Maternity homes are on the rise post Roe

Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia (center), at his blessing of Mary’s Comfort maternity home on Aug. 9, 2024. More maternity homes are popping up across the United States to house and support pregnant mothers and their babies since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022. | Credit: Mary’s Comfort

More maternity homes are popping up across the United States to house and support pregnant mothers and their babies since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.

According to the Maternity Housing Coalition’s most recent 2023 report, there are now more than 450 maternity homes in the U.S. — a 23% increase since the Dobbsdecision overturned Roe.

While the more than 5,300 pregnancy centers outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics 14 to 1, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the more than 400 maternity homes in the U.S. meet a different need that pregnancy centers often can’t fill — safe housing.

“
We’ve seen maternity homes expand in the number of locations as well as the breadth of services offered,” said Valerie Harkins, director of the Maternity Housing Coalition.

“Many of these homes are providing holistic care to the woman in need with specialized services in areas of urgent need,” Harkins explained, noting that maternity homes often provide resources for addiction recovery, mental health support, and prevention for conditions that can develop during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia.

New centers sprouting up​

Continued below.