If it were your own daughter in crisis....

... what would you choose for her?


Okay, stay with me, while I draw this comparison. Really, don't go anywhere, just give me a few minutes to show you something powerful, a real study in contrasts.

In the past couple of days online, two very different models of women's healthcare kept popping up for me, and I was so viscerally struck by the colossal differences, more so than usual.

One model of women's healthcare undermines that which is uniquely woman, and will not only happily alter/derail her feminine nature and biology (in other words, her health), but will kill her unborn child in exchange for a nice wad of cash (and then some). That model is big business, and its "providers" care very little, if at all, about the women who pay for "services." This is the model that receives a half a billion dollars in taxpayer money each year, in addition to its own revenue stream from the (often poor and desperate) women who come in, and from the human body parts it sells and/or "donates" for research.

By contrast, the other model never undermines or disdains a woman's biology, but works with her body's design and nature. This model of healthcare would never harm a mother or her child -- but wants both to survive and thrive. Not only will this model of care provide help and health to the woman for free (nothing in it for them, unlike the first model), but the staff and volunteers care about the woman or girl, personally, and continue to serve her needs (including material needs), free of charge, long after the initial crisis and/or appointment is over. This is the model that some left-wing legislators, in cahoots with the abortion industry, are trying to close down and make illegal!


I didn't know which one to present you with first, the good or the bad. So, I'm going to go with the bad, so that your anger, disgust, horror, and even nausea will be soothed by the end of the post.

And so I give you, Planned Parenthood, offering services you may not have heard of....

Did you watch it all the way through? Are you physically ill?

I can only pray that you have been sufficiently horrified by what you just witnessed (which doesn't even begin to touch upon the body count at the clinics). If what you just saw isn't evil, then what on earth is?

Keep in mind that Planned Parenthood, the shameless purveyor of death and filth, is the darling of the Democratic Party and its candidates. If you needed any proof, here's Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards in the great seat of honor next to President Bill Clinton at this year's Democratic National Convention. It doesn't get much more prestigious than this:

Getty Images

The Democratic Party loves Planned Parenthood so much that it honors and defends the organization by name in its very Platform:

We will fight Republican efforts to roll back the clock on women’s health and reproductive rights, and stand up for Planned Parenthood. 

By name!

Oh, and Ms. Richards has had unfettered, revolving-door access to the current White House as well, with approximately 40 visits since Obama took office. Planned Parenthood is flush with both power and money.


Now let's turn to the hope. Let's look at the opposite of Planned Parenthood -- those organizations which are not flush with power and money but are full of real help, love, and heart -- and let's learn how women are treated in the centers and clinics set up to be a loving and humane alternative to PP.

My good friend LeeAnne wrote the following to someone online the other day, describing the care clients receive at one of our local crisis pregnancy centers, First Way:

I am currently a manager at a pregnancy center, and while we are of course going to share with clients the physical effects of abortion, contraception, etc., we spend much more time helping women (pro-life and pro-choice) get life on track if it is not. 

We work on strengthening the family structure, choosing the right fella, and addressing the issues that need support in her life: material, social, emotional, mental, familial, sometimes spiritual if she wishes. 

We spend just as much time and often more with someone whose pregnancy test is negative, as a real re-think about her goals in life can happen just then.

We stay with a pregnant mom through the pregnancy, and for a year after baby is born, then help her transition to other organizations which continue to help.

We have male counselors help guide and encourage the fathers of the babies, strengthening the families. We offer lots of help, but encourage them to step into the role of advocating and improving their situations themselves.

We have free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, maternity clothes, and free diapers, baby clothes, and baby equipment when they come to classes on pregnancy health, parenting, and strengthening families.

We support women and men - many - who have dealt with miscarriage.

Drug rehabs bring their patients to us for support.

It just won't work to de-value the life of the mom so much that, without offering something better, we allow her to enter the ranks of the walking-wounded, the post-abortive women we talk to every day (pro-life and pro-choice) who suffer until finding a place of healing, often through groups that generously offer time to guide these women to healing.

We can't allow that to happen without doing our best to address what brought her to this place in the first place and showing her a life-affirming option.

These last 2 weeks (for some reason) I have spoken to so very many post-abortive women and heard their relentless suffering and pleas for us to tell others there is a better way. Giving her contraception will not fix the deep desires of her heart to have a healthy relationship. Helping her realize the purpose of the sexual act, the way to work with her fertility, and the goal of a strong family makes a difference. And it often works! They redeem their situations over time, and edge closer to a better life for themselves.

I just wanted to paint a landscape of what it looks like to help these moms. And we are but one organization of many, in one city; there are so many. Our clients sometimes come to us when just about to move away. So far I have never been unable to find support for a client in her new city, by starting at a pregnancy support center in the city to which she is moving.

These centers are where the beauty happens, not in the pharmacy where she gets cheap contraception or the abortion clinic that EVERY client I have spoken to explains to be a cold place, devoid of hope and help.

First Way is a great model for crisis pregnancy centers. My husband serves as a volunteer board member, and we willingly support the center financially and with material goods for the women and children and families in need, unlike our forced "support" of Planned Parenthood via our tax dollars.

Other amazing local crisis pregnancy centers in my neck of the woods are Life Choices Women's Clinic (medical clinic) in two locations plus a mobile clinic, and Aid to Women Center Pregnancy and Medical Clinic, which produced the following video with testimonials (starting at about the :40 mark) from the women helped. Note that they were treated like family, truly loved and cared for as human beings, not as a number or a means to a bottom line:

I have witnessed these stories over and over and over again. This type of care is loving, selfless, redemptive, healing, and fully human.

Mary Ann is another of my personal friends, and as the receptionist at First Way, she reports: "The girls who have come to us after Planned Parenthood repeatedly mention how nice we are, and how PP treated them badly."

Is that really a surprise?

Check the first video on this post again. Then check the edited or unedited videos from the Center For Medical Progress, which exposed barbaric, inhumane practices and the selling of human baby parts at Planned Parenthood, and which were not doctored.

Compare and contrast. In whose hands would you wish your daughter to be?

Or any human being, for that matter?

Spread the word. Support your local crisis pregnancy center. And, please, help abortion workers leave the abortion industry.

So much evil out there, but also so much good. Never stop doing the good.

Just Curious: What made you turn from pro-"choice" to pro-life?

A couple of weeks ago I received an interesting email from a reader, and I thought it would make a great "Just Curious". She said in part:

It occurred to me that you might be interested in inviting your readers to share if they've seen pro-abortion people change their hearts and minds....and how it happened. I imagine you and your readers would have some great insights that could inspire and help others!  

I'm also mulling the idea of doing more. It would be fascinating to hear stories from those who participate in sidewalk prayer as well as volunteers in crisis pregnancy centers. When I say stories I think I really mean witness. This is all so foreign to me and yet I already know that this is where I'm headed! I can't not do something.

So in honor of this woman's sincere desire to be a better pro-life witness, I'm just curious:

1) What made you (or someone you know) turn from pro-"choice" to pro-life?

2) Sidewalk counselors and crisis pregnancy center volunteers: What graces have you witnessed or consolations have you received in your ministry?

I am allowing the comments to be anonymous for this post, at least for now. Let's see how it goes.

Catholics: Your misguided compassion will come back to bite you in the rear

The culture has quickly moved from complete aversion to gay "marriage" (which was unthinkable even fifteen years ago) to the beginnings of real acceptance. I've noticed that most who have moved towards acceptance have done so out of a misguided sense of compassion.

I've seen otherwise faithful Catholics publicly declare that we should not speak against, vote against or fight against gay "marriage", because a) we heterosexuals have already messed up marriage enough on our own, and b) we cannot "judge". We can practice our Faith and also give homosexuals the right to civil "marriage". No conflict, they say, and no problem.

Well, if you're a Catholic who doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I'm talking directly to you: Such misguided compassion (which equates to "love without truth") will come back to bite you in the arse, and with a vengeance.

Because if you believe that gay "marriage" laws will not affect you or your Church, you're already too late.


Check the writing on the wall:

This very week, an Illinois judge ruled that the state can sever its contract with Catholic Charities' foster and adoption program because the Catholic agency refuses to place children with homosexual couples. In the wake of the state's new "civil unions" law, these Catholic ministries must either formally cooperate with grave sin or end their mission.

After the ruling (which affects 2500 foster children), Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria lamented that “important elements of the political establishment in the state of Illinois are now basically at war with the Catholic community and seem to be destroying their institutions.”

Already, back in May, the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, shut down a 100-year-old adoption and foster care ministry that helped place hundreds of children with families each year. According to diocesan official Peggy Wiegert:

Catholic Charities and other religious agencies implored the State of Illinois to allow their agencies to refer such couples to other adoption and foster care agencies so as to not violate the moral teachings of their faith. Tragically, that did not happen.

Supporters of Illinois' "civil union" law falsely claimed that its passage would have no effect on faith-based adoption agencies.

Yeah, right. Whoever believed that is a fool.

Attentive Catholics knew better, because Illinois is not an anomaly, it's a trend. Last year, D.C. passed a gay "marriage" law, effectively forcing Catholic Charities in that diocese shut its adoption/foster programs after 80 years of service. And in 2006, Boston Catholic Charities ended its century-old adoption/foster services rather than place children with homosexual couples, which was required by the legalization of gay "marriage" in Massachusetts.

From Catholic commentator Jack Smith:

Everywhere civil unions or same-sex marriages have become the law, they have been used to shut Catholic Charities out of adoption and foster care services. And there is no reason to expect they won’t be used to erode other religious freedoms down the road.

Bingo!

Now, unlike other civil union and gay "marriage" laws, the recent New York State gay "marriage" law did include a religious exemption, which placated a few nervous legislators, but which shouldn't bring Catholics much comfort. Some religious entities are protected from having to accommodate gay "marriages", but as one Christian wisely put it: "We didn't need any protection before!" True, that. Yesterday we weren't discriminating, but today we are. We are "protected" now, but protections for discriminators won't last long.

After all, dear Catholics, when grave sin is re-categorized as a societal virtue and a civil right, then you and your Church are suddenly the ones in violation and will be penalized for speaking or acting in opposition.

If you think, as I naively once did, that the general public will be horrified by the loss of so many wonderful, longstanding Catholic charities, think again. Most Americans are clueless about what's happening, and the secular left loathes the Catholic Church. We've had at least one atheist in the Bubble state with pride that she would be pleased to see a world without the Catholic Church, and she is far from alone in her desire.

Unfortunately, the secular left have a lot of political power.

Worse still, they are aided and abetted by a cadre of dissident Catholic politicians who are more than happy to betray their own Church and Lord in exchange for worldly accolades and thirty pieces of silver. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Joe Biden --and a host of others -- all have a hand in the present and future persecution of the Catholic Church and her ministries, and all will bear responsibility for our individual and institutional loss of religious freedom.

If faithful Catholics don't stand up and fight with courage soon, we will see a day when Catholic hospitals are compelled to civil disobedience, crisis pregnancy centers (now targeted across the nation) are forcibly shut, and other religious freedoms and charities are gravely harmed (as with the new contraceptive mandate, which caused a "national violation of conscience and an attack on Catholic intermediate institutions"). Even today, merely speaking Christian truth as a private citizen could cost a man his livelihood.

And so I implore you, fellow Catholics: Stop trying to "get along" with the world. The world hates you as it hated Christ, an assurance we have from Our Lord Himself*. The new age of secularism is upon us, and its endless drone of "tolerance" does not apply to you.

Catholics-who-don't-want-to-offend, you will inevitably offend someone, and the only question is who. If any of us is more worried about offending our fellow man than we are about offending God, it's time to reassess our commitment to Jesus Christ, as St. Paul said:

Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ. -- Galatians 1:10

We cannot serve two masters. And if you are still confused about your responsibility as a Catholic in the public square, drink in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, who makes your choice beautifully clear:

As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among these the following emerge[s] clearly today:

...Recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role….   (2006 speech to European politicians, emphasis mine)

Being faithful to Church teaching and courageous in the public square is our calling as Catholics! Faithful courage -- as opposed to misguided compassion -- will not only help save the Church's mission and charities in America, it might save your own butt, as well.

Not to mention your soul.

*John 15:18 (What? You don't believe Him?)

"Pro-lifers love the fetus, but they don't care about people after they're born!"

If you're pro-life, you've heard it a thousand times. Recently on this blog, it came up again:


"it always seems that pro-life means helping babies in the womb, but not out"


It's a painful thing for pro-lifers to hear. There is no truth to it, and yet it's become a pro-abortion mantra, accepted without question. I'm about to expose this sentiment as fallacy, and later ask you to do the same. I want this to be a "reference post" that pro-lifers can bookmark and use as needed. 


When I first thought of writing this post many months ago, I sent off an email to one of my closest pro-life friends, LeeAnne, asking her to list some of the things she does to help women, children and families. Not knowing that I planned to publish it (heh heh heh), she shot me back a quick list. Here is my fleshed-out summary of what this mother of four does for the pro-life cause in her spare time:

• Works with girls and women in crisis/unplanned pregnancies (loving, women-centered sidewalk counseling outside of abortion clinics), and trains others to do the same.
• Works with referrals when people know someone in a crisis pregnancy, offering hope and guidance and/or material and emotional support when the girls are being pressured to have an abortion.
• Works closely with the pregnant moms and alumni at Maggie's Place (see below), teaching parenting classes among other things. (Moms and babies who "graduate" from Maggie's Place are forever part of the Maggie's Place family).
• Gives high school pro-life and chastity talks, and leads curriculum development for life and love topics. Recently co-created a pilot program for teen formation in our diocese.
• As an adoptee herself, gives adoption talks at 1st Way Pregnancy Resource Center (see below), along with an adoptive mother (Danya!) and two "veteran" birth moms, providing women in crisis with life-giving, loving options.
• Organized Theology of the Body classes for teens, which includes formation in human dignity and healthy sexuality. She hosted dozens of lively teens for eight months in her own home.
• Asked to teach in a high school with high pregnancy rates, helping both girls and guys to realize their innate value and how right relationships work, all with an eye toward the creation of healthy families in the future.
• Gets personally involved, because love is an act of the will: LeeAnne befriended one young woman, "Anna", 18 years old, a refugee, all alone, who had been brutally raped and impregnated. When the young woman decided to parent, LeeAnne and another Catholic friend took Anna under their wings. Anna and her beautiful baby girl have been a part of their lives ever since. No one is abandoned and everyone is loved in the pro-life Catholic "bubble".

As a follow-up, LeeAnne reminded me that meeting a woman's immediate needs in the moment of crisis is only one part of the pro-life witness. Pro-lifers work forward from the point of crisis, in the form of future support and the building of relationships. It can take years and many setbacks for women to break old habits and make good choices; pro-lifers stand by these women for the long haul. They also work backward from the point of crisis, teaching/mentoring junior high and high school kids, offering practical and sound formation before they make the poor life choices that often lead to a crisis pregnancy.

So, it's a continuum of care, support and service, not just a moment in time.

Now, I have shown you the pro-life activities of one of my friends, but there are so many others just in my area who do amazing work for no worldly gain.


For example, there is Maggie's Place, an organization started by five young pro-life Catholic women (recent college grads) who wanted to provide a home for pregnant women with nowhere to go. There are now multiple homes established, staffed by women who have cared for hundreds of new mothers and their babies, and supported by the greater community. Here is their mission statement:

Maggie's Place is a community of homes that provide hospitality for pregnant women who are alone or on the streets. We have a two-fold strategy in assisting mothers to grow. First, Maggie's Place provides for the immediate physical and emotional needs of our guests including shelter, food, clothing, and a supportive community. As such, we are a family and a community! In addition, Maggie's Place connects the mothers to the appropriate agencies and resources including prenatal care, health insurance, low-cost housing, and education programs. In doing so, we are supporting the mother in both her short-term and long-term goals!

Our local pro-life community also supports several pro-life crisis pregnancy centers, such as 1st Way Pregnancy Resource Center:

We the people of 1st Way believe that each woman and child is a unique and valuable human being.

The mission of 1st Way is to provide education and assistance to any woman or teen who is pregnant or thinks she may be. This is accomplished through the free, loving, and non-judgmental provision of information, counseling and practical services.

During pregnancy and afterward, we continue to educate and assist these women in whatever way is needed to support their decision to choose a better way of life.  We educate pregnant women about pre-natal care and assist them in finding jobs and planning for their futures by gently helping them objectively and realistically explore their options. 

Life Choices Women's Clinics (the doctor on staff is a friend and fellow mom) and Aid to Women Center


Our pro-life Catholic community runs and supports the local St. Vincent de Paul Society, which cares for so many families, women and children in so many different ways that it would take ten posts to describe it all. I am honored that SVdP's executive director is a close family friend and a member of my parish. Please read about the first-rate Medical and Dental Clinic there, where over 160 doctors and dentists volunteer to treat over 15,000 patients per year. Or the awe-inspiring Charity Dining Rooms, which serve over six million meals annually to needy families and individuals. Or the Family Eviction Prevention program, the Help for the Working Poor program, the Ministry to the Homeless, the Ministry to the Incarcerated, the Transitional Shelter for those over 50 and the physically or mentally disabled, the Youth Mentoring program, and on and on and on....


The pro-life philosophy is at the heart of everything they do. 


I could continue at length describing programs and outreach just around my own pro-life community and Catholic diocese, but I hope this will begin to debunk the myth of "the uncaring pro-lifer who does nothing to help people after they are born".




**Update: Whoops! I forgot to mention that off the top of my head, I can think of at least seventeen children adopted by my pro-life friends and acquaintances, many of them foster children and older children.


**Update #2: I also forgot to mention our local Catholic program called DIGNITY, which helps girls get out and stay out of a life of prostitution (most girls start at the tender age of 13). These exploited and abused young women receive hope and dignity and lifelong friendship from those who have been there. I hope you will read about this program!


Also, we have Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity here in town. Those sweet sisters care for countless children for no earthly reward. 


I'm sure I will think of countless more ways that pro-lifers help people, but I'm going to force myself to leave it at that, and look forward to your additions in the comments section.





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