Heartbeat International's Statement on Provision of Contraceptives by Pregnancy Help Organizations

The Leadership Alliance of Pregnancy Care Organizations (LAPCO) created and upholds the national standard of ethical practices known as the “Commitment of Care and Competence.”* This commitment to ethical practices is the core national standard for all major life-affirming pregnancy help affiliate groups in the U.S.

One of the tenets of that agreed standard of affiliation for pregnancy help organizations (PHOs) is “We do not offer, recommend or refer for abortions, abortifacients or contraceptives. We are committed to offering accurate information about related risks and procedures.” [Emphasis added.]

The leaders of the pregnancy care organizations in the USA agree to uphold this standard—that links and rejects abortions, abortifacients, and contraceptives as appropriate services in PHOs because of the sanctity of every human life which begins at the moment of conception.

In fact, 96% of biologists confirm that life begins at conception, the moment of fertilization.

The grandeur of this moment is described as a marvel even by secular scientists: “Human life begins in bright flash of light as a sperm meets an egg, scientists have shown for the first time, after capturing the astonishing ‘fireworks’ on film.  An explosion of tiny sparks erupts from the egg at the exact moment of conception.” 

Science confirms the ancient wisdom of the Bible that describes the wonder of the human person, formed in the womb by the hand of God (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5).

And the eternal truth of the sanctity of human life is consistently reaffirmed and remains the foundational value of all pro-life ministries and organizations. 

Modern medical associations may persistently twist traditional definitions to accommodate the abortion culture and its attending individualistic ideologies. For example, some organizations, like Planned Parenthood, define a pregnancy as not occurring until the tiny embryo implants in the uterus (several days after conception). This false definition turns actual abortifacients like the morning-after pill—that works between fertilization and implantation—into so-called contraceptives (i.e. something that prevents a pregnancy or prevents conception).  

Practically, PHOs should also be mindful that studies show contraceptives can actually contribute to an increase of abortions/abortion rate. 

Adding to that, the “typical” use of contraceptives demonstrates a 7-13% failure rate. This means that providing contraceptives will contribute to producing unplanned, unintended pregnancy amongst the very population—women at-risk for abortion—that we serve. This is confirmed by the Guttmacher Institute shows that more than half (51%) of abortion patients in the United States reported that they had used a contraceptive method in the month they became pregnant. 

How many pregnancies, resulting from failed contraceptives provided by a “pro-life organization,” would then end in abortion?  

A dictionary synonym for contraceptives is birth control. A commitment to a policy of birth control, controlling who should be allowed to reproduce or who should be allowed to be born, has led in recent history to the eugenics movement and to tragedies such as the Holocaust and China’s restrictive birth policy.  

In the United Nations, population planners, led by Planned Parenthood and mainstream medical providers in the USA who, under the guise of “women’s reproductive health”, insist that all the nations of the world adopt their policies and agenda: universal distribution of contraceptives, along with the legalization of abortion. Prescribing contraceptives in pro-life organizations could, unintentionally, be fulfilling such evil agendas.

These realities make the provision of contraceptives anathema to pro-life missional outreach. No perceived gain from marketing or opportunity for government funding is worth compromising a PHOs biblical commission to champion the Gift of Life and the Giver of Life. 


button frequently asked questions

*CCC - Originating in the early 1990s, the “Commitment of Care” was formally adopted by major U.S. pregnancy help affiliation organizations in January 2001. Focusing primarily on positive client care, these ethical codes of practice dispel the abortion activists’ false accusations and form the basis for our consistently strong client services approval ratings. In 2009 long practiced organizational competencies were officially included and the statement was re-titled “Commitment of Care and Competence.” The most recent update occurred in 2019. 

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