In the United States there are some 2,300 affiliates of the three largest pregnancy resource center umbrella groups, Heartbeat International, CareNet, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA). Over 1.9 million American women take advantage of these services each year. Many stay at one of the 350 residential facilities for women and children operated by pro-life groups. In New York City alone, there are twenty-two centers serving 12,000 women a year. These centers provide services including pre-natal care, STI testing, STI treatment, ultrasound, childbirth classes, labor coaching, midwife services, lactation consultation, nutrition consulting, social work, abstinence education, parenting classes, material assistance, and post-abortion counseling.....I think that really hits the nail on the head. I can't imagine how many times I've read accusations on some pro-choicer's blog that this or that prolifer doesn't care about life after birth because he or she voted against the government providing some service. Who knows how much money or effort this prolifer has donated to help the poor or mothers in crisis but if they don't favor the government's providing the service then they're anti-life after birth. At least according to the Marcottes, Filipovics, Valentis of the world.
If pro-life Americans provide so many (often free) services to the poor and vulnerable—work easily discovered by any researcher or journalist with an Internet connection—why are they sometimes accused of caring only for life inside the womb? Quite possibly, it is the conviction of abortion advocates that “caring for the born” translates first and always into advocacy for government programs and funds. In other words, abortion advocates appear to conflate charitable works and civil society with government action. The pro-life movement does not. Rather, it takes up the work of assisting women and children and families, one fundraiser and hotline and billboard at a time.
Monday, January 17, 2011
"Prolifers don't care about life birth" myth taken down
Helen Alvare, Greg Pfundstein, Matthew Schmitz and Ryan T. Anderson rightly call the oft-repeated talking point that "prolifers don't care about life after birth" what it is: "lazy slander."
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A lot of people on the Left do TOTALLY seem to see the Government as God -- the Source of All Good Things.
ReplyDeleteI was at a workshop once where we were asked to literally "take a stand" as various statements were read. On one end of a wall was a sign saying, "Agree", and on the other end, "Disagree." The moderator read, "More services need to be available to people with severe mental illness." We were all mental health workers, so naturally we all congregated at the "Agree" end.
A few statements later, the moderator read, "The government should provide more mental health services" -- then added, "Oh, we already did that one." I had to point out that the first statement was whether or not the services should BE PROVIDED,and the second was should they be provided BY THE GOVERNMENT." Even the brightest of my co-workers was bewildered by the idea that there was a distinction. If something is to be provided, "by the government" is understood, like the understood "you" in a sentence like "Come here" or "Sit down."