Thursday, April 10, 2008

A Whole Lot of Wrong

I've been digging around, researching this Life Choices place. If I was angry before, now I'm horrified and enraged. Among the most disturbing information:

1. It's tax funded!

2. Although it presents itself as a "clinic," it provides no medical care and has no medically-trained staff.

3. It's tax funded!

4. One of their tactics is to make "patients" wait up to an hour for pregnancy test results while being shown gruesome footage of dismembered fetuses well beyond the development stage of a first-term abortion.

5. So-called "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" have received $60 million in tax payer money since 2001.

6. One example of where the Bush administration has sent tax dollars is the Tennessee-based Life Choices Pregnancy Support Center, where the staff believes "without reservation or qualification that the Scriptures teach that human life begins at conception.” The Post review shows that it had revenue of $81,621 in 2001. Two years later, the center received a $534,339 grant to teach “abstinence-only” programs. By 2004, annual revenue totaled $617,355. *

7. Girls who have been lured into these places thinking they will be presented with all options have been handed baby dolls and scissors and told "This is what your baby looks like now, so if you want an abortion, just take these scissors and cut this baby up, because that's what you'll be doing."

8. In March of 2006, the state of Texas announced $5 million in grants for crisis pregnancy centers. A report from the NARAL Pro-Choice Texas Foundation documents the other desperate health needs that are going unmet, just so that politicians can pursue their anti-abortion agenda:
  • Texas ranks 50th among states in the percentage of women with health insurance. Yet the state chose to fund crisis pregnancy centers rather than real medical care. Crisis pregnancy centers don’t even provide information about birth control options!
    • Texas ranks 46th in the percentage of women who’ve had pap smears in the past three years. Pap smears help detect cervical cancer, but instead of helping more women get this vital test, the state cut funds for the service.
      • Texas ranks fifth in teen pregnancies—but instead of investing in more sex-education programs, it’s sending money to crisis pregnancy centers. *

Nothing like an unconstitutionally-tax-funded religious fake clinic elbowing out a legitimate small business. Nothing like teaching abstinence only to pregnant girls. Thanks W!

* Numbers six and eight were taken directly from this article.

3 comments:

Rita said...

Oh, that just makes my stomach hurt. Why in the world is it tax funded? People need to know about that.

Anonymous said...

I would think that an open-minded, seemingly fair person like yourself would not want to be passing on incorrect information, so....as someone who has been to Life Choices, I wanted to let you know that they did not show me any "footage of dismembered fetuses", or any video whatsoever, for that matter. They DO have real RN's on staff. Your comment about the baby dolls and scissors is also patently false; no such thing as this happened. Here's what DID happen: a very pleasant nurse had me give a urine sample for a pregnancy test. A sweet woman talked with me for a few minutes about my plans if it did turn out that I was pregnant. She did show me pictures of fetal development, but these were the famous Nilsson (?sp?) photos, not gruesome or gory in the least, but on the contrary quite beautiful. She told me about a program they have where I can learn whether it's best for me to become a single parent, or to place my baby for adoption, as well as information about prenatal health, budgeting, and good decision making skills. By attending the program's classes, I can earn points to redeem for maternity clothes, baby items, and the like. The lady did present the Christian gospel message to me, in a loving and caring manner. She did not criticize me or look down on me. She offered to pray with me and give me a Bible if I didn't already have one. And as far as them receiving tax funding, I feel far better about them receiving funding than Planned Parenthood, which receives a much greater dollar amount. I challenge you to visit Life Choices sometime. You shouldn't be angry at them; they are providing a wonderful service and they do it in a loving, caring manner. Your characterization of them is way off base. Hope you're open-minded enough to reconsider your views! Sincerely, a friend of Life Choices.

Anonymous said...

I volunteered at a crisis pregnancy center (in Texas, no less) and the information you presented here is completely false. Other than the fact that they did indeed want women to keep their babies rather than abort, the description you gave is false. The only video the center I was involved with showed was an informational video for the women to be informed of what would happen to their body if they chose to abort. It was for education, not to scare them. The people running these centers love these women no matter what choice they make. Your assessment is completely off base.