The Hidden Identity Crisis in the Pregnancy Help Movement

Benjamin Kraft
24 hours ago
5 min read

I Was Talking to a Pregnancy Center Director, and She Said Something That Stopped Me Cold…

We were reviewing her Google Ads campaign, talking about which keywords would attract abortion-minded clients. I asked, “Do you want to focus specifically on those search terms?”

Her answer?

“Absolutely. We want to be as aggressive as possible. We’re not saving a baby if she’s not planning to kill it.”

Honestly, I had to pause. That’s the clearest I’ve ever heard it put.

Because the truth is, the pregnancy help centers were originally created for one core reason:

To save lives from abortion.

And yet, if you look around today, it feels like that focus is slipping.

Are You a Resource Center or a Life-Saving Center?

This isn’t about shame. It’s about clarity.

Pregnancy centers generally fall into two legitimate categories:

Resource Centers:
- Focus on serving all women equally: parenting classes, baby supplies, etc.
- Saving lives from abortion is a secondary byproduct.
Life-Saving Centers:
- Focus primarily or exclusively on serving abortion-minded and determined women.
- Structure everything – marketing, staff, services, etc. – all around that mission.

Both models are valuable, but not knowing which one you are is where mission drift creeps in.

If your stated mission is to save lives, your numbers and client percentages should reflect that.

The Pregnancy Help Movement’s Identity Crisis: What Some National Leaders Get Wrong

I’ve been writing, teaching, and speaking about this topic my entire adult life. And yeah, when you’re 29, that’s not saying a lot in years, but still:

More than half of all pregnancy centers in the U.S. have taken my marketing courses, and several hundred have found it worthwhile to actually partner with the organization I founded, Life Advancement Group. So, I figure that’s got to count for something. Maybe my opinion is worth noting.

And yet, during my time in the movement, I’ve been told by other national leaders things like:

“Don’t focus too much on abortion-minded numbers. We don’t want centers feeling shamed. It’s good to help all women.”

Of course, it’s good to help all women.

But here’s what they’re missing: You’re either one or the other.

If you’re a resource center, own it. Be transparent with donors.

If your mission is to save lives from abortion, your primary outcome should be serving abortion-minded women, and your client numbers should show it.

It’s not about shame. It’s about honesty.

3 Signs Your Center Might Have Mission Drift

Here is how you can tell:

Your percentage of abortion-minded or determined (AM/AD) clients is under the national average. According to a study by the Pro-Life Marketing Ethics Council (PLMEC), the national average for AM/AD clients is 19.79%. In other words, approximately 80% of pregnancy center clients are women who are either intending to carry or are classified as abortion-vulnerable - not those actively considering or seeking an abortion.
You spend less than $1,000/month on Google Ads - or nothing at all.
96% of centers in that same study reported Google as their number one source of abortion-minded clients. Centers actively investing in Google Ads averaged 244% more AM/AD clients than those who didn’t. With data this clear, there is no excuse for a pregnancy center claiming to save lives to be giving Google marketing the leftovers of their budget, or worse, not investing in it at all.
You lump abortion-vulnerable together with abortion-minded in your stats. Which brings me to…

The Abortion-Vulnerable Myth: Why It’s Misleading

Many centers report things like:

“70% of our clients are abortion-vulnerable or minded.”

Sounds great, right?

But dig deeper. Ask them: Of that 70%, how many are actually abortion-minded or abortion-determined?

Usually, it’s a very small percentage, sometimes under 10%.

Why? Because abortion-vulnerable is a completely ambiguous term.

Some centers consider a woman vulnerable simply because she’s unmarried, even if she’s happy to carry to term. That’s not deceptive on purpose, but it’s misleading.

Tracking abortion-vulnerable and abortion-minded/determined clients as one category muddies your data and your mission. Centers must separate and track these client types clearly and consistently.

If your team isn’t sure how to do that, or if the definitions seem unclear, a great place to start is with the Basic Training For Effective Communication course offered through R.I.S.E, which teaches helpful standards and training for data integrity, definitions, and client categorization.

Because as the saying goes: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

It’s like trying to lose weight without owning a scale. You don’t know where you’re starting. You don’t know if what you’re doing is working.

Why This Isn’t About Shame - It’s About Being Honest with Donors

Both ministry models are noble. The dangerous part is being wishy-washy or unclear, especially to donors.

If you’re a resource center, that’s great. Say that.

If you’re here to save as many lives from abortion as possible, own that - and back it up with your marketing strategy and client percentages.

Donors deserve to know.

What To Do Next: Audit Your Mission

Here’s how you can start today:

Sit down with your team. Ask: What is our primary mission?
Look at your abortion-minded client percentages. Be honest about where you’re at.
Check your marketing spend. Are you investing in Google Ads? SEO? Answer Engine Optimization?
Stop lumping vulnerable in with minded. Track real, actionable numbers.

You can’t improve what you’re not measuring.

How We Help High-Functioning Pregnancy Centers Save More Lives

If you’re reading this thinking, “We want to save more lives, but we’re not sure where to start,” that’s exactly why we created the SaveMore System.

At Life Advancement Group, we work with high-functioning pregnancy centers to:

Increase abortion-minded client percentages
Implement Google Ads and AEO strategies
Clarify your mission and communicate it honestly

No pressure. No hard sell. Just solutions that work.

Because clarity saves lives. And the first step is knowing exactly who you are as a center.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What’s the national average percentage of abortion-minded clients for pregnancy centers?

A: According to a study by the Pro-Life Marketing Ethics Council (PLMEC), the national average for AM/AD clients is 19.79%. Centers utilizing Google Ads as a form of marketing averaged 29.26% percent abortion-minded/determined clients. Centers not utilizing Google Ads or SEO averaged 8.65%.

Q: Is it wrong for a pregnancy center to focus on parenting support instead of saving lives from abortion?

A: Not at all. Both models - resource centers and life-saving centers - are valid and valuable. The key is clarity: knowing which one you are and communicating it honestly to your donors and team.

Q: Why is Google Ads so important for reaching abortion-minded women?

A: According to the Pro-Life Marketing Ethics Council (PLMEC), 96% of centers report Google as their number one source of abortion-minded clients. Centers running ads see 244% more abortion-minded clients compared to those that don’t.

Q: What’s the problem with using abortion-vulnerable stats in marketing reports?

A: “Abortion-vulnerable” is often defined too broadly - sometimes including women who were never realistically considering abortion. Lumping vulnerable together with minded or determined clients can lead to misleading statistics.

Q: How do we know if our center is experiencing mission drift?

A: Review three things:

Your percentage of AM/AD clients
Your marketing investment (especially in Google Ads and SEO)
How clearly you’re communicating your mission to donors

If any of these feel unclear or inconsistent, it may be time for a mission audit.