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Pregnancy Center staff, from left, Becky Price, chairman of the board; Jerin Garza, receptionist; Patti Babin, board consultant; Esmie Fisher, nurse manager; Kathy Weirich, administrative assistant; Anita Miotti, client services director; and Jana Pinson, executive director.

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Opponents of abortion in the Diocese of Corpus Christi celebrated the first anniversary of the closing of the Coastal Birth Control Center in June. While numbers are hard to come by, anecdotal data suggests that many babies have been spared from abortion and given the opportunity for a full life. 

The number of abortions locally within the last year is not available, but the number of abortions has seen a dramatic drop in recent years. A report by the Associated Press indicates that abortions are down 12 percent nationwide since 2010, and in Texas they have fallen 18 percent. 

In the area served by the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the drop in abortions is twice the state rate and three times the national downturn. In the 12-counties served by the Diocese of Corpus Christi, abortions numbered 1,737 in 2010 and were down to 1,103 in 2013. That is a 36.5 percent drop or 634 fewer abortions. This time frame, however, is prior to the closing of the abortion clinic in 2014. Figures for 2014-15 are not yet available.

At the time of the closing of the abortion clinic, Dr. Eduardo Aquino the abortion doctor said he was closing the facility due to state imposed restrictions on abortions. Aquino said at that time his Corpus Christi clinic would require $1.5 million in upgrades to meet state standards. The precipitous drop in abortions in the area served by his clinic may well have also contributed to his decision.

“The Monday morning after the abortion clinic closed we got a call from someone who had an appointment at the abortion clinic and it was closed. She came in to see us and ended up keeping her baby,” Jana Pinson, executive director for the Corpus Christi Pregnancy Center, said.

The number of “abortion-minded” clients the Pregnancy Center served the year before the clinic’s closure was 25; the year after the number climbed to 62, a 163 percent increase. Forty of those clients chose not to have an abortion, 13 went ahead with the abortion and nine did not report their status.  

Abortion-minded women are those who have made an appointment for an abortion, plan to have an abortion or are being pushed by someone to have an abortion. They would most likely go straight to the abortion clinic, if it were still open, Pinson said.

The year before the clinic’s closure, the Pregnancy Center performed 228 sonograms. Of this number, 19 were sonograms done for abortion-minded clients. The year after the clinic closed the number of sonograms doubled to 447 with 50 of those being for abortion-minded clients. The total number of sonograms increased by 96 percent and the number of sonograms for abortion minded clients shot up 163 percent.
 

Jana Pinson, executive director of Corpus Christi Pregnancy Center

Pinson said that 87-91 percent of the women having a sonogram choose life. “Our goal is to have everyone we work with have a sonogram,” Pinson said.

The sonograms were also helped by billboards sponsored by the Corpus Christi Hope House. On average the pregnancy center gets 40 calls monthly on the “green phone” dedicated to the telephone number on the billboards. The first month the billboards went up “four babies were saved,” Pinson said. 

“One girl was on her way to San Antonio to get an abortion and saw the ‘billboard girl.’ When she arrived at the abortion clinic she had a horrible experience and came back home,” Pinson said.

The numbers of women going to San Antonio or elsewhere to get an abortion are not available. The Texas Department of Health tracks abortions on a two-year delay, so figures may not be available for another two years. 

Number of live births were also unavailable. Local maternity wards did not provide numbers for deliveries during this time period.

The number of newborn adoptions is also unavailable. Many of these adoptions are private adoptions and confidential so the numbers are hard to come by.

Still the anecdotal data and recent trends are compelling. 

Ruth Alarcon with the Refuge of Hope said her agency has also seen an uptick in calls since closing of the clinic. Many of the calls are coming from the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo where clinics have also closed. The first priority is to get abortion-minded clients to get a sonogram.

“We tell them they should find out how far along they are and if the baby is viable,” Alarcon said. “Lots of them are open to a sonogram.”

Kathy Huffmeyer with Birthright also said they have seen an increase in calls. They see about 75-80 clients monthly, which is more than the year before. 

“We had one ready to go to San Antonio but decided to have the baby,” Huffmeyer said. “We moved to help her with anything. We get involved in their lives.”

Corpus Christi Hope House also gets involved in the lives of women who decide to keep their babies. They are having a record number of clients this year, executive director Raymond Reeves said. The organization announced plans to add to their existing facilities. The planned St. Gianna Molla Home will increase their capacity to shelter women, children and babies by 30 percent.

On June 20 pro-life supporters held a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Joseph Church in Corpus Christi to thank God for the closing of the clinic and to remember pro-life activists who did not live to see the clinic closed. 

Prayer and spiritual support are part of the care that abortion-minded women need, Pinson said.

“They need to think about this not only physically but emotionally and spiritually,” Pinson said. “They should seek advice from their parish priest.”

For those who do choose abortion, the Pregnancy Center invites them to continue as clients so they can help them with post abortion recovery.