What is the Pro-Life Safety Net?

Her PLAN originated the pro-life safety net framework in 2020.

Based on research into the reasons women seek abortion, Her PLAN originated the pro-life safety net framework in 2020. Made up of life affirming organizations that address the needs that drive women to consider abortion, the pro-life safety net includes traditional pregnancy support organizations like pregnancy centers and broader resources like homeless shelters, job training programs, counseling, food pantries and medical clinics.  

The safety net comprises seven categories of care that — when absent — often lead a woman to resort to abortion. Of the over 1 million women who have had abortions each year, 60% said they would have had their baby if they’d had more emotional or material support. When these needs are met, women are empowered to choose life. This presents an opportunity for local communities to build the pro-life safety net so moms in their community have the resources they need to become the moms they want to be.  

Often, the needs abortion-vulnerable women have are varied and complex. She deserves a community of support that will meet each of those needs. This is the goal of the pro-life safety net. Seventy-two percent of women who had an abortion identified three or more reasons for seeking an abortion and the median number of reasons was four. 

Unlike the “social safety net,” the pro-life safety net prioritizes care that supports her decision for life. It emphasizes the critical time from conception to age two, and consists primarily of charities, ministries and business — not just government programs. The pro-life safety net increases her access to resources that sustain her countercultural decision for life. 

Strengthening the pro-life safety net is more urgent than ever. Abortion drugs are trafficked into states nationwide — even those with pro-life laws. Blue states like New York have implemented “shield laws” to give abortionists free rein to break pro-life state laws by shipping drugs through the mail. Abortion drugs may be sitting in a neighbor’s medicine cabinet or a boyfriend’s sock drawer, ready for a woman to take when she hits her lowest moment.  

The abortion industry only has to catch her on her worst day. The pro-life movement has to be there for her every day. With a robust pro-life safety net built in communities across the nation, we can be.

Categories of Care

Her PLAN’s pro-life safety net framework comprises 7 Categories of Care that — when absent — often lead a woman to resort to abortion. When these needs are met, women are empowered to choose life: