A new law regulating abortion in North Carolina brought attention to the work of a pregnancy help medical clinic in the state, resulting in an increase in client traffic and the chance to serve more women in need.
The state’s legislature passed SB20 in May, then later overturning Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the law. The Care for Women, Children, and Families Act prohibits abortion after 12 weeks with exceptions for rape and incest up to five months, and life-limiting fetal anomalies up to six months.
The law went into effect July 1 and while media coverage surrounding it has served to foster fear it has also brought some media coverage to the work of Pregnancy Care Center of Burke County (PCCOB), helping to raise awareness for the center’s pregnancy help ministry.
Miranda Boughman, executive director of PCCOB, told Pregnancy Help News that at the end of June, right before the new law went into effect, they noticed an increase in clients.
“We saw an uptick in patients who were interested in information about abortion or even who were very abortion determined,” Boughman said.
Boughman attributed the increase in inquiries about abortion to the shortened timeframe in which to make an abortion decision.
Prior to the passage of the law, elective abortion was permitted up until 20 weeks gestation.
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Other changes with the new law include no mail-order abortion pills, protection for abortion survivors, and protection for unborn children from discrimination based on sex, race or Down syndrome. There is also protection for women’s health, safety and informed consent in the law’s requiring the same health and safety standards for abortion facilities as for other ambulatory surgical centers, making certain that women are not rushed or coerced into unwanted abortions, protects the life of the mother should a medical emergency occur, and explicitly clarifies that treatment for ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage does not comprise abortion.
The law also maintains the state’s 72-hour waiting period. And women seeking chemical abortion must be examined in person by a doctor to confirm gestational age and risk of ectopic pregnancy.
“The patients are getting more of an opportunity to really think through that decision,” Boughman said.
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“It is really important to receive an ultrasound before receiving an abortion,” she noted, referencing the center’s free services.
“Even though the law requires the abortion providers to provide the patient with an ultrasound, of course they charge for that,” said Boughman. “We offer that for free and we offer a space where they can come and feel comfortable to sit down and really think through all of their options and not just be stuck in an echo chamber of panic and survival mode.”
“When women are making a decision based out of fear, they may regret a decision shortly after making it,” Boughman added.
As part of the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) PCCOB offers abortion pill reversal (APR), the updated application of a decades-old treatment to combat miscarriage that has saved more than 4,500 babies to date, according to APRN.
APR in Boughman’s mind signifies a second chance at life, and they intend to reach as many women as possible with this message.
“We want to meet her where she is and be able to support her,” she said.
Founded by two local doctors in 1986, PCCOB had been seeing growth over the last two years.
Burke County is a rural area, bringing the challenge of transportation which often leads to a delay in medical care for pregnant women. The center has added a mobile unit to its services to increase reach and visibility.
“Early access to medical care, specifically for a pregnant woman has always been a challenge,” Boughman noted. “These law changes are just highlighting that.”
She credits a focus on following the Lord’s lead as they reach out to the community for the center’s growth, while noting the urgency created by the shorter timespan for a woman’s abortion decision.
“There’s a dichotomy of we are celebrating the fact that more lives will be saved, and we do have more opportunity,” said Boughman. “We understand that these families need compassion and love and that’s what will show them Jesus.”
“We hope they will choose life,” she said. “People are panicked, and we want to meet them with the love of God.”
Boughman’s strategy of decision making and acting based upon how Jesus would is not merely a talking point for a fundraising event. It is her daily focus in how she and her team serve the women and families in their community.
“We want to show them it’s not too late,” Boughman said. “Jesus isn’t too far away.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News.
