3 in 4 Americans support public funding of pro-life pregnancy centers, poll finds

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Guadalupe Hernandez receives an ultrasound by nurse practitioner Gail Brown during a prenatal exam at the Maternity Outreach Mobile in Phoenix, Arizona October 8, 2009. The maternity outreach program helps uninsured women living in the Phoenix metropolitan area receive the proper treatment and care during and after their pregnancy. The Maternity Outreach Mobile is equipped with two exam rooms, an ultrasound machine, an external fetal monitor, a laboratory and offers pregnancy tests, referrals and immunization for children. | Reuters/Joshua Lott

A majority of Americans have a favorable view of pro-life crisis pregnancy centers even as politicians and corporations work to discourage the public from accessing them, a new poll suggests.

Polling conducted by CRC Research between Aug. 3 and Aug. 7 reviewed by The Christian Post shows that 74% of Americans surveyed support the public funding of pro-life pregnancy centers after learning about their services.

Specifically, 42% of the 1,600 likely voters surveyed strongly support the public funding of pro-life pregnancy centers, and an additional 32% somewhat support the idea.

By contrast, just 14% of respondents opposed the idea of providing public funding to pro-life pregnancy centers, with 8% strongly opposed and 6% somewhat opposed.

Support for publicly funding pregnancy centers cut across party lines, with 78% of Republicans, 72% of Independents and 73% of Democrats favoring the provision of taxpayer dollars to such organizations.

The poll measured support for public funding of pro-life pregnancy centers at 80% among self-described conservatives, 74% among self-identified Independents and 68% among those who categorize themselves as liberals.

Before hearing details about what pro-life pregnancy centers provide, 64% of those surveyed supported the public funding of such organizations: 70% of Democrats, 66% of liberals, 65% of moderates, 64% of conservatives, 62% of Independents and 62% of Republicans. The likely voters who participated in the survey began to change their views about pro-life pregnancy centers after learning more about them.

The survey informed respondents that pregnancy resource centers "provide resources for pregnant women in need, including prenatal care, clothing, diapers, [and] housing assistance," "empower women to choose life for their child during pregnancy and after delivery," "allow women to reach their goals and keep their baby" and "allow women facing unexpected pregnancies to keep their baby and give them the tools to achieve success and independence."

The poll asked respondents if they are more or less likely to support "a candidate who supports legislation that publicly funds pregnancy centers." Sixty-seven percent of participants classified themselves as "more likely" to vote for candidates who support the public funding of pro-life pregnancy centers. Thirty-one percent said they were "much more likely" and 35% "somewhat more likely" to do so.

Only 17% identified themselves as "less likely" to vote for such candidates, with 9% "much less likely" and 8% "somewhat less likely." Broken down by partisan affiliation and political ideology, 73% of conservatives, 72% of Republicans, 67% of Democrats, 66% of moderates, 62% of Independents and 62% of liberals are "more likely" to vote for candidates who favor the public funding of pregnancy resource centers.

Following the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court's draft opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization finding that the Constitution doesn't contain a right to abortion, pro-life pregnancy centers found themselves subject to vandalism and violence.

The poll found overwhelming support (80%) for prosecuting those responsible for vandalism against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches and little opposition to the proposal (12%).

Eighty percent of respondents also agreed that "elected officials should publicly denounce this behavior and call for those engaging in it to be brought to justice." Just 11% of likely voters disagreed with the aforementioned statement.

By a more than 2-1 margin, likely voters said they were "less likely" to "vote for an elected official who refuses to speak out against acts of rage, violence, and vandalism against a pregnancy resource center."

Fifty-nine percent of voters are "less likely" to support an elected official who did not condemn violence against pro-life pregnancy centers, while 26% are "more likely" to support such a candidate: 63% of Republicans and Independents, 62% of conservatives and moderates and 53% of liberals and Democrats.

As Axios reported Tuesday, the internet directory service Yelp will begin adding disclaimers to listings about pro-life pregnancy centers, noting that "crisis pregnancy centers typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite."

In an email to Axios, Yelp's Vice President of User Operations Noelle Malik defended the move as part of the company's "efforts to provide consumers with access to reliable information about reproductive health."

"It has always felt unjust to me that there are clinics in the U.S. that provide misleading information or conduct deceptive tactics to steer pregnant people away from abortion care if that's the path they choose to take," Malik wrote.

At the same time, Malik acknowledged that "Not all consumers visiting a crisis pregnancy center's business page may be seeking out abortion services."

Yelp's announcement comes after a group of lawmakers sent a letter to Google urging the digital media giant to "limit the appearance of anti-abortion fake clinics or so-called 'crisis pregnancy centers' in Google search results, Google Ads, and on Google Maps when users search for 'abortion clinic,' 'abortion pill,' or similar terms."

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, issued a statement Tuesday condemning Yelp's move.

"Shame on Big Tech companies like Yelp for colluding with the abortion lobby in their war on compassionate pregnancy help," she said.

"Discriminatory labels are not meant to inform, but to scare women away from receiving the support and resources they need. America's pregnancy centers exist to serve women and families, taking financial pressures and other types of coercion out of the equation. The abortion lobby meanwhile fights tooth and nail against women's right to informed consent, including hearing their baby's heartbeat or seeing an ultrasound."

Dannenfelser maintained that "pregnancy centers effectively save lives, and the radical abortion lobby and their extremist Democrat allies Elizabeth Warren are desperate to 'crack down' on them." She argues, "Pro-abortion lies are fueling an unprecedented rash of attacks against them."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of pro-life pregnancy centers.

She introduced a bill titled "The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act," which targets such organizations and prohibits "the use of misleading statements related to the provision of abortion services."

Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com