Catholic women in the pro-life movement are applauding the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the Title X family planning program. They argue the changes would protect women and give them safer options for family planning. The new regulations would eliminate the requirement that doctors provide abortion and birth control referrals at patients’ request, leaving the decision to make referrals or not up to individual doctors and would block the availability of federal funds to family planning providers like Planned Parenthood that also offer abortion services, a longtime goal of the pro-life movement.
“I believe Planned Parenthood does a lot more harm than good,” said Alisha Fox, a registered dietitian nutritionist and health and wellness coach at a Catholic fertility center in Chicago. “I believe there are adequate, alternative options for true women’s health care out there, and Planned Parenthood is not needed.”
According to Planned Parenthood’s 2016-17 annual report, 321,384 abortions were performed by Planned Parenthood affiliates in 2016. The organization also provides testing for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy tests and cancer screenings. About 37 percent of the Planned Parenthood’s revenue came from government support, and the majority of the rest came from private donations and “non-government health services.”
Members of the pro-life movement say that anti-abortion laws do not take away women’s rights but instead empower women.
Members of the pro-life movement say that the administration’s proposed changes to Title X do not take away women’s rights but instead empower women. Kateri Remmes, a student at the University of Dallas and member of Students for Life of America, a pro-life college group, organizes rallies and events to educate others about the efforts of the pro-life movement.
“People say: ‘What do [pro-life groups] do for women after they have their baby? You just care about saving the baby, and then you leave the mom alone.’
“That’s so not true,” said Ms. Remmes, 20. “We have ‘pregnant on campus’ initiatives with S.F.L.A. so that women don’t get kicked off campuses or lose scholarships because they’re pregnant. There’s so much support and love for women in our group, but people don’t believe that.”
The Trump administration’s proposed Title X changes would also provide funds to faith-based crisis pregnancy centers. Ms. Remmes said that many of these clinics help women buy cars, find housing and jobs, offer ultrasounds and conduct S.T.D. tests and pregnancy tests to support women during pregnancy and after giving birth.
Planned Parenthood calls the proposed changes to referral regulations a “gag rule” because it would block women from obtaining information about abortions. In a press release, Planned Parenthood said the rule “would keep women from having full information about all of their options, and from getting the best health care possible” and that “everyone, regardless of their race, of their income, or where they live, deserves the best medical care and information available. Under this rule, they won’t get it.”
Kateri Remmes said the pro-life movement wants to empower women to follow their dreams even if they have an unplanned pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood says the changes will directly affect people from marginalized communities.
“Because of systemic inequities, many patients who rely on Title X for their health care needs are people of color, LGBTQ people, and people in rural areas, all of whom already face significant barriers to accessing health care,” Planned Parenthood said in its press release. “After being blocked from these health centers, including Planned Parenthood, many patients would have nowhere else to go for care.”
The American Medical Association is also pushing back on the proposed changes in their public comments. In July, the A.M.A. said that fertility awareness contraception methods, commonly known as natural family planning, are unreliable and not evidence-based.
But some pro-life fertility organizations believe N.F.P. deserves more government-funded research.
“There is a lack of government funding for N.F.P. research, and N.F.P. lacks the amount of support that Planned Parenthood has,” said Ms. Fox. “There hasn’t been the opportunity to have the funds to do those studies. I agree that there needs to be more research, but I disagree that it’s not effective.”
Ms. Remmes said the pro-life movement wants to encourage women to follow their dreams even if they have an unplanned pregnancy. “We want women to be successful as mothers and not feel like they can’t still pursue their dreams and aspirations,” she said. “We want them to feel safe. We’re empowering women by saying, ‘As a mother, you can still do this.’”
Matt Lamb, the director of communications at S.F.L.A., confirmed the organization’s support for Title X. “Students for Life of America supports the ‘Protect Life Rule’ proposed by President Trump,” he said in an email. “We believe that taxpayer dollars should not go to organizations that commit abortions. Family planning money should be used to promote life-affirming options, which is the opposite of what Planned Parenthood does every day when it commits abortion."
PBS reports that the Department of Health and Human Services is currently sorting through public comments on the proposed Title X changes and has yet to provide a timeline on when they could take effect.
please stop referring to '''pro-birth'' movements as '''pro-life.''' they are not ''pro-life'' in any real sense of the term. they are interested in protecting their cause...their morality. . they do not include opposition to guns, war, or the death penalty. all of these causes are in deed ''pro-life'' though not about ''birth.'' furthermore, for the most part these ''so-called pro-life groups are anti-immigrant, anti-full health care, anti-anything that does not personally touch their own lives. so--please stop. to use such a term is an insult to those of us who would like to see a more restrained position on abortion, contraception than is currently allowed in the US.... and an even more so more generous use of our tax money for something other than arms and feeding the 1-10%. thank you.. personally, if i see the word 'pro-life' anywhere ...i am likely to avoid the article... the event. i believe in 'truth' not 'concoction.'
Although it's been some time since my last financial contribution, I support the inclusive pro-life goals of the Consistent Life Network. Their mission statement reads: "We are a network of organizations and individuals committed to the protection of life, which is threatened in today's world by war, abortion, poverty, racism, the death penalty, and euthanasia. We believe these issues are linked under a 'consistent ethic of life." You may visit their website for more information , and a list of endorsers of their mission statement. To make only a few: Michael Affleck, Former International Coordinator, Greenpeace; Rev. Daniel Berrigan, S. I (RIP); Sidney Callahan, Ph.D., Feminist author; Wendell Berry, Author and Environmentalist; Dr. Rhonda Chervin, St. John's Seminary; Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, Benedictine Sisters of Erie; Carol Crossed, President, Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum; Monica and Thomas Cornell, Guadalupe Catholic Worker House; Marie Dennis, Maryknoll Office of Peace and Justice; Rev. Kathleen Eickhart, Episcopal priest, Diocese of W. Michigan; Lowell O. ERdell, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church; Dottie Everingham, Women Exploited by Abortion; Louis C. Fischer, Habitat for Humanity; Judie Jennings Gillespie, Founder, Project Rachel; Ellen Flanders, Sanctuary Movement, Albany Friends Meeting; Ruth Heaney, OSC, Founder: Families and Friends of Persons in Prison; Abby Johnson, Former director of Texas Planned Parenthood clinic; Mairead Corrigan Maguire, 1976 Nobel Peace Lauerate; Patrick Mahoney, Presbyterian minister; Colman McCartgy, columnist, The Washington Post; Catherine Meeks, Ph.D., Author, Afro-American Studies, Mercer University; Joan Monastero, Hudson Valley Pax Christi; Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Lauerate, Servicio Pax y Justicia, Helen Prejean, CSJ, Death Penalty Abolitionist, Author: Dead Man Walking; Ghana S. Ravinsky, Director, Jews for Life and Traditional Morality; Tom Sena, Pro-life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians, Washington, D.C.; Benjamin Sheldon, President, Presbyterians Pro-life; Eunice Shriver, Founder, Special Olympics (RIP); Martin Sheen, Actor; Ronald J. Sider, Evangelicals for Social Action; Julie Loesch Wiley, Author, Speaker, Founder: Pro-Lifers for Survival (an anti-abortion and anti-nuclear weapons group).
This is a very long post, so I apologize. However, I think it's fair to say that the pro-life movement is broader in its membership in terms of people of different races, religions, political opinions, and occupations. I was a long-time Democrat from when I registered in 1980 until about 6 years ago (I 'm_now 56). About 5 years ago, I registered as an Independent, since neither major party fully represented my views. I very reluctantly registered as a Republican several years ago, although I still support many positions typically espoused by Democrats. I oppose capital punishment, and am a pen pal with a man imprisoned for life; he's a devout Jehovah's Witness whom from our correspondence I believe has reformed his life; I support stringent gun control laws, and occasionally contribute to Ceasefire PA, a gun control group; I support reasonable laws and regulations to protect our environment and contribute to the Catholic Climate Covenant. I also support reasonable government assistance to the millions of Americans in need. Among other people, these include people who are disabled (I'm a retired Special Education teacher who instructed children with brain damage), homeless (I occasionally contribute to a homeless shelter for men in Philadelphia, as well as Habitat for Humanity), senior citizens, (I occasionally contribute to the Philadelphia Protestant Home, and I am fortunate that I live in a quality nursing home) veterans, the mentally ill, those addicted to drugs (whether legal or illegal) and occasionally contribute to Alcoholics Anonymous. I also occasionally contribute to Catholic Relief Services, Samaritan's Purse (a humanitarian aid group directed by Rev. Franklin Graham). Although I 'm not a pacifist, I admire the courage of their convictions. I support war only as a last resort after all diplomatic efforts have been exhausted. Years ago, I worked in a group home with disabled men, and several of my co-workers were immigrants from Liberia, who had fled from a brutal civil war. A number of the staff where I live are , from various African nations. I certainly support reasonable laws to allow immigrants to live in our nation. I might add that when I worked for over twenty -five years with people with disabilities in various capacities, the great majority of my co-workers were black women, and when I worked in the agency's Residential Department the majority of staff were black immigrants, primarily from Liberia or other nations wracked by violence or poverty. Several concluding points, if you don't mind. I'm a Catholic who's gay, and many years ago I had sex with men. However, I regretted my acts, and received forgiveness and consolation through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I still have a friend who's gay, and although I certainly believe that gay people should be treated with respect, I believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. However, I very much understand the difficulty of not being straight. As a youth I was frequently called by painful, offensive terms ( "sissy" and later "faggot") by my peers of different (or no) particular faiths, years before I revealed my sexual orientation. Fortunately, my family and friends were very loving and supportive. Although I support the Church's teaching of Humanae Vitae, I do support legal contraception that isn't abortive in nature and sterilization for adults. I also know several women who've had abortions. Although I firmly disagreed with their choice of killing, I don't harbor feelings of "hatred" towards them . One of the women who aborted was the older sister of a close friend. We got along well, and years,later she gave birth to a daughter and became a single mother. I might add that she was a nurse, so undoubtedly she was knowledgeable and contraception. I also sympathize with women who have unplanned pregnancies. My friend whom I mentioned became pregnant at age 17 while a senior in high school. My best friend at the time who was 19 and in college was the father of their unborn baby. Although they experienced difficulties with being young and unmarried, and considered the commendable option of adoption, my friend gave birth to a,baby boy, Michael, one month after she graduated from high school (and had just turned 18). My friends got married nine months later (ironic, no?). I did my best to help them care for their baby, by frequently babysitting to give them a,break as well as buying clothing and taking him out into the community. It was a win-win situation. My friends needed assistance, and I enjoyed caring for a child. Perhaps that's why I chose to become a Special Education teacher. I also believe that we as Catholics and other people of goodwill should financially support when we're able one of the hundreds of crisis pregnancy centers nationwide which provide pregnant women and their babies with practical, compassionate care. I occasionally contribute to Mother's Home in suburban Philadelphia, which provides shelter to pregnant women and babies as well as other services; at times, Women live at the home with their children for some time after their birth until they can get back on their feet. I also occasionally contribute to Mom's House. This is a network of about six homes which provide free quality day care for low-income pregnant women so that they can complete their educations. It's truly tragic that the Democratic party so vehemently supports the violence of legal abortion for any reason up until the time the fetus (which means "young one" in latin ) is viable. Because of the 1973 Supreme Court decisions Roe vs Wade and Doe vs Bolton this extreme position is the law. Roe has,been criticized by many legal scholars, including some who support legal abortion. Years ago, I read an excellent book by Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon, titled "Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse." She discussed in a very reasonable manner many different contentious issues , and asserted (rightfully, in my view) that it was improper, even in some ways, harmful to political discourse for rights to be asserted in absolute terms regarding many difficult political issues. She noted that one prominent supporter of the violence of legal abortion is Professor Lawrence Tribe, who criticized the reasoning of Roe vs Wade. In past years, I voted for and financially supported as many pro-life Democrats as possible. One was the late Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey, who I volunteered for and worked with other members of my county pro-life group, which included many Republicans, who set aside their differences with Casey and put their commitment to the rights of the unborn before political party. Ideally, a new party that combined the best positions of the Democratic and Republican parties would become viable. I do occasionally contribute to the American Solidarity Party. The party is in essence a pro-life version of the Democratic party. However, it's unfortunate that the Democratic and Republican parties are so dominate in our nation; both parties have both their good and bad points, and elected officials who are true servants of the common good. You may be interested in looking up information about New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith. Like me, he's a former Democrat and a,long-time moderate Republican. For instance, he receives poor ratings from the National Rifle Association for his voting record. Smith believes in climate change, and has a decent voting record from the League of Conservation Voters. He also receives a decent rating for his votes related to labor issues from the AFL-CIO. Finally, according to the Wikipedia website, Congressman Smith was rated as the 17th most bipartisan member of the United States House of Representatives during the 114th Congress. Would that more members of Congress of both parties would follow the lead of Congressman Smith and work together for the common good.
Whatever you want to call it, many of us "pro-life" are also anti death penalty and many other causes (health care reform, environmental causes, etc.) that would be considered "pro-life" by any stretch of the imagination. Those of us who are Catholic Christians don't have any problem identifying what our advocate in our lives would do in these divergent circumstances. Jesus was always about life - other than his own which he gave for us. The Gospels are not hard to figure out where Jesus would stand on these issues.
Pro-life is a term created to save children from the horror of abortion - a very barbaric and violent procedure that hurts women both physically and/or emotionally. We now can watch children in fetal stage via 3D/4D ultrasound reacting the same exact way you or I would, if someone was pulling our arms and legs off, while they are being violently aborted. They scream, they thrash around attempting to get away, they suddenly become still as they die... It is terrible, the absolute worse thing I have ever witnessed. (And I almost lost my own daughter to this) Protecting people from imminent death has to be our first priority as people. Protecting life has to be our first and most important issue, because with out life, no other issue matters. If people are dead, no one will be around to care about anything else. You know?
I completely agree with this. I consider myself PRO-LIFE. Which means supporting life both before and AFTER birth. That includes not supporting killing anyone AT ANY TIME. Anything less is a violation of Jesus' command to us to "Love One Another as I have Loved You." I tried explaining this to a woman last Saturday evening after the vigil Mass; she was passing out Pro-life reminders to vote for purportedly "pro-life" candidates. I explained that I am not a one-issue voter but consider all aspects of a candidate's beliefs, actions, and platforms. If they are in actuality pro-birth, then I know they are not really Pro-LIFE. This is a very critical distinction which too many people -- particularly Catholics and other Christians -- do not understand. And Planned Parenthood does so much more than abortions, including providing necessary health care to women who can't afford it any other way. Like Karen says above, if i see the word 'pro-life' anywhere ...i am likely to avoid the article... the event. i believe in 'truth' not 'concoction.'
Baltimore Catechism, "God made me to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in the next."
Where does it say, live your dream?
Where do these women stand on capital punishment or are they only 'pro - life' when it comes to issues of women's choice?
With respect, I thought you might be interested to know that, to the best of my knowledge (although I admit I can't cite a source, but I 'll continue to find one when I can), the late Nellie Gray, a lawyer who was one of the founders of the Match for Life, the annual demonstration against Roe vs Wade in Washington, D.C., who was passionately in favor of restoring legal protection from fertilization to natural death, was also opposed to capital punishment.
I.also thought it might be of interest to people like yourself who in a misguided manner, in my view, favor the violent choice of legal abortion: this is a insightful piece by Carol Costello (Cable Network News, May 28, 2014). Ms. Costello, who favors legal abortion but opposes capital punishment, asserted in a "heated debate" with friends, " the only hypocritical viewpoint, I argued exists in the Catholic Church. " (However, I might note that some of the endorsers of the Consistent Life , mission statement which opposes both legal abortion as well as capital punishment which I cited above, are Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Evangelical Protestants). Ms. Costello observes that "apparently, consistency is not America's strong suit. According to a 2010 study, only 8% of Americans oppose both abortion and the death penalty under all circumstances." I am one of those 8 % of Americans, (although I favor legal abortion in the very rare cases to prevent the death of the mother). Still, I think 8%, although not idral, is a relatively large number of men and women who are consistent in terms of protecting human life, both the innocent unborn and the (presumably) guilty people on death row. Although Ms. Costello for all intents and purposes continues to favor the violence of legal abortion, she certainly is openminded. She quotes Sister Helen Prejean, "passionate pro-life and death penalty foe," as asking: " What's_more innocent than an unborn baby? It's easy to be against that. " Then, regarding people who commit terrible crimes, she quotes Prejean as asking, "Could you kill them? If there's a part of you that can't say yes to that, then you can't say yes to the death penalty." Costello concludes by noting, " I must admit I was humbled by Prejean's question. Couple that with the fact that we can now lock up violent criminals for life and I, again, find myself arguing for the 'Consistent Ethic of Life...' Let the debate rate on. "
The pro-life term was created to protect innocent children, such as mine, from abortion - which is a very violent and barbaric procedure. Women have been lied to for nearly 5 decades that abortion only removed a clump of cells, a bit of tissue, and that they can get on with their lives like it never happened. (While afterwards, the clinics sell the child's organs and other body parts off to labs across the country) Many women find out this was not true afterwards, when it is too late! Abortion causes nothing but death and heartache that often lasts a lifetime. I have friends who have lost children in abortions and would give anything to change their choice. However, there is no going back, no mater the level of regret, no matter the amount of tears. It is a double tragedy every time it happens. It pits mothers against their own children, as enemies. I nearly lost the love of my life to abortion. My daughter, Liberty, just began her first year of college this Fall. I feel President Trump is a hero for making successful attempts to protect women and children from abortion. Trump sees the humanity of our children when they are most vulnerable and is trying to protect them. He has done more than any other "pro-life" president. He understands what Mother Theresa used to say, " A nation that kills its own children, is a nation without hope." In my experience, as a parent, it is the most terrifying feeling to almost lose your child to death... It is even worse to know I was almost the one who orchestrated my child's death and no one could have legally stopped me from hurting her (my child's only hope for a hero would have been imprisioned for stopping an abortion). I do not want any other precious child to loose their life the way mine almost did, and I do not want any other mother (or father) to despair and cry, as my friends have, over the loss of their aborted children. God doesn't make mistakes, He makes miracles.
Of course the huge irony here is that women will have to lose many of their full range of reproductive options in order to even more fully comprehend all that has been taken from them.
Taking away women's options is another form of rape and degradation.
The Roman Catholic kind.
Great article, Colleen! I 100% support the pro-life movement after I nearly lost the love of my life to abortion at 19 while away at college. Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo, Michigan had closed early for the day when I went to them for "help". They were not able to sell me a $400+ abortion as they had done to several of my friends (all deeply regret aborting as worst thing they have done) by shedding light on all the negatives of parenting, how babies make dreams/college impossible, and how it is not fair to involve or ask family members for help. (At least these were the main topics used to talk my friends into abortions)
There is a great deal of help for women at the thousands of crisis pregnancy centers around the US - everything is free . I went to one after PP was closed and was given the priceless gift of hope for both myself and child. The women there were always asking what I was in need of. I would go in for parenting classes and they always sent me home with bags of food and toiletries so I did not have to worry about the necessities while pregnant. I was scared to tell my family, but they ended up being supportive and insisted on helping. I know not everyone receives that, but I never would have known if I had aborted. I did not need all the baby items the pregnancy center offered me. I was so thankful for everything they did for me while I was so scared and alone during my pregnancy. I could never repay them for their kindness. I later donated 95% of all my baby items and clothes to the crisis pregnancy center I live near now. I moved back home and started college 3 days after my daughter was born. I helped start Wayne State University Students for Life when she was 2 years old, so I could help pregnant women on campus so they did not have to feel 1) that they must drop out of college if they are pregnant or 2) that they must abort to stay in college. We were able to plug many women in with the resources they needed whether pregnant or suffering after a past abortion, helped educated the student body as to what abortion was, how it affects women, men, and our entire society.
As for dreams being reached as a single parent, my daughter inspired me to go back to the Church, to do well in college, to help other women in my shoes so they would not loose out on the most precious gift God had given them and to plug them into resources so they could do well raising their child/children. I also bought a house at 21yrs old and learned how to fix it up so that my daughter and I could have our own place to live. I paid our home off 5 years later, and paid my student loans off 2 years after that - lived debt free. We back packed Europe together after World Youth Day in Madrid Spain. We helped the Sisters of Life rebuild a little chapel in New York. We lived on Mackinac Island for two summers. My daughter studied Shakespeare in Italy and just started her 1st year of college this Fall, studying psychology so she can help others. God provides, God is good. My child's life was a miracle, a source of joy - not a dead end, not a burden as I once prejudged her to be.
Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortion in the world. In the US, abortion is their highest source of income, after government funding and corporate donations. They make good money on passive income from women buying into their monthly provided contraceptives - which are carcinogenic. All forms of hormonal birth control have negative consequences on the bodies of the women who use them. They all cause health problems, but there is a great deal of money to be made, in both the contraceptives themselves and then in the care of the patient in attempts to correct her health once it is harmed by the hormones in contraception. Women would not miss out on any healthcare if Planned Parenthood went out of business. All ON/gyns and even family doctors offer pelvic and breast exams, they all do STD testing and annual pap smears, they all can refer women for mamograms (98% of Planned Parenthoods only make mamogram referrals, they do not perform them) as well as write prescriptions for contraceptives. There are thousands of sliding scale health clinics (that offer healthcare based on a person's income) that can help those who can not afford healthcare.
There is no money to be made with Natural Family Planning. It is more effective that the pill. Why is there no funding to research it?
Doctors in med school are bombarded by pharmaceutical companies informing them of their products/drugs and how they work. (They even set up tradeshow type booths at different talks and events the med students attend. The average doctor graduating from med school is nearly a million dollars in the hole. Pharmaceutical companies give doctors financial incentives for prescribing/choosing to use their drugs on patients. Again, NFP costs nothing to use. Doctors do not learn of it in med school.
Hello, Jen. I hope you don't mind me getting "familiar" with you. I admire you for your courage and your commitment to your baby. As I noted in my lengthy post, although I 'm a Catholic who's gay, (and therefore undoubtedly in the minds of some people ineligible to speak about abortion) I believe it's a human rights matter than a theological question. I do sympathize both with women who have unplanned or difficult pregnancies, as well as women who make the tragic violent choice to abort. I agree that more should be done to offer practical, compassionate alternatives to abortion. I believe that according to recent Planned Parenthood statistics, that single women in their early twenties are the most likely group to resort to abortions. Again, I have no doubt that the periodic abstinence required when one uses natural family planning can be difficult. For most of my life I've refrained from sex. I have found that through physical activity such as exercise, helping other people (some of whom are in wheelchairs in the nursing home where I live, and I help the staff by pushing some of them to where they need to go), and other enjoyable and wholesome activities take away much of the struggle of remaining celibate. I admire you for your decision to give birth, your understandable requests for assistance, completing college, beginning a college pro-life group, and buying a house. I agree that it's very unfortunate that some women are pressured into having abortions. One very worthwhile alternative -to-abortion center that I contribute to occasionally is Mom's House. It's a network of about six quality day care centers for low-income pregnant women so that they can complete their educations. This is part of the pro-life commitment to reduce abortions among young women by allowing them to complete school and hopefully start decent careers. All the best to your daughter in college . Take care.
I found this article in America, "Pro-life,_Anti-Death penalty?" ( April 1,_2000) to have some compelling insights into the diverse and evolving views of many people regarding the violent acts of legal abortion and capital punishment. The author observed that "Of those who opposed all legal abortions in 1982, 45% also opposed the death penalty. In other words, Americans who opposed all legal abortions were twice as likely to oppose the death penalty. On the other hand, those supporting legal abortion for any reason we're the least likely (only 21%) to oppose capital punishment." The authors of the article continued by noting that "the relationships found in the 1982_data that 'pro-choice' Americans were most likely to support the death penalty and pro-life the least likely (my note: to support the death penalty) deepened during the 1990's. In 1996, 62%_of Catholics who oppose abortion for any reason (including rape and fetal defect) favor capital punishment; in 1998, 52.5% of favored it...Pro-lifers, especially those who attend Church frequently, are continuing to turn away from capital punishment. " Finally, the authors lamented that , "there is no nationally recognized successor to Governor Robert Casey of Pennsylvania as the political standard-beater for a consistent ethic approach to the life issues."