Month: December 2025

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Supreme Court on Dec. 2 heard oral arguments in an appeal from a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey challenging an investigation by that state’s attorney general alleging they misled people about their services and seeking information about their donors.

First Choice Women’s Resource Centers operates five centers in the Garden State that provide some medical services, including ultrasounds, to women with unplanned pregnancies.

In 2023, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin moved to launch a consumer protection probe investigating First Choice, alleging they misrepresented themselves to clients as if their services included referrals for abortion. As part of his probe, he issued a subpoena seeking information including about its donors — but before the expiration date, First Choice asked a federal court to intervene on its behalf, arguing the probe violated its First Amendment rights.

A key question in the case is whether First Choice must first pursue its claims in state court or meet the legal threshold for the federal court.

Erin Hawley, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom — a legal organization representing First Choice — and vice president of ADF’s Center for Life and Regulatory Practice, argued to the justices that “this Court has long safeguarded the right of association by protecting the membership and donor lists of nonprofit organizations like First Choice.”

“Yet the Attorney General of New Jersey issued a sweeping subpoena commanding on pain of contempt that first choice produced donor names, addresses and phone numbers so his office could contact and question them,” Hawley, who also is the wife of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., added.

Hawley argued that the probe chilled her clients’ First Amendment rights and that “First Choice is simply asking for its day in federal court.”

Sundeep Iyer, who represented New Jersey, denied Hawley’s argument, instead arguing that any disclosure of such information from the subpoena is “wholly contingent on a future state court order requiring production.”

“My friends on the other side, don’t let the actual factual allegations get in the way of telling a story about hostility here, but I think that story is just not borne out by the record evidence that’s been offered here” he said.

But in a notable moment, Justice Elena Kagan asked Iyer whether “an ordinary person, one of the funders for this organization, or for any similar organization, presented with this subpoena and then told, ‘but don’t worry, it has to be stamped by a court,'” is “going to take that as very reassuring?”

In remarks on a press call with reporters the previous day, Aimee Huber, executive director of First Choice, said, “On November 15, 2023, a representative from New Jersey’s Attorney General’s office came to my office, asked for me, and handed me a subpoena. It commanded us to release up to 10 years of documentation on our donor communications, advertising statements about abortion pill reversal, and even our donors’ identities. There were no allegations of wrongdoing. It was simply a fishing expedition.”

Proponents of a process sometimes called abortion pill reversal say administering a dose of progesterone in an attempt to stop the effects of a chemical or medication abortion can halt the effects of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in the process. But opponents argue that it is an unproven method. A 2019 study of the abortion reversal process was ended early due to safety concerns. New Jersey and New York are among the states that have probed organizations that advertise abortion pill reversal.

A spokesperson for Platkin’s office did not immediately respond to a request from OSV News for comment.

The First Amendment issues at play in the case drew support for First Choice from a broad range of organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of New Jersey joined an amicus brief written by the Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression, or FIRE, in support of what they argued was First Choice’s right to seek federal relief.

“Even before they’re enforced, law enforcement subpoenas seeking sensitive donor information threaten to scare away supporters essential to any nonprofit’s work,” Brian Hauss, deputy project director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a Dec. 2 statement. “At a time when government officials throughout the country abuse regulatory powers to punish their ideological opponents, federal courts must remain a venue in which people can vindicate their First Amendment rights.”

Ashley McGuire, senior fellow at The Catholic Association, argued in a Dec. 2 statement that pregnancy resource centers “are an essential part of a pro-life safety net that enables women to thrive as the mothers they want to be.”

“They provide essential medical and material support to mothers and babies valued at more than $450 million annually, going beyond meeting the immediate needs of women in crisis pregnancies,” she said. “PRCs help transform expectant mothers’ lives with housing, parenting classes, and job training, to name a few invaluable resources. Given that the overwhelming majority of women who have abortions say they were pressured or coerced and that 60 percent of post-abortive women say they would have preferred to have their baby if they had support, PRCs offer what women want: a true choice. And yet, they face never-ending legal harassment.”

First Choice states on its website that it works to “equip women and men to make informed pregnancy decisions” about a range of options.

“First Choice Women’s Resource Centers is an abortion clinic alternative that does not perform or refer for termination services,” it states.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion.

(OSV News) – Dozens of “home mission dioceses” across the nation have received much-needed financial support, provided by the generosity of U.S. Catholics through an annual collection.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Dec. 1 that 69 mission dioceses and Eastern Catholic eparchies had been awarded a collective total of more than $7.8 million in grants.

The allocations — which ranged from $10,000 to approximately $145,000 — were determined by the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions, which met earlier in the fall to review the 2025-2026 grant applications.

The awarded funds were made possible through the USCCB’s annual Catholic Home Missions appeal. The collection, taken up in many dioceses and parishes on the last weekend in April, was established in 1998 to strengthen U.S.-based mission dioceses.

Donations to the appeal can also be made through the iGiveCatholic.org platform.

Mission dioceses rely on sustained aid, including funds from the annual collection, in order to provide basic pastoral services to the faithful.

In its announcement, the USCCB noted that the mission dioceses and Eastern Catholic eparchies receiving the grants “are found across the United States and its territories,” with many located “in regions with small Catholic populations in rural areas affected by economic hardship.”

The USCCB said the grants “support parish and diocesan operations, as well as ministries of evangelization, catechesis, and healing that grow and strengthen the Church.”

Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of New Ulm, Minnesota, who chairs the USCCB home missions subcommittee, said in a statement that parishioners contributing to the annual appeal “bring faith, hope and love where it is most needed,” regardless of the amount of their gift.

The donations “have a profound, positive impact on Catholics who face poverty or the isolation of being a small, minority faith,” he said.

Among the recipients for this year’s grants is the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, with the $60,000 in funds applied to the diocese’s ministry on the Standing Rock Reservation, which covers 2.3 million acres in both South and North Dakota and is home to both the Lakota and Dakota nations.

The ministry, led by three Franciscan women religious and a priest, provides home visitation and parish faith formation for about 500 Catholics, as well as social support for 8,000 residents of various faiths.

The Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, received $50,000 to bolster its Office of Deliverance Ministry, which works to offer both spiritual and emotional care for those experiencing the wounds of sin and oppression. The more than 100 visits per month the ministry sees include prayers of healing and the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

The USCCB subcommittee approved $145,000 for the Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary Queen of Peace, whose 24 priests serve some 11,000 parishioners across the nation, and which has no paid lay staff. The grant will make possible “a wide range of ministry, including a youth summer camp, retreats, family conventions and vocational discernment,” said the USCCB.

Bishop Zielinski said such programs “reveal the wide range of spiritual and financial needs that the Catholic Home Missions Appeal addresses.”

Noting that “parishioners in mission dioceses already give sacrificially from their limited means,” Bishop Zielinski said, “My prayer is that their example of faith will inspire the rest of us to dig deeper to help our neighbors carry out the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us.”

BEIRUT (CNS) – Acknowledging the existence of “circumstances that are highly complex, conflictual and uncertain,” Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lebanon preaching peace.

Just a week before the pope arrived Nov. 30, Israel had made its latest strike on Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah commander and four militants in a suburb of Beirut.

Arriving from Istanbul, a two-hour flight, Pope Leo was met at the Beirut airport by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, the largest of the Catholic churches in Lebanon.

After a 21-cannon salute and the playing of the Lebanese and Vatican anthems, they headed to the presidential palace in Beirut.

Hundreds of people lined the streets near the presidential palace to see the pope, and many stayed even when a heavy rain began. The rain also did not stop a dance troupe outside the palace from performing a traditional “dabke” dance featuring rhythmic stomping, which made a literal splash.

After the private meetings, the president and the pope addressed about 400 government officials, as well as religious, business, cultural and civic leaders.

Not mentioning Israel by name, Pope Leo praised the Lebanese as “a people who do not give up, but in the face of trials, always know how to rise again with courage.”

“Your resilience is an essential characteristic of authentic peacemakers, for the work of peace is indeed a continuous starting anew,” the pope said. “Moreover, the commitment and love for peace know no fear in the face of apparent defeat, are not daunted by disappointment, but look ahead, welcoming and embracing all situations with hope.”

“It takes tenacity to build peace,” Pope Leo said. “It takes perseverance to protect and nurture life.”

After two years of political tensions, the Lebanese parliament finally elected a president in January. The country also has experienced a prolonged economic crisis.

“You have suffered greatly from the consequences of an economy that kills,” the pope said, using a phrase Pope Francis often employed, as well as from “the radicalization of identities and conflicts.

“But you have always wanted, and known how, to start again,” Pope Leo told the leaders.

That effort, he said, requires reconciliation, which only comes from honest dialogue.

“Truth and reconciliation only ever grow together, whether in a family, between different communities and the various people of a country, or between nations,” he said.

For many Lebanese “there are times when it is easier to flee, or simply more convenient to move elsewhere,” he said. “It takes real courage and foresight to stay or return to one’s own country and to consider even somewhat difficult situations worthy of love and dedication.”

Lebanon, which hosts more refugees per capita than any other nation, is experiencing “an exodus of young people and families,” the pope noted.

The church, he said, “does not want anyone to be forced to leave their country. Moreover, the church wants those who wish to return home to be able to do so safely.”

The leaders of Lebanon and other countries in the region must ask themselves what they can do to encourage young people to stay and work for peace in their homelands rather than seeking it elsewhere, the pope said.

“In this regard,” he said, “Christians and Muslims together, and all religious and civil components of Lebanese society, are called to play their part, and to commit themselves to raising awareness of this issue within the international community.”

While most Lebanese are Muslim, Christians make up at least 33% of the country’s population. The Vatican estimates Catholics number more than 2 million; in addition to the Maronites, the Catholic community also includes Melkite, Armenian, Syriac, Chaldean and Latin-rite Catholics.

Aoun, in his speech at the meeting, said that “if Christians in Lebanon were to disappear, the delicate balance” of strong Christian and Muslim communities living side by side “would collapse and with-it justice.”

“Similarly, any harm to the Muslim community in Lebanon would also destabilize the equation and undermine justice as well,” the president said. “The fall of Lebanon, precipitated by the loss of any of its integral components, would foster the rise of extremism, violence and bloodshed both in our region and in the world.”

The motto of the pope’s trip was “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

He prayed that the “desire for peace, which comes from God,” would grow among all Lebanese because, “even today, peace can transform the way you look at others and the way you live together in this land, a land that God deeply loves and continues to bless.”

ISTANBUL (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV, speaking to Christian leaders in Turkey, said he hoped they could meet in Jerusalem in 2033 to celebrate together the 2,000th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

And, later in a joint declaration with Orthodox Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, he called on Christians of the East and West to finally agree on a common date for Easter. The pope and patriarch also appealed for an end to war.

The two met in Istanbul Nov. 29 with the Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Protestant leaders who had joined them the previous day in Iznik, site of the ancient city of Nicaea, to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the basics of the Nicene Creed, which all mainline Christians share.

The meeting with the leaders was held at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem, which was inaugurated in 2023 — the first and only Christian church to be built in Turkey since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey as a constitutionally secular nation in 1923.

According to the Vatican press office, Pope Leo spoke to the leaders about having a Jubilee 2033 celebration together in Jerusalem.

The pope would like to celebrate “in the Cenacle, place of the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, where he washed their feet, and the place of Pentecost,” the press office said. But to facilitate the encounter, the leaders need to make progress in their efforts toward full unity, the pope had told them, “citing his episcopal motto, ‘In Illo uno unum,'” or literally “In the One, we are one,” referring to faith in one Lord.

Pope Leo joined Patriarch Bartholomew again in the early evening in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George for a doxology prayer service of praise to God.

“Yesterday, and again this morning, we experienced extraordinary moments of grace as we commemorated, together with our brothers and sisters in faith, the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea,” Pope Leo said at the service.

“By remembering that highly significant event and inspired by the prayer of Jesus that all his disciples may be one,” the pope said, “we are encouraged in our commitment to seek the restoration of full communion among all Christians, a task that we undertake with God’s help.”

During the doxology, he said, “the deacon addressed to God the petition ‘for the stability of the Holy Churches and for the unity of all.’ This same petition will also be repeated in tomorrow’s Divine Liturgy. May God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and indeed fulfill that prayer.”

The Council of Nicaea also set a common date for all Christians to celebrate Easter — on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. But the Julian calendar, which is what Christians used in the fourth century, was increasingly out of sync with the actual solar year, so March 21 — generally assumed to be the date of the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox — gradually “drifted” away from the actual equinox.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar, dropping 10 days and making the equinox fall on March 21 again. Most Eastern Christians did not adopt the new calendar though, leading to a situation where Easter occasionally is on the same day, but Eastern Christians’ celebration can be as much as four weeks later.

St. Paul VI and all the popes who succeeded him, including Pope Leo, have said the Catholic Church is open to accepting an Orthodox proposal for a common date for Easter.

In their joint declaration, the pope and patriarch said the anniversary of Nicaea should inspire “new and courageous steps on the path toward unity,” including finding that common date.

“We are grateful to divine providence that this year the whole Christian world celebrated Easter on the same day,” they said. “It is our shared desire to continue the process of exploring a possible solution for celebrating together the Feast of Feasts every year. We hope and pray that all Christians will, ‘in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,’ commit themselves to the process of arriving at a common celebration of the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Part of the goal of Christianity, they also said, is to contribute to peace among all people.

“Together we fervently raise our voices in invoking God’s gift of peace upon our world,” they said. “Tragically, in many regions of our world, conflict and violence continue to destroy the lives of so many. We appeal to those who have civil and political responsibilities to do everything possible to ensure that the tragedy of war ceases immediately, and we ask all people of good will to support our entreaty.”

IZNIK, Turkey (CNS) – Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic center of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Turkey to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hosted the ecumenical prayer service and the common recitation of the Creed Nov. 28 at Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, about 80 miles southeast of Istanbul.

With the Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem or their representatives and with representatives of other Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, Pope Leo marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea — the primary motive for his first foreign trip as pope.

The joint recitation of the Creed did not include the phrase known as the “filioque” — the statement that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son” — since the phrase is not used by the Orthodox because it was inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014.

Recent popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, have omitted the phrase at ecumenical prayer services.

Standing on a platform overlooking the remains of the Basilica of St. Neophytos, now partially submerged in Lake Iznik, the church leaders took turns leading the prayers — in English, Greek and Arabic — and lighting candles as a Catholic choir, singing in Latin, and an Orthodox choir, singing in Greek, alternated.

Patriarch Bartholomew, welcoming the pope and other guests, noted that “despite so many intervening centuries and all the upheavals, difficulties and divisions they have brought, we nevertheless approach this sacred commemoration with shared reverence and a common feeling of hope.”

“The power of this place does not reside in what passes away, but in what endures forever,” he said.

Speaking after the patriarch, Pope Leo told his fellow Christian leaders that at a time when humanity is “afflicted by violence and conflict,” the world “is crying out for reconciliation.”

“The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings,” he said. “In the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith ‘in one God, the Father.’ Yet, it would not be possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God.”

Though united by faith, the Russian Orthodox Church — the largest of the world’s Eastern Orthodox churches — was not represented at the service. The Russian church broke relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the recognition in 2018 of the autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Belief in God the father, Pope Leo said in Iznik, means “there is a universal fraternity of men and women regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion or personal perspectives.”

With many of the Christian leaders, especially the Oriental Orthodox, coming from nations that recently faced or are facing war and persecution, Pope Leo said Christians must give concrete witness to their belief that all people are children of one God and therefore brothers and sisters to each other.

“Furthermore, we must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism,” he said. “Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation.”

The pope also repeated a concern he had mentioned during a meeting with Catholic leaders earlier in the day: the risk that many Christians have departed from the Nicene Creed’s firm belief in the divinity of Jesus.

“This question is especially important for Christians, who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion,” he said.

At the time of the Council of Nicaea, the pope said, Arius — a priest from Alexandria in Egypt — had denied the divinity of Christ, reducing him to “a mere intermediary between God and humanity, ignoring the reality of the Incarnation such that the divine and the human remained irremediably separated.”

“But if God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?” Pope Leo asked.

The pope told the Christian leaders that sharing the same faith in Jesus and being able to recite the Creed together means there “is a profound bond already uniting all Christians.”

“We are all invited to overcome the scandal of the divisions that unfortunately still exist and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life,” the pope said. “The more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a proclamation of hope for all.”

Patriarch Bartholomew told the leaders that with “the fervor of the faith of Nicaea burning in our hearts,” they must “run the course” of Christian unity in fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer for the unity of his disciples.

“And, finally,” the patriarch said, “let us love one another that with one mind we may confess: Father, Son and Holy Spirit — Trinity consubstantial and undivided.”

(OSV News) – Catholic bishops are offering prayers following the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in the nation’s capital Nov. 26.

The midafternoon attack, believed to be perpetrated by a lone suspect now in custody, killed 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, who succumbed to her injuries in the hospital Nov. 27, and left 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe — in critical condition.

President Donald Trump announced Beckstrom’s passing Nov. 27 during his Thanksgiving evening video calls to U.S. troops, saying the young woman — whom he described as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person,” was “no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now.”

Immediately after the attack, West Virginia Gov. Patrick James Morrisey had announced both troops had been killed. He later clarified the two were initially in critical condition.

Authorities have named the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The Afghan national — a resident of Washington state and a father of five — had previously worked with the U.S. government in Afghanistan.

Lakanwal had been permitted to enter the U.S. in 2021 on the basis of that work, which ended after the “chaotic evacuation” that marked the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan that same year, CIA director John Ratcliffe told CBS News.

“We are praying for the healing of the injured National Guard members and will continue to monitor the situation,” Chieko Noguchi, spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told OSV News.

In a Nov. 27 post on X, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, also called for prayer for the wounded National Guard members, adding, “This latest act of political violence is deeply troubling and should call our minds and hearts to our need for God and his saving grace.

“Now is the time for fervent prayer for these National Guardsmen and for peace in our nation this Thanksgiving and always,” said Bishop Burbidge.

At a press conference a few hours after the shootings, FBI Director Kash Patel said the attack would be “treated at the federal level as an assault on a federal law enforcement officer.”

In August, President Donald Trump federalized more than 2,000 National Guard troops, deploying them to the nation’s capital to combat crime, despite protests from Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

A federal judge in Washington — responding to a suit brought by the District of Columbia against the Trump administration — temporarily blocked the deployment last week, saying in a Nov. 20 opinion the move had appeared illegal for a number of reasons, and staying her order until Dec. 11 “to permit orderly proceedings on appeal.”

Trump has authorized similar deployments in several cities, with troops assigned to provide security at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities — a policy that has drawn controversy.

Following today’s attack — which took place not far from the White House — Trump ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops deployed in Washington, said Pete Hegseth, secretary of war.

The two National Guard troops injured in Washington had been on “high visibility patrols” at the time of the shooting, said Jeffery Carroll, executive assistant chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, during today’s press conference.

Trump — currently in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Thanksgiving holliday — posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, the “animal that shot the two National Guardsmen … will pay a very steep price.”

He added, “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!”

(OSV News) – In 2024, pregnancy centers saw more new clients, provided more medical care and distributed more material goods than ever before, according to a new report from the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Between free medical care, education services such as childbirth classes, and items such as diapers, baby clothes and car seats, pregnancy centers provided an estimated $452 million to families in need.

Centers also are increasingly upping the number of services they offer, including abortion pill reversals, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, childbirth classes and after-abortion support.

“As permissive abortion policies continue to deprioritize women’s health, CLI’s results demonstrate that pregnancy centers found in communities across the country stand ready to provide focused, quality, wide-ranging, life-affirming care,” said Moira Gaul, a Charlotte Lozier Institute associate scholar and the project manager of the report.

“The fact that there has been a net increase in the number of U.S. abortions leading up to and post-Dobbs, indicates a greater need for pregnancy support in America,” she said. “Our study shows an encouraging trend: More women and men are embracing the hope and help they find at pregnancy centers, allowing them to courageously choose life for their children.”

“Dobbs” is the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It overturned Roe v. Wade, the court’s 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, and returned abortion policy to the states.

The 2025 National Pregnancy Center Report, released Nov. 17, is the fourth national study Charlotte Lozier has released since 2017. To conduct the analysis, the institute partnered with pregnancy center organizations including Care Net, Heartbeat International, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and Focus on the Family Option Ultrasound Program.

The report found that the nation’s 2,775 pregnancy centers saw more than a million new clients last year. Those clients are increasingly tapping into material support — a 48% increase since 2022.

The results highlight the findings of a separate Charlotte Lozier Institute peer-reviewed study that found that 60% of women with a history of abortion would have preferred to give birth had they received either more emotional support or had more financial security.

Gaul believes even more clinics and services are needed.

“The professional and practical care that the pregnancy centers are offering are helping to fill a health care gap with their medical services, the vast majority of which are free or very low-cost, and they’re obviously addressing emotional support with their whole-person care,” she told OSV News. “We know that communities benefit from pregnancy centers. The maternal and child health benefits of centers are tremendous.”

The report also noted that the number of maternity homes has increased from 458 in 2023 to a total of 498 the following year. More clinics are utilizing an educational video streaming service called BrightCourse and a texting platform called HopeSync that helps pregnancy centers connect more effectively with clients.

Organizations such as Focus on the Family and the Knights of Columbus help provide millions in needed funds and new ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers nationwide. While a few states are increasing or maintaining some level of funding for pregnancy centers, others are hostile to pro-life efforts.

Since the original national study was published eight years ago, there has been growth in many areas. New clients have steadily increased from 883,700 in 2017 to now over 1 million. The number of pregnancy center locations included in each study has increased from 2,600 in 2017 to 2,775 in 2024. The number of ultrasound exams performed went from 400,100 in 2017 to 636,000 in 2024, a 60% increase.

More clients are utilizing STI testing services, too, with nearly a quarter million tests performed in 2024 representing a $12 million value, the study noted.

“As the landscape of abortion in America following the Dobbs decision has rapidly changed, pregnancy centers continue to offer steadfast, professional care to women and families,” Karen Czarnecki, Charlotte Lozier Institute’s executive director, said in a press release on the new report.

“Rising client visits and overall satisfaction are undeniable proof these centers are improving lives,” Czarnecki said. “It’s imperative that pregnancy centers continue to increase the availability of services — walking alongside women, men and families to provide love, education and support so they can courageously choose life.”