Saturday, August 8, 2015

What's In A Name? Planned Parenthood, Pro-Choice, and Pro-Life

Planned Parenthood is used to the Pro-Life campaign attempting to shut their doors. But with new information regarding the possible sale of tissue samples to medical laboratories, it looks like Pro-Lifers may have the opportunity to shut the clinics down permanently. 

Personally, I have never seen the paperwork which I'm sure all women must sign before having an abortion. For all I know, it includes a clause which states what the clinics may do with biohazard materials -- including the possible sale of samples. But I have seen women entering Planned Parenthood for a number of reasons other than obtaining abortions, ranging from getting contraceptives, to help with carrying pregnancies to term, to women's health and preventative care.


A list of just some of the types of services & help provided by Planned Parenthood.


Planned Parenthood is exactly what its name suggests -- it's a place which helps women plan their parenthood by keeping women healthy, helping them while they are expecting, and, yes, also providing abortion services. But what does the Pro-Life campaign do?

From the news it often seems that much of the Pro-Life campaign's time is spent outside Planned Parenthood harassing patients who, based on the vast number of services offered by Planned Parenthood, are more likely to be there for a pelvic exam or a wanted pregnancy than an abortion. But, assuming Pro-Lifers can pick out only the women entering Planned Parenthood for an abortion, and assuming they convince these women having an abortion is wrong, what services do they offer these women to promote their lives and the lives of their unborn children?

Surely most women seeking an abortion would prefer to see their own Primary Care Physician or obstetrician/gynecologist, or get a referral to a doctors office free from picketers. Or perhaps fly to Canada or France. Most of the women, then, who go to Planned Parenthood for an abortion may have no other options. Maybe they don't have a PCP or ob/gyn. Perhaps they do not have health insurance because their jobs do not provide it. Maybe they don't have money to fly out of the country. 

So, what happens if they do carry the babies to term? Without the care of a physician or ob/gyn, there are greater risks during the pregnancy for both the mother and child. Without health care, how will the babies have check-ups and vaccinations? Without money, how will these women feed and clothe these children?

Occasionally there are stories in the news where police have found that young children have been left unattended. But if you are a single mother, working a job to make enough money to feed your children and pay the rent, then maybe you can't afford a sitter, and you certainly can't afford to call in sick or take your children to work with you during every school vacation. So what else are you supposed to do?

From an article by the A.P.


Where is the Pro-Life campaign once there is a life to care for? Shouldn't the Pro-Life campaign be helping to care for the lives of these mothers and their children? Why isn't the Pro-Life campaign pushing for safe-haven centers where the mothers of unwanted newborns can leave them to be adopted with no questions asked? Why isn't there a free Pro-Life daycare program, where women can drop off their children while they go to work? Why isn't the Pro-Life campaign paying for doctors' visits? Or giving the pregnant women pre-natal vitamins and screenings? Or providing new mothers diapers and cribs? Or toddlers meals or clothing? Why isn't the Pro-Life campaign actually promoting the lives of the children that are saved?

No matter where you stand on the abortion debate, or the sale of tissue samples, clearly something should be done to help care for the lives of children who are carried to term, especially when a mother has considered an abortion because she knows she cannot care for that child. Otherwise the Pro-Choice campaign isn't supporting women who choose to keep their children, and the Pro-Life campaign isn't really supporting life.





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