At Barrie Pregnancy Resource Centre, we serve individuals who come from diverse backgrounds who are facing incredibly varied circumstances.
Some of the women we support are educated professionals who are facing pregnancy at a time that is challenging for them. We also serve college students, teens in high school and women facing poverty and homelessness. Some of the individuals we serve come from loving, healthy homes, but many come from backgrounds filled with abuse, neglect and difficulty, which can also be identified as ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences).
Watch this Ted Talks Video of Dr. Nadine Burke Harris to understand more about ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences).
Research tells us that exposure to childhood adversity has a direct impact on a person’s health and well-being.
The more ACES a person has, the greater their risk of the following …
Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse • Illicit Drug Use • Early Initiation of Smoking • Smoking • Health-Related Quality of Life • Liver Disease • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) • Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) • Risk for Intimate Partner Violence • Depression • Suicide Attempts • Multiple Sexual Partners • Early Initiation of Sexual Activity • Unintended Pregnancies • Adolescent Pregnancy • HIV • Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) • Fetal Death (Source: Buncombeaces.org)
Research also indicates that approximately 40% of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion. (Source: Guttmacher.org)
Since women who experience childhood adversity are statistically more likely to experience teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy, and they are also less likely to have healthy support systems, they are more likely to visit a pregnancy centre for support.
The exciting news is that pregnancy centres can make a difference!
If centres are effective in responding to the impact of childhood trauma in the clients they serve, they can help reduce the number of future adolescent and unplanned pregnancies and abortions by breaking generational cycles of abuse and ACES.
So … how can pregnancy centres make a difference?
Check out our upcoming blog on resilience and connection to find out more!