What are maternity homes? Their legacy is checkered
There has been a nationwide expansion of maternity homes in the two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion. Christian anti-abortion advocates want to open more of these transitional housing facilities for pregnant women to meet a growing need. It’s part of what they see as the next step in preventing abortions and providing long-term support for families. But maternity homes also have a traumatic history of coerced adoptions, particularly in the three decades before Roe v. Wade. Today’s activists and former residents of maternity homes are still grappling with that legacy.