Our culture has sold women one of the greatest lies of all time: abortion is the best and only option. Rather than empowering women to become mothers, our society has convinced her that an abortion is a “quick and easy fix” to her problems. But in reality, abortion robs women of one of the greatest joys that we celebrate on Mother’s Day.
As a mom to three young boys, my heart breaks for the woman struggling to make ends meet. It breaks for the woman who feels the mounting pressure to support her children alone. But most of all, my heartbreaks for the woman who walked into Planned Parenthood thinking an abortion would be part of the solution to her problems.
Human Coalition and Planned Parenthood see the same abortion-seeking woman, and less than one in four of those moms express confidence in her decision to abort. In fact, the majority would prefer to parent if their circumstances were different.
THE MESSAGE ABOUT MOTHERHOOD THE MEDIA DESPERATELY WANTS YOU TO MISS
Read that again: most women walking into abortion facilities aren’t certain they want an abortion. They’re overwhelmed and believe they are out of options. The typical abortion-seeking woman likely knows the value of motherhood because she already has other children. In her current pregnancy, what she needs isn’t an abortion; it’s a solution to the barriers that keep her from seeing the path toward life for her baby. When we remove barriers, we show women that motherhood is possible.
Housing Instability
One of the main factors in a mother’s life decision is her housing circumstances. Take “Maria” for example. She had just lost everything when she found out she was pregnant. Evicted from her apartment and without a stable home, Maria was forced to send her teenage son to live with her mom in another state. During the early weeks of her pregnancy, she bounced around from motels to her car and even emergency shelters. The father of her baby was not involved, which left her to shoulder the responsibility of providing for her and her baby alone.
In a 2023 study, the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute reported that three-quarters of abortion clients were living with incomes that were 200% below the federal poverty line. Behind these numbers are real moms like Maria who face overcrowded living conditions, eviction, and frequent moves, which are an added stress. Maria’s story highlights the underlying need for these moms. They deserve to know about the organizations that will stand in the gap and help them find housing solutions that bring stability to the family unit. But too often, they only know about Planned Parenthood.
Childcare & Employment Challenges
Adding to their housing worries is a mother’s employment status. For single moms, flexibility can go a long way.
A 2026 Stanford-led study found that the number of children a woman has in a given period (realized fertility) was 14% higher when both partners worked from home at least one day per week compared to couples where neither did. Researchers estimate remote work could account for roughly 8.1% of U.S. births — approximately 291,000 babies per year. The takeaway? When mothers have flexibility over where and when they work, they’re more likely to have children, and more of them.
I can speak to this personally. Because I work with flexible hours, I’m the one dropping my boys off at school in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon. I’m present. And beyond workplace flexibility, my family has been blessed by something deeper: community. A young woman from our church comes over to care for my boys twice a week, and homeschooled girls in our parish serve as mothers’ helpers to fill in gaps during the day. My mother-in-law lives nearby and steps in when we need her. None of that required a government subsidy. It required a village. The kind that used to be the norm in American life, and that we should be actively rebuilding.
My heart goes out to every mother struggling to find stable, reliable care for her children. I empathize deeply with moms who feel torn between being present for their children and keeping the lights on. That tension is real. And it deserves real solutions, not a culture that hands her an abortion referral and calls it compassion.
Gaps in Healthcare Access
BRIDGING THE PRENATAL CARE GAP: THE GLOBAL EFFORT HELPING MOMS START HEALTHY
Most importantly, every mother deserves compassionate, life-affirming care.
Among the most vulnerable women in our nation are those living in rural areas with limited access to healthcare. Women who live in rural areas are reported to have higher rates of pregnancy-related complications, compared to U.S. averages.
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Luckily, pro-life organizations are making inroads to serve more of these moms. In our digital age, we can quickly connect with moms and deliver the care they deserve.
When a woman calls Human Coalition, she is immediately connected to a nurse who provides care and guidance in a moment of panic and uncertainty. It’s through these calls that women can ask questions, voice concerns, and feel encouraged through her pregnancy journey.
Abortion-seeking women have been sold a lie for decades. They’ve been told that a procedure or pill will make life easier and improve her circumstances. The truth is that abortion inflicts deep pain (mentally, physically and emotionally) while failing to address the very circumstances that make women feel like abortion is the only option.
If we are going to empower women to choose life, it starts with meeting women where they are and walking alongside them as they take on one of the most important titles of all: Mom.
