What happens when a woman…
| …wants to have her baby? | pregnancy centers provide practical support like parenting education, diapers, carseats, clothes, cribs, & more |
| …is considering abortion? | pregnancy centers provide accurate information, decision coaching, and medical centers also provide pregnancy confirmation sonograms |
| …is grieving reproductive loss? | pregnancy centers offer recovery support for those coping with the long term impacts of abortion, miscarriage, or related losses |
Pregnancy centers are supported by caring neighbors in the local community. Clients visiting local centers overwhelmingly report having positive experiences and say they would recommend the center’s services to a friend. But women and their families don’t get this same kind of support everywhere they go.
Sometimes, women are pressured to just have an abortion. Partners, family members, or bosses may imply that the “responsible thing” for a woman to do is to avoid the inconvenience of bringing a child into the world when circumstances are difficult. Sometimes, lawmakers and courts even create barriers to women accessing – or even learning about – the life-empowering services offered by pregnancy centers.
In this special edition of NetLinks, we’ll look at recent legislative and judicial impacts on pregnancy centers, women, and families.
Medical professionals sue Illinois to protect freedom of conscience
Doctors, nurses, and life-affirming pregnancy centers are on notice that their judgment and freedom of conscience may be constrained by a new state law that requires them to refer patients for abortion.
The bill amends the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which allows doctors with religious objections to deny certain treatments, such as abortion and certain sterilizations, so long as they refer patients to others who can provide the service. Opponents of the bill have said it reduces religious freedom while proponents say it makes patients safer by allowing them to make alternate plans if their doctors object to a procedure.”
Read more about the lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom. A similar suit is proceding against a California law that requires medical pregnancy centers to advise patients that MediCal may help pay for their abortion.
When zoning decisions protect the abortion industry
The director of Your Choice Pregnancy Clinic, a Care Net affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina is suing that city over discrimination against their agency. The city has refused to give them a zoning permit to open a location near Planned Parenthood.
Attorney Noel Sterett, said in a statement: “I hope we can all agree that our freedoms, property rights and a woman’s right to be fully informed should not be subject to the political whims and discretion of a few City Council members.”
Read more about the lawsuit filed by Alliance Defending Freedom.
Alaska Supreme Court: daughters’ abortion plans can be a secret from parents
In 2010, Alaska voters said parents should have a say when their minor daughters seek an abortion. Laws like this often lower abortion rates by encouraging families to discuss the challenges surrounding a young woman’s pregnancy. Planned Parenthood sued and last month the state Supreme Court decided that the law is unconstitutional.
Alaska’s notification law did not apply to girls ages 16 or 17 who were married, supported themselves independently or had court orders specifying they had been emancipated from parents or guardians. Girls who did not want to notify parents about an abortion had the option of getting permission from judges.”
Read more about how the court’s decision endangers teens
Federal Judge: Florida must fund abortion industry
According to Judge Hinkle, a state law is unconstitutional. That law would have sent government contracts to community health centers and other medical agencies that don’t abort babies. It doesn’t look like Florida will appeal the decision.
Planned Parenthood said it stood to lose $500,0000 in government contracts for MediÂcaid services and education programs as a result of the law and sued. “
Read more about the district court’s decision.
Democratic Party Platform Calls for State Sponsored Abortion
Follow the money trail, they say, and that’s what you should do to understand the Democrats recent platform change. The abortion industry spends hundreds of thousands to fund the Democratic Party and its nominees. But even though Planned Parenthood receives lots of government funds already, taxpayer dollars can’t pay for abortion directly. If Hillary Clinton’s party gets its way, all that will change.
Most significantly, the platform calls for the repeal of the Hyde and Helms amendments, which prevent taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions. This would force those who object to abortion to contribute to what we believe would be government-funded killing, and it would eradicate policies that have already saved hundreds of thousands of lives.“
Read more about Democrat’s scheme to fund the abortion industry with tax dollars.
After Hellerstedt
Texans fought for years to make the abortion industry accountable for following basic health and safety standards. But this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court bought into the industry’s lies and decided that access to abortion is more important than women’s safety.
The pro-life movement will never abandon women to the whims of an under-regulated, predatory abortion industry. In fact, the Supreme Court’s recent decision is not a censure of legislative efforts to expose and remedy abortion’s negative maternal health consequences; instead, it is an implicit “stamp of approval†on the strategic effectiveness of the movement’s dominant “mother-child†strategy which seeks to protect and advance the interests of both a mother and her unborn child. “
Read more about efforts to protect women from Big Abortion.