The Texas legislature has spoken loudly on this, McNamara said, creating what amounts to an “almost four-year continuum of care.”
According to reporting from the Texas Tribune, pregnant women in Texas are more likely to be uninsured — 1 in 5 residents were uninsured in 2019, double the national average — and less likely to seek early prenatal care than the rest of the country. Texas also has high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, and high rates of teen pregnancy.
An anonymous client of the pregnancy network said that she appreciated the human connection she made when she sought help for her pregnancy.
“You helped a broken person that never talked about her feelings, that felt she was not important and not worth it. But after meeting you, I feel I am an important person. I love that I met you,” the client wrote on her comment card upon leaving the clinic.
Texas enacted a “heartbeat” abortion ban in September 2021 that prohibits abortions after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected, but relies on private lawsuits between citizens to enforce the ban, rather than state action.
Despite many women traveling out of state for abortions since it was enacted, the heartbeat ban has led to a reduction in the number of abortions in the state, and thus an increase in mothers seeking help.
Since the bill took effect, the organizations that are part of the TPCN have seen requests for their services go up 35% compared to a normal, pre-pandemic year, McNamara said. He added that they expect another jump in demand when or if Roe is overturned, and an increase in funding from the Texas legislature would be a huge boon for their many clinics and homes.
The organization has faced threats in recent weeks following a draft opinion leak from the Supreme Court, along with other pro-life and Catholic organizations.
Over Mother’s Day weekend, a pro-life pregnancy center in Denton, Texas, called Loreto House was defaced with graffiti that read, “Not a clinic,” and “Forced pregnancy is murder.” Another women's resource center, Woman to Woman Resource Center, also was vandalized.
Both centers are part of the TPCN.
Jonah McKeown is a staff writer and podcast producer for Catholic News Agency. He holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has worked as a writer, as a producer for public radio, and as a videographer. He is based in St. Louis.