One of the greatest threats to the abortion business, which has been permitted to prey on our society since the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, has not come from legislation or subsequent court challenges, but from loving, caring groups of pro-life Americans, gathering together to support pregnant women through Pregnancy Care Centers (PCCs).
PCCs –sometimes known as “Pregnancy Resource Centers” or “Crisis Pregnancy Centers”— have had a considerable life-affirming impact on the women and the communities they serve. During this week in which Americans especially remember what we are thankful for, it is particularly appropriate to thank the women and men at the thousands of PCCs nation-wide who serve women with compassion and integrity, offering positive alternatives to abortion.
PCCs offer women the opportunity to make real choices. This is in striking contrast to Roe’s legalized abortion-regime which has more-than-implicitly suggested that women’s equality is only obtainable through the death of their children. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a plurality of Justices upheld what it considered the “central holding” of Roe, by asserting–not that Roe was correct on the law or the facts—but that there is now a societal reliance on abortion, which facilitates “the ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation…”
However, PCCs believe women deserve better than being subjected to social pressure to turn to abortion. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of women and men, PCCs enable women to reach their potential, without costing the lives of their children.
Each year, more than 2,500 PCCs across the United States provide invaluable free services to hundreds of thousands of women facing unplanned pregnancies. Services offered by PCCs typically include:
• Free pregnancy tests;
• One-on-one, non-judgmental counselling about the various options;
• Temporary housing, food, clothing, furniture, and other material assistance;
• Childbirth and parenting classes;
• Ultrasounds, pre-natal vitamins, and other medical care;
• Education and employment counselling;
• 24-hour telephone hotlines; and/or
• Referrals for health care and to adoption agencies and other support services.
As hard as the abortion lobby tries to undermine their life-affirming work, PCCs are overwhelmingly supported by the women they serve, and the communities in which they live. Unlike the Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, the success of PCCs has come largely from local support, not from the government dole.
Arkansas State Senator Gilbert Baker, issuing an honor to Arkansas PCCs in June 2009, observed, “Those that serve within pregnancy centers are to be commended for their sacrifice of time, energy, and resources on behalf of thousands of families in our communities. Your network of support for women is a wonderful example of that great spirit of American volunteerism that is so critical, especially in today’s economy.”[1]
PCCs truly are, as Senator Baker described, “a wonderful example of that great spirit of American volunteerism.” They are a network of neighbors helping neighbors, providing aid in a time of crisis. And they threaten the business of abortion because by offering true choices for women in crisis, PCCs dispel the lie that women “need” abortion.
To help educate legislators and the public on the positive impact of PCCs, and in deep gratitude for the selfless service they render, Americans United for Life has developed a joint resolution honoring the work of PCCs.
We wish everyone who works with or supports these centers a very happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for all you do in the cause of life.
[1] https://www.care-net.org/newsroom/press_release.php?id=71
LifeNews.com Note: Anna Franzonello is a staff attorney with Americans United for Life.
