OP-ED: Stand with pregnancy support centers
Gov. Josh Shapiro made clear last month upon terminating its contract with Real Alternatives that protecting a “woman’s freedom to choose” necessarily requires unilaterally ending programs that promote the choice for life by fully educating women on fetal development and all the options and resources available to them should they choose life.
Pregnancy centers offer expanded programs to support women throughout their pregnancies into early stages of parenting. We are life-affirming in that we promote parenting and adoption, and we also attempt to break down some of the barriers that cause women to choose abortion in the first place, such as lack of housing, lack of resources, lack of understanding, and general lack of support. Pregnancy centers offer nonjudgmental support and help direct women to resources for housing, addiction assistance, health care, insurance, and supplies. We have mother’s pantries filled with supplies for the families and include everything from maternity clothes to baby clothes, cribs, car seats, diapers, bottles, formula, strollers, high chairs, bassinets and much more. Everything is free, meaning we never charge moms and families a single dime. In return, most of them commit to parenting and life skills education sessions. With a national curriculum of over 150 topics, there is always something to be gained and helpful to new moms and dads. Clients are always respected and met within confidential settings.
This move to defund Real Alternatives and all its service providers will be to the detriment of the health and safety of women and unborn babies throughout the commonwealth. Shapiro has committed to move those program funds to organizations that include abortion as an option in what they promote.
Everyone who values women’s health should pay attention to what is happening with the big push to promote self-administered abortion using mifepristone or mifeprex, also known as the abortion pill. A decision that was once “between a woman and her doctor” and once considered “safe, legal, and rare” has moved to a do-it-yourself method. The abortion pill, which now accounts for over 55% of the abortions in the state, is completed at home, leaving a woman alone and with little access to pre- and post- abortion care.
Promotion of these “self-managed” abortions and “pills by mail” ignore widely acknowledged health protections like medical screening, informed consent, and parental involvement for minors. Without an ultrasound, many women cannot confidently determine if they are within the number of weeks gestation to safely use these pills. No further than 10 weeks into the pregnancy is what the Food and Drug Administration has deemed as safe, but these pills are available to anyone, at any time. It takes less than three minutes to order online.
Expanding “abortion care” over the support and services that pregnancy centers provide pregnant and parenting women is the absolute wrong direction for Pennsylvania. Alternatives.Yes is in it for the long haul. We have helped thousands of women over our 36 years of existence here in the Laurel Highlands region. I can’t imagine deserting any of them. We have never once encouraged a single woman to choose abortion, and not one person has ever come back to us and said they regret having their baby. Not one.
I call on our governor to restore funding to Real Alternatives. I call on our communities to contact the governor and tell him your community is better off with a pregnancy center than without one. I call on our pro-women and pro-life communities to reach out and learn how you can come to the aid of pregnancy centers and partner with us so that we can help empower women to choose life. While it’s true that many organizations can offer free diapers and baby clothes, pregnancy centers are the only organizations that will stand for life 100% of the time and empower her to know and embrace the life within her womb and walk with her in compassion until she is able to walk alone.
I ask you all to lock arms with us, united in purpose, and united for life.
Pritts is the executive director of Alternatives.Yes Pregnancy Support Center, with offices in Connellsville and Uniontown.