The Truth Is, Pro-lifers Do Care About More Than Just Preventing Abortions

One of the biggest lies told by the abortion industry & their supporters is that all of us "anti-abortion" people care about is making abortions illegal. They say we don't care what happens to the woman or the child.  Well, that has never been true & they know it. To back up their claims they would point to the groups out there that work to end abortions. However, they would totally ignore the fact that many of us work with groups & organizations that do provide alternatives & that Pro-lifers as a whole help support those groups & organizations. This has been true from the start.

This afternoon Protest Planned Parenthood, a part of DBQ Co Right to Life ,held an informational meeting for those who prayerfully protest in front of the local Planned Parenthood site about 3 available options in the DBQ area.

The 1st group to speak was Birthright of DBQ. Birthright is an affiliate of Birthright International & will be celebrating 40 years of being in DBQ this Fall. Birthright began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1968, when Louise Summerhill, a busy housewife and mother of seven children, felt something should be done to help women through an unplanned pregnancy. They have grown to over 400 chapters worldwide. Each chapter raises its own funds & all the workers are unpaid volunteers. Additionally, they provide all of their services for free.

They are there to provide a woman a safe, non-judgmental place to go in order to get the help they need. Everything is kept confidential & only a 1st name is asked. They offer pregnancy testing, support throughout & beyond the pregnancy, referrals to agencies that can help with other needs & many others. At the childs birth the woman is given a complete layette. As I said, all of this is done by donations & volunteer workers.

Next up was a speaker from a new project that is just getting off the ground in the Archdiocese of DBQ, through it's Respect Life Office. The Gabriel Project will be rolled out later this year in 18 parishes in the DBQ area. The Gabriel Project was begub in 1991 in Houston, TX.It works through the local parishes to provide women with the support & help they need during the pregnancy & beyond. Each participating Catholic Church will have a sign in front of it   stating;"We believe in the sanctity of human life and will help any woman in need." It will also have a number to call. Then when a woman calls she is assigned a church volunteer called a Gabriel Angel. This angel will help the woman with all her needs. This will include referrals to other agencies if needed. The goal is the help the woman so she knows there are other alternatives.

Finally a representative of the Clarity Clinic in DBQ spoke. The Clarity Clinic provides pregnancy counciling. It also provides STD testing & ultrasounds. (NOTE: Their sonogram is on its last legs & they need financial help in order to replace it. If you can help, please contact them.) They have several doctors who help out on a rotating basis as well as RNs trained to provide the sonograms. Additionally, they provide post abortion counciling, abstinance based education, community outreach to the schools & colleges as well as an outreach to the unwed fathers.

This is only a part pf what the 3 groups offer. Each has their place & they complement not compete with each other as well as DBQ Co Right to Life. 1 thing that was common in all 3 of them is their non-judgmental, compassionate attitude that they have towards all who seek their help. They are there to show that there are other options than abortion & that the woman who is pregnant doesn't have to feel alone in what she is facing.

So the next time you hear someone say that Pro-life is only about ending abortion, you now have an answer to show how wrong they are. Planned Parenthood & others like to say they care about women, but as has been shown time after time, all they care about is getting the woman to have an abortion so they can make money off of it. It is the Pro-life movemnet that truly cares about all involved, the women, the child, the men.