Pro-Abortion ‘Rage Giving’ May Be Down, but Pro-Life Support Remains Strong
National and local ministries supporting women in crisis pregnancies continue their work faithfully.
Recently, the Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article saying that “rage giving” to abortion advocacy groups after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 has dropped off.
MinistryWatch spoke to several pro-life ministries to see how giving has been for them in the last year, and all reported that donors remain generous in the cause of protecting the unborn.
PreBorn! had a banner year of giving in 2022 with giving up 33%. Based on giving so far this year, it expects to receive $40 million in contributions, up from $27 million last year.
It has been purposeful in reaching out to larger audiences by partnering with conservative outlets without compromising its Christian message, and those audiences are receptive.
“People are not listening to the narrative that the fight for life is over,” Grant Geddie, spokesperson for PreBorn! told MinistryWatch, adding that PreBorn! has been very intentional about educating its donor base that the fight for life continues as access to abortion in some states is even more radical than it was before Dobbs. It is also explaining that chemical abortions are on the rise, now constituting at least half of abortions.
“We are trying to stay ahead of the need,” he said.
PreBorn! partners with over 170 pregnancy centers across the nation, especially in states where abortion is more available. Geddie said that, as far as they can tell, the giving to those centers has remained steady.
Care Net, which was established in 1975 not long after the Roe decision, saw an uptick in giving after the Supreme Court returned the issue to the states in its Dobbs decision last year. Since then, giving to the pregnancy center network has remained steady.
“If you are giving out of rage rather than out of love, it is not sustainable,” CareNet President and CEO Roland Warren said. “We offer compassion, hope, and help. That is compelling. It is more of a transformational request.”
He said Care Net is seeing an increase in the number of lower dollar donors along with re-engaged donors who had lapsed in their giving.
Warren said pregnancy centers in the Care Net network have had more of a struggle with volunteers than funding, and that is primarily because of COVID, not Dobbs. Many of the volunteers are older and a little more reluctant to be around people than before the pandemic.
When asked if it has adjusted messaging to donors since the Dobbs decision, Warren said Care Net believes in fighting politically, but has remained focused on pro-life ministry as part of discipleship. Pregnancy centers offer hope, help, and compassion, but the church has to be engaged in discipling women and men involved in unplanned pregnancies.
“Roe v. Wade is overturned every day when a woman chooses life for her baby,” Warren said. “So even where abortion is legal, we want it to be unthinkable.”
While Care Net didn’t change its message of discipleship, it has made donors aware that access to the abortion pill is increasing and that abortion tourism to certain states is becoming more prominent.
Smaller pro-life ministries have continued to experience strong support also.
Mari Wingate, regional director for Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Southern California, told MinistryWatch their monetary donations have increased in the last year.
“With the Dobbs decision, those passionate about life—and preserving it—seem to have been re-energized and fueled up to invest their money in this life-giving work. The decision was a catalyst for hope,” Wingate noted.
“Our message remains firm, that every life has value, both before and after birth and that Jesus Christ is our hope and salvation always! The Dobbs decision has truly highlighted the great divide between those that agree with us and those that believe that taking the life of a child in the womb is what’s best.”
Mercy House is a pro-life maternity home in North Texas that serves women who choose life. After the Dobbs decision, it saw a bump in giving and volunteering. Based on current giving, it is expecting a 30% increase in its budget this fiscal year, Mercy House founder Susan Hulet told MinistryWatch.
“We haven’t really revised our message,” Hulet said, but “[w]e do reference the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the need to remain diligent to serve single pregnant women who have very few places to turn.“ Mostly Mercy House makes its donors aware of the Christ-centered discipleship aspect of its program.
In the MinistryWatch database, Pre-Born! and Care Net have high donor confidence scores of 100 and 96 respectively. They both also have A transparency grades. Pre-Born! has a 5-star efficiency rating while Care Net earns four stars.
Main photo: Photo by Bethany Beck / Unsplash / Creative Commons
