Maternity homes are growing post Roe v. Wade

Imagine the terror, pain, disorientation, and guilt of receiving a positive pregnancy test when you have no contact or relationship with the child’s father. This existential moment requires profound empathy. I’m convinced we must start there when we discuss abortion.

Some reading this may not need to imagine such a heart-wrenching feeling. Tragically, as of 2019, the US “has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households” at nearly 25 percent. As of 2022, almost 40 percent of US births are to unmarried women. For the pro-life movement, the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade was momentous. Tragically, however, reports suggest the rate of abortions has increased rather than decreased in its wake.

That said, the pro-life movement has made gains in its aim to help the mothers of the unborn, demonstrating that it values not just the unborn but the family beyond the pregnancy as well. They’ve done this, in part, through a surge of new maternity homes. So, what are maternity homes, and how do they support mothers and their children?

What are maternity homes?

Maternity homes provide a place for newly pregnant moms and moms with newborns to stay. The mothers receive health care, food, child care, and other social support. Although most maternity homes are Christian, either Evangelical or Catholic, they accept women from all faiths as long as they pledge to a reasonable “healthy living” covenant.

A recent report by the Associated Press unpacks the way maternity homes have changed focus in the past few decades, especially since the passing of Roe v. Wade. One maternity home’s motto reads, “Saving Babies, One Mom at a Time.” The Maternity Housing Coalition, a network of nearly 200 homes, has grown 23 percent since the Supreme Court’s ruling.

The focus of maternity homes has changed since the Baby Scoop Era. “Where maternity home residents once were largely middle-class, now poverty is a driving factor: Mothers are there to receive housing and financial support during and after their pregnancies, sometimes for years after giving birth.”

The “checkered past” of maternity homes

Maternity homes have a controversial and complicated past. Another scathing report by the same author for the Associated Press examines the way maternity homes in the 20th century would often pressure mothers to give up their children for adoption. Instead of support, many women faced unbearable shame and later regretted giving up their babies.

In the past, maternity homes usually took in white, middle-class pregnant women, secreting them away from family and friends to keep their families from losing face. This mission helped save the children from abortion but ultimately separated many babies from their mothers—often needlessly. Some call the time after World War II the “Baby Scoop Era,” where more than 1.5 million infants went to adoption agencies.

How should we respond to the growth of maternity homes?

Of course, maternity homes also faithfully loved and supported desperate moms back then. However, the last thing Christians should do in response to checkered history is cover up or excuse mistreating vulnerable mothers. Instead, we should do as the Maternity Housing Coalition does—acknowledge the wrongs done in the past and seek to repent. The director says, “We are very intentional about what happened and want to ensure we don’t get to that point again.”

My family adopted two of my siblings, so, as something of an insider to this world, I know how relentlessly adoption and foster agencies try to keep children with their biological families. This strategy seems wise as a long-term, family-focused strategy, but it can lead to heartbreaking goodbyes for fostering families. Although originating in tragedy, adoptions can present a beautiful picture of the gospel (Romans 8:15).

Of course, the Associated Press is not necessarily unbiased. While highlighting the good of modern maternity homes, the piece often switches to pro-choice talking points, highlighting the potential damage of Christian pro-life movements and views. Nevertheless, this report shows countless Christians’ self-sacrificial, kind-hearted, and loving service through carrying out one of Christianity’s most basic callings: to love those in need.

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Jesus’ call to compassion

This story represents hope in those who want to champion the unborn. While most Americans support at least some access to abortion, faithful, pro-life Christians should always pledge to support desperate mothers—especially those in poverty—who have nowhere to turn. We can represent Jesus by condemning sin, mourning tragedy, and preaching the gospel, but also by compassionately empathizing, meeting physical needs, and acting as Jesus’ hands and feet.

Jesus is overwhelmingly compassionate toward sinners, the oppressed, and the abused. He reaches out to the ashamed, regardless of background or social class.

Will you show the same compassion? How can you be the hands and feet of Jesus? Most maternity homes have a waiting list. Perhaps you can volunteer or, if he calls you to it, start one of your own.

Modern maternity homes are a powerful way for Christians to love the unborn, vulnerable babies, and desperate moms in their time of greatest need.

Can God use you to help as well?