MILWAUKEE — With the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, it could mean more women who are pregnant will be in need of resources to carry their babies to term.
A Milwaukee non-profit is not sure what could change, but say they are ready to help if more women need it.
TheCare Net Pregnancy Center of Milwaukee is a non-profit crisis center. Executive Director Rachel Schepp says they offer resources to pregnant women, mothers and babies. Resources include anything from pregnancy testing and ultra sounds to diapers and food.
"We see women with all sorts of ideas in their minds in terms of being happy about their pregnancy and not wanting to keep their pregnancy. So we will serve whoever walks through the door and offer our supportive services,” said Schepp.
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that if abortion was illegal across the nation, there would be an 11-percent increase in births. That could mean approximately 440,000 more children born each year. The study expects the number of births to be substantially lower, but still an increase, if abortion is legal in some states. That's likely to happen if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
“I think it is hard to know the impact of what different decision are going to be,” said Schepp. "Last year, we saw over 1,200 different women and I anticipate that we will see over 1,400 different women this year in 2022. I do see those numbers growing."
She says since the pandemic, they have been seeing an increase in families accessing their services, and they have already been adding resources to match.
“We are well poised to handle any increase that we would see,” said Schepp. "We really have been building up over the past several years, not in anticipation of anything in particular, but of wanting to serve the community in a very effective way."
