How can they call themselves “pro-choice”?

 
On April 1, RHRealityCheck.org issued six articles condemning pro-life pregnancy resource centers and encouraging “pro-choice” individuals to combat them. With thousands of pro-lifer funded and staffed pregnancy centers proliferating across the country in the last two decades, one would have to wonder why “pro-choice” individuals like Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, Lauren Bull, a Planned Parenthood employee, and Amanda Marcotte, a bitter blogger, would be opposed to them. After all, these centers are offering women the physical and emotional help they need to get through their pregnancies. PRCs offer free ultrasounds, diapers, clothing (for mom and baby), counseling (for mom and dad), cooking classes, job-skill training and placement, housing assistance – the list goes on! You won’t find those things being offered by Planned Parenthood.

One has to wonder, why are these “pro-choice” individuals opposed to a woman being given positive options? We all know that abortion clinics DO NOT offer adequate information or help with anything. Written and verbal testimonies, undercover audio/video recordings and even the accounts of former abortion clinic owners and employees have shown that there is a serious pattern of clinic workers with a pro-abortion bent. Former counselors even acknowledge training to steer women towards abortion because a woman who doesn’t abort, doesn’t pay their big abortion fees.

What they’re saying (and yes, by going after PRCs/crisis pregnancy centers, this is EXACTLY what they are saying) is that they want to GO BACK to a time when women didn’t have this network of thousands of pregnancy centers that would help them. There were countless women who were nudged, cajoled or forced into abortions because they didn’t have anyone who would help them. Well, guess what? Pro-lifers ARE helping these women and any attempts to silence or shut down PRCs should be construed as an attack against the best interest of pregnant women.

Pro-choice? Sounds more like pro-abortion. What do you think?

The thousands of pregnancy resource centers are the backbone of the pro-life movement. They are in every community across the nation and it is our job as pro-lifers to support and defend them. When you see or hear people attacking them, fire back with information about what PRCs offer, stories from women who have been helped and (if you have any) photos of children whose lives have been saved by these vanguard organizations.

Planned Parenthood vs. my baby.

To highlight just one example of how pro-life pregnancy centers are helping women and girls, read Alicia’s testimony:

I found out I was pregnant when I bought a test and took it in a Wal-Mart bathroom stall during break (I work at Wal-Mart). I was incredibly scared and wanted a definite confirmation of “Yes, you are pregnant.” I called up Planned Parenthood, knowing full well that they were in the business of abortion. However, I thought maybe I could get an inside look into what actually happens when a pregnant woman goes to Planned Parenthood for help. Were they really as bad as people say they are?

I called up Planned Parenthood and they said I could come in between such and such hours to take a pregnancy test. It took me forever to even find the place, considering there wasn’t even a sign that hinted that it held a Planned Parenthood inside. I walked up and down the street and called them a few different times from my cell phone and I still couldn’t find it. They wouldn’t tell me their exact location, just the address and the imprecise direction of “it’s by the Subway.” Some man at a restaurant saw me walk by for like the 20th time and asked me if I was looking for Planned Parenthood. I said yes and he showed me how to get there. As I approached the desk and talked to a girl through a little hole in the plastic/glass, she buzzed me in and I was able to speak to her and two other young women…

When I was called in to take the test, the nurse handed me a cup and showed me to the bathroom. When I gave it back to her, she told me to sit in a room. After what seemed to be forever, she came back and said the test was positive. Without skipping a beat she asked, “Do you know what your options are?” I was half-stunned by the lack of empathy she had but, after all, this was Planned Parenthood. I told her that I was definitely keeping the baby and that abortion WAS NOT an option! My quick response caused this “she must be crazy” look on her face…

After the nurse figured out I was about seven-weeks pregnant, her only advice was to tell me this: “Since you’re planning on keeping the baby, you need to eat extra healthy. It’s like a little leech, sucking up whatever you take in.” What a beautiful way to talk about this growing little human inside me! …

My experience with Planned Parenthood left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Not only did they fail to offer me any real help to prepare for parenthood – something you’d assume they would do with a name like that – but they also treated me in a way that just screamed “Have an abortion or get out!” …

Thank God for Alpha Pregnancy Care Center ! I called and explained my situation and made an appointment to see “Kathy” as soon as we both could meet. Kathy was great, so nice and honest, so loving. She truly cared about what she was doing and about the girls. She made sure I knew that this baby was not a mistake and listened to me discuss my confusion and fears. We talked about adoption, but I knew that wasn’t the right path for me; I definitely wanted to keep my baby. Kathy gave me a lot of great information and a list of doctors that I could see. I ended up choosing one off of Alpha’s list instead of Planned Parenthood’s – Planned Parenthood was so sleazy, I can only imagine who they’d refer me to! She also gave me a tour of the center, including their “stork room store.” You could earn mommy/daddy credits for use in there to buy things for the baby. No money is allowed in exchange for those things, just the credits. It’s really a great way for women (and even the fathers) to come in and learn pregnancy/parenting skills. They have so much there; childbirth preparation and baby care classes, as well as parenting and nutritional workshops. They even have a Bible study. When your baby is close to being born, they put together a package full of gender specific clothes, diapers, and other essentials.

I was never oblivious to the good things that Alpha has been doing; I’ve participated in their Walk for Life and my church has been involved with them for years. But witnessing everything directly showed me just how much they care for women. They have so much love, compassion and concern. Alpha Pregnancy Care Center gave me so much help and all for free!

All I got from Planned Parenthood was a $9 pregnancy test and a woman telling me that I’m growing a leech.

Alicia is in the middle of her third trimester and she looks forward to giving birth to her son, Aidan, in late May. You can read her entire story, leave her kind words and feedback here.

Tell Your Pro-life Story

We’ve added a new submission to Tell Your Pro-life Story this past week:

Rock for Life
P.O. Box 1350
Stafford, VA 22555
www.RockForLife.org
Rock for Life’s MySpace, Facebook
YouTube, Podomatic and Xanga
AOL IM = RockForLifeUSA
Yahoo! IM = RockForLifeUSA

Pregnant? Don’t know what to do? Call 888-550-7577 or click here.
Had an abortion? Need help or healing? Call 877-HOPE-4-ME or click here.

©2008 American Life League, Inc.