Four years ago this month, our nation took a historic step when the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned the so-called “right” to end a baby’s life in the United States and returned the authority to regulate abortion to the people.
Since then, the abortion industry has intensified its efforts to convince women that pregnancy is inherently dangerous and harmful to their health. While pregnancy can involve complications, those cases are the exception — not the rule. Yet these exceptions are often used to justify abortion at every stage throughout pregnancy, including the growing number of at-home abortions using mail-ordered mifepristone without direct physician oversight.
Recommended Stories
While we cannot stress enough how important it is to correct misinformation about abortion drugs, we want to flip the entire script of the abortion industry by highlighting something too often overlooked: the remarkable benefits of pregnancy for women.
DEMOCRATS ATTACK TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR REFERRING WOMEN TO PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTERS
The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists has partnered with EveryLife, to launch the ReThink Pregnancy campaign, an effort to educate women about the extraordinary design and capabilities of the maternal body.
When you consider everything that must fall into place perfectly to conceive, sustain, and deliver a healthy child, pregnancy is nothing short of remarkable. While the process can feel overwhelming, women’s bodies are uniquely equipped for this life-giving role. Modern science is also revealing many of the long-term physical and neurological benefits of pregnancy for women.
First, let’s tackle the obvious: a woman’s body is forever changed by pregnancy — and these changes are overwhelmingly for the best. From the long-term benefits of “pregnancy brain” to the protective effects of breastfeeding, these changes offer life-sustaining gifts.
One of the most noticeable changes is the phenomenon often called “pregnancy brain.” Often treated as a joke or an annoyance, it reflects real neurological adaptations. During pregnancy, hormonal changes reshape the brain through a process called neuroplasticity. These changes can enhance empathy and strengthen the bond between mother and child. They may also improve a mother’s ability to manage multiple responsibilities, one reason many studies suggest mothers often excel in leadership and management roles.
Pregnancy can also provide lasting health benefits. Women who carry pregnancies to term and breastfeed have lower rates of certain cancers. Breastfeeding, for example, is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. It turns out that the annoying breast tenderness felt during early pregnancy is actually your body multiplying its breast tissue in order to breastfeed, and that tissue becomes very cancer-resistant in the third trimester. In fact, studies show that we see an 80% reduced risk for breast cancer after a woman has three children and breastfeeds for at least 12 months. With ovarian and uterine cancers, we see a reduced risk for women after just a single pregnancy, with up to a 50% risk reduction after multiple pregnancies. These benefits deserve greater attention as part of a broader understanding of women’s health and should factor into how women are counseled as they contemplate pregnancy.
Motherhood can also inspire healthier habits and a stronger commitment to long-term well-being. Research suggests that women who have children later in life often live longer. And while pregnancies after age 35 can involve additional risks, women who maintain the health necessary to sustain a pregnancy may also benefit from the long-term physical and emotional advantages that come along with becoming a mother.
SUPREME COURT GETS IT RIGHT: HARASSED PREGNANCY CENTER DESERVES ITS DAY IN FEDERAL COURT
Pregnancy is often described as a marathon, and for good reason. A woman’s cardiovascular strength expands when her pregnancy is carried to full term, and her risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke is significantly reduced later in life. Pregnancy permanently reshapes her pelvic structure and builds up the foundations for her muscle mass, providing a stabilizing effect to prepare her for birth and motherhood.
The resilience and strength demonstrated through pregnancy and childbirth are remarkable. Our bodies were seemingly designed to push past limits and then keep on going. And as we continue to build a life-affirming society in this post-Dobbs era, let’s champion the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of pregnancy and motherhood.
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) chairs the Senate Pro-Life Caucus. Dr. Christina Francis, M.D., is CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
