Pregancy Support

In the United States, 60.2 per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 become pregnant each year,¹ resulting in 3.86 million births in 2017² — the lowest birth rate in the last three decades.³ Three of every four women who have an abortion in the United States cite that the reason for their abortion is that they are unable to afford a child. Over one million infants are aborted in the United States each year.⁴ Additionally, women without prenatal care or pregnancy support have a higher risk of birthing a child with a range of medical and developmental issues.⁵ The U.S. Pregnant Women Support Act (2009–2010) prohibited insurance companies from deeming pregnancy a “preexisting condition” and mandates that newborns be granted a continuation of their mother’s healthcare coverage. The Pregnant Women Support Act also enabled the Secretary of Health and Human Services to offer grants for ultrasound equipment to clinics and other health centers.⁶ In developing nations, 21 million adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant each year — 16 million of those girls give birth each year.⁷ Pregnancies in adolescents are more common in developing, impoverished regions where education and employment opportunities are lacking.⁸