While officials in Washington state, New York City, Baltimore and elsewhere attack the work of pregnancy centers, lawmakers in South Dakota are praising their work connecting women with abortion alternatives.
The South Dakota state legislature today praised the work of pregnancy centers with both the South Dakota House of Representatives and Senate passed a “Resolution Honoring Pregnancy Care Centers.” The resolution thanks the non-profit organizations throughout the state for their tremendous service to women, children, and the community.
South Dakota is the first state this year to pass such a resolution, a model of which was drafted by Americans United for Life.
“The Legislature commends the compassionate work of tens of thousands of volunteers and paid staff at pregnancy care centers in South Dakota and across the United States and it disapproves of the actions of any national, state, or local groups attempting to prevent pregnancy care centers from effectively serving women and men facing unplanned pregnancies,” the resolution states.
“The Legislature strongly supports pregnancy care centers in their unique, positive contributions to the individual lives of women, men, and babies –both born and unborn,” it adds.
Responding to the passage of the resolution, Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde, whose organization serves as a resource network for well over 1,100 affiliated centers, told LifeNews.com, “The more you know about the compassionate outreach of pregnancy centers to women facing unplanned pregnancies, the more you want to cheer on this amazing work.”
She added: “In this era of state budget shortfalls, it’s organizations like pregnancy centers that help to hold our communities together, providing free services to help empower women and strengthen families.” [related]
Delahoyde thanked the bill sponsors and AUL for their leadership on behalf of pregnancy centers. “Care Net is grateful to those who continue to come alongside our movement to champion the quiet, life-saving work of pregnancy centers,” she said.
Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, also weighed in and said, “The praise that pregnancy centers are receiving for their life-affirming impact on the women, families, and communities they serve is well-deserved and long-overdue.”
Yoest said her group is looking forward to working with centers in other states on resolutions supporting their efforts.
