Contraception, a peer-reviewed academic journal just released a new study finding that pro-life pregnancy centers offer better services than abortion clinics.

As Roland Warren, President and CEO of Care Net, points out in this LifeChat, it’s interesting that this study was not reported in the mainstream press despite the fact that a lot has been said about “fake clinics” over the last few years.

In this episode, Roland discusses the new study and reveals the difference between transactional work and transformational ministry.

Find the full LifeChat: 
Study Compares Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Abortion Facilities

What's the difference between Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Abortion Facilities?

This new study provided strong statistical evidence that pro-life pregnancy centers offer better and less expensive services than abortion facilities. It found that pregnancy centers had shorter appointment wait times than abortion facilities and were considerably more likely to offer same-day appointments. Even more importantly, it found that abortion facilities frequently charge for pregnancy tests and ultrasounds whereas pregnancy centers almost never charge for those same services.

Roland explains, “This is great news. But frankly, I'm not surprised. We've always known about the incredibly high-quality services that care net affiliates and other pregnancy centers offer.”

Each year, from our national office, we provide more than 1,249 affiliated pregnancy centers across the country with tools, training, and other resources to help them do their work with excellence to serve women and men in their communities with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.

As a result, Care Net affiliated pregnancy centers have saved more than 940,000 lives since 2008 and presented the gospel more than two million times. This is Care Net holistic approach to serving people—we care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of a person.

Care Net sees this work, as a Christian ministry, as the difference between transactional work and transformational ministry. In a world of transactional work, we have experienced that people respond well to the work of transformational ministry.  

Isn’t this how Jesus served the woman with the issue of blood? Jesus didn't just walk away after healing her physically. No, He wanted her to be fully restored. Jesus wasn't simply offering a healthcare transaction but a transformational encounter so that she could be physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially reconnected to her community.

Roland emphasizes, “Jesus called her ‘sister,’ invited her back into the community, and did it in a public way—so that this woman who was once required to walk around saying, ‘unclean…unclean…unclean’ could now say, ‘I am clean…I am clean…I am clean.’” Jesus did that work. We at Care Net are called to do this work like Christ.

And it seems as though we are doing this great work. With this new study published, we see that at pregnancy centers, people are noticing that our services are better because abortion clinics are transactional, not transformational.

“The reality is that abortion clinics don't provide ministry and care regarding the life circumstances that brought the client into the clinic or that will await the clients when they leave," says Roland. 

• Was the woman abandoned by the father of the baby?
• Is she being abused?
• Does she live in poverty?
• What range of issues is she dealing with that led her to consider abortion?
• Is the father of the child in the picture?
• Can he be in the picture?
• What’s preventing him from being present?

Care Net centers offer support, thinking through these questions and many more.

Abortion clinics are not in the ministry of helping you alleviate your problems after you leave their clinic. When you learn the truth about pregnancy centers, you start to see how important these centers are to women, men, the family, the church, and the community.

With the transactional model, whether it's Planned Parenthood or a retail business, it simply isn’t made to transform lives. Only Jesus can transform lives. We’re thankful for this new study to shine a light on the great difference that Care Net centers are making in this world, every single day.