Life Links 10/13/10

Some members of the New York City Council are proposing to regulate crisis pregnancy centers by forcing them to disclose that they don't perform or refer for abortions among other items.

The legislation, backed by Speaker Christine Quinn, would require the centers to disclose to clients that they do not provide abortion services or contraceptive devices, or make referrals to organizations that do. Centers that don't have licensed medical providers onsite would also have to disclose that information.

Under the bill, the centers would be required to hang disclosure signs in their offices and post statements on websites and in advertisements.....

Chris Slattery, president of Expectant Mother Care Frontline Pregnancy Centers, which operate in the city, said the legislation is a violation of First Amendment rights. He accused the council of championing the "abortion industry's agenda."

"This is an outrageous interference with an extremely helpful and positive outreach to often disadvantaged expectant mothers," Mr. Slattery said. "How many other New York City businesses will be required to say on their doors what services they don't offer?"

I'm wondering if the NYC City Council, which apparently cares so much about women, has done anything to stop Pierre Renelique, an abortionist who lost his license in Florida for medical malpractice, from practicing in NYC.

Susan Dominus' New York Times article on the Council's plans is unintentionally hilarious.

The centers — crisis pregnancy centers — provide support for women who would like to continue their pregnancies but are in dire financial straits. They provide useful social service referrals and offer a sympathetic ear for women continuing their pregnancies.

They do not, however, provide a full range of alternatives (like the morning-after pill) or condone all choices.

Can you imagine that? They don't condone all choices? The horror!

We also learn that a NARAL Pro-Choice America investigation (which was certainly scientific and unbiased) found that CPCs do a bunch of things NARAL doesn't like. But the investigation was "year-long" so it must have some merit, right?


At the Acton Institute Michael Miller discusses a piece in the Weekly Standard by Jonathan Last entitled, "America's One Child Policy," which I somehow missed. From Last's piece,

During the last 50 years, fertility rates have fallen all over the world. From Africa to Asia, South America to Eastern Europe, from Third World jungles to the wealthy desert petro-kingdoms, every country in every region is experiencing declines in fertility. In 1979, the world’s fertility rate was 6.0; today it’s 2.6. Industrialized nations have been the hardest hit. America’s 2.06 is one of the highest fertility rates in the First World. Only Israel (2.75) and New Zealand (2.10) are more fertile.

China and America have yet to witness the effects of falling fertility because of demographic momentum. Populations increase even as fertility rates collapse, until the last above-replacement generation dies, after which the population begins contracting. The rate of contraction speeds up as each generation passes. No society has ever experienced prosperity in the wake of contracting population.

Overheard at the Abortioneers' blog:

I see patients who are sad after their abortion just as often as I see patients who are elated they aren't pregnant anymore.