Heartbeat International’s global network of pregnancy support organisations has stepped up to meet the needs of women in 2023 by offering a consistent alternative to abortion.
continue Dobbs Reversal of decision Roe v. WadeIn 2010, the abortion landscape in the United States underwent a significant shift, moving toward greater accessibility, less medical oversight, and alarming increased risks to women’s health, exemplified by the fact that over 80% of all abortions in the United States are chemical abortions and that over the past three years there has been a significant increase (18%) in the proportion of women obtaining abortion pills online or from acquaintances.
This reality highlights the need for compassionate care and support for women facing unplanned pregnancies, such as that offered by pregnancy advocacy groups. As the landscape surrounding abortion changes, pregnancy advocacy groups are taking the necessary steps to serve women both in person and virtually.
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Heartbeat Internationalthe largest pregnancy support network in the U.S. and worldwide, recently released its annual Life Trends report outlining life-affirming pregnancy support.
Heartbeat and its global network of more than 3,500 pregnancy support providers work continuously to provide hope and support to women and families experiencing unplanned pregnancies. From this network of care, Heartbeat discovers and evaluates trends across the movement and uses them to inform and encourage others about the work accomplished. The information in the 2024 Life Trends Report is based on 2023 data and provides tools to better understand the services clients are seeking, as well as important information about the good work and positive impact of pregnancy support.
“Each year’s Life Trends Report represents one chapter in a larger, longer success story of pregnancy support,” said Jor El Ghodsy, president of Heartbeat International. “The graphs and statistics tie together the countless stories that unfold throughout the year in pregnancy support organizations.”
The total number of clients who visited affiliated pregnancy support organizations in 2023 was 1,949,457.
Heartbeat’s affiliated pregnancy support centers offer a wide range of services, from abstinence education and STD testing/treatment to abortion pill reversal and parenting classes. Here are some statistics about the centers from the latest Life Trends Report:
- 73% offer abortion recovery services.
- 31% are members of the Abortion Pill Rescue Network.
- 76% performed ultrasound examinations.
- 56% offer incentive programs to their clients.
- 34% offer STD testing.
- 80% of women considering an abortion choose to live after seeing the ultrasound results.
Abortion Trends: Increased access to abortion with little oversight
In addition to the fact that 80% of abortions in the United States are chemical abortions and that 22% of women report obtaining abortion pills online or from acquaintances in the past three years, data shows that since 2017, there has been a 38% decline in women receiving ultrasounds before the abortion begins, which deprives women of critical information about their pregnancy. To make matters worse, a quarter of abortions are unwanted or coerced, and abusers use the availability of abortion pills to control women’s reproductive choices.
Life Trend: Expanding Services
Conversely, pregnancy support groups often expand their reach by providing additional support to women in need with little or no federal taxpayer funding, and are doing so in 2023. For example, of the 2,187 Heartbeat-affiliated pregnancy support groups in the U.S., 256 have mobile units, 100 have on-site physicians, and 46 provide telehealth care.
Andrea Traden, vice president of communications and marketing for Heartbeat International, praised the increase in services and locations of pregnancy support groups under Heartbeat’s umbrella, but lamented the rise in chemical abortions due to lax regulations.
Tweet this: “We celebrate the growth in both pregnancy support services and locations highlighted in the latest Life Trends report.”
“We’re pleased to see the growth in both pregnancy support services and locations revealed in the latest Life Trends report,” she said, “but we’ve also noticed an alarming trend that all pregnancy support organisations need to be aware of: there has been a significant increase in women receiving abortion pills from friends or the internet over the past three years, rising from 1% in 2020 to a staggering 22% by 2023.”
Life Trends: Reversing the Abortion Pill
The Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN), managed by Heartbeat, offers a life-affirming option as opposed to chemical abortion. APRNs connect women who regret taking their first dose of abortion pill therapy to a network of medical professionals trained to implement abortion termination protocols. Life Trends figures on APR:
- Statistics show that more than 5,000 lives have been saved since 2012.
- 1,200 lives saved through APR in 2023
- An average of 150 women start the process of stopping abortion pills each month.
- In 2023, women from all 50 states and 93 countries contacted APRNs.
- 77% of women seeking an abortion do so within 24 hours of taking the abortion pill.
- 43% increase in reversal starts since 2020
Life Trend: Option Lines
The Option Line, run by Heartbeat, is a pregnancy helpline that is available 24/7 and serves as a vital resource, especially when pregnancy centers are closed, ensuring women who need help have access around the clock.
Option line statistics as of 2023:
- 58% of contacts are via phone
- 9% of contacts are made via chat
- 23% use self-service locators
- OptionLine connects someone to life-saving help every 76 seconds
- Since 2003, more than seven million women and men have contacted OptionsLine.
Increased access to abortion amid less oversight highlights the urgent need for pregnancy support, Trudden said.
“This underscores the urgency of our mission,” she said. “The window in which we can provide life-affirming alternatives is rapidly narrowing, and we must consider innovative ways to improve both our services and our speed of care.”
“Thankfully, we’re already seeing pregnancy support groups adding services like telehealth and on-site doctors who are available at all times,” Trudden said.
Godsey praised the service done daily by pregnancy advocacy groups and the life-affirming impact it has.
“We’re celebrating all the success stories and bringing them all together to show how we, as a community, are making a difference across the country and around the world,” Godsey said.
Read the full 2024 Life Trends Report here hereSee below for a breakdown of the statistics from the latest Life Trends Report. here.
Editor’s note: Heartbeat International runs Pregnancy Help News.
