By rewarding individuals and businesses with a tax credit for their voluntary contributions to pro-life pregnancy centers, AUL’s model bill ensures that more women receive free and essential professional care during their pregnancies and post-partum.
