FRC Blog

Can’t afford an abortion? Lie to a friend or family member to get their money or take on credit card debt.

by Anna Dorminey

May 17, 2013

If you don’t work in policy or the pro-life movement, or if you’re not particularly passionate about the issue of abortion, you may never have heard of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions (with the usual exceptions of cases of rape or incest or where a mother’s life is at risk).

Regardless of whether or not you’re familiar with the ins and outs of this federal policy, you probably appreciate the logic behind it. Many of us consider abortion nothing less than taking the life of an innocent person. Not using federal tax dollars to fund it is a no-brainer.

And then there is the National Network of Abortion Funds.

Apart from repealing Hyde, the folks over at NNAF have lots of suggestions for women who cannot afford to procure an abortion. Here are a choice few:

  • Do I have a credit card? Does a friend or family member have one? (If I have time, can I apply for a new card? Could I request a limit increase, which can often take effect on the next business day? I can put just a portion of the cost on a credit card if my limit isn’t high enough.)
  • Can I get a line of credit at my bank?
  • Is there an emergency fund at my church?
  • Can I use my cable bill money toward my abortion and then ask someone else for help with my cable bill?
  • Are there people who might not help me cover the cost of an abortion, but would help me cover other costs? Am I comfortable lying to a friend or family member, telling them that I had an unexpectedly high electric bill or gas bill due to heating or A/C costs?
  • Are there bills that I can pay late or skip this month? Can I talk to the electric company about changing the due date for my bill? (Note that it’s illegal for utilities to shut off the heat source for non-payment during the coldest winter months.)

So: there you have it. Taking on credit card debt, not paying your bills in the knowledge that your utility company may still have to supply you with their service, dipping into the emergency fund at your church (which may or may not strongly oppose abortion), or lying to a friend or family member are all acceptable solutions if you are struggling to pay for an abortion.

P.S. If you have a moment, consider contacting the NNAF’s board members and the organizations that these individuals represent to see if they’re actually comfortable encouraging women to use all these strategies. See the list below:

Sarah Audelo, Senior Manager, Domestic Policy, Advocates for Youth; Washington, D.C.

Veronica Bayetti Flores, Assistant Director, Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program, Hampshire College; Member, New Leadership Networking Initiative; Amherst, MA

Margaret Chapman Pomponio, Executive Director, WV FREE; Charleston, WV

Carol Cohan, Consultant, Women’s Emergency Network; Miami, FL

Marlene Gerber Fried, Senior Advisor to the President and Faculty Director of the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program, Hampshire College; Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts; Amherst, MA

D. Lynn Jackson (President), Assistant Professor/Field Coordinator, University of North Texas; Network National Case Manager; Texas Equal Access Fund; Dallas, TX

Karen Law, Executive Director, Pro-Choice Resources; Minneapolis, MN

Shanelle Matthews, Communications Manager, Forward Together; Oakland, CA

Eesha Pandit, Executive Director, Men Stopping Violence; Member, New Leadership Networking Initiative; Atlanta, GA

Sue Steketee (Secretary/Treasurer), Director of Surgical Services and Operations, Planned Parenthood of New Mexico; Abortion Assistance Fund of Planned Parenthood New Mexico; Albuquerque, NM

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Adoption—A Beautiful Choice

by Anna Higgins

May 16, 2013

Tomorrow, I will be participating in the Step Forward for Orphans March to bring awareness to the more than 10 million children around the world who live outside a family setting, in an institution, or even on the street. Adoption in the United States is often hindered by delays, bureaucracy, and prohibitive costs. Overseas adoptions are also expensive and filled with seemingly insurmountable barriers. One major benefit for families hoping to adopt is the adoption tax credit. The adoption tax credit “offsets qualified adoption expenses.” Any U.S. taxpayer who adopts an eligible child will qualify for a credit, which is currently a maximum of $12,650.

Another major hurdle for the adoption process is the lack of genuine understanding of adoption in general. In her Washington Post column, “A Mother’s Day Plea to Stop Equating Adoption with Abandonment,” Nina Easton discusses the very serious bias facing birthmothers and the adoption decision in our society. Because adoption is not readily celebrated in our society, birthmothers face misunderstanding and are often stigmatized.Easton reveals some sobering facts about adoption in her discussion. She notes, “Birth mothers in the United States each year number in only the thousands, compared with approximately 1.2 million abortions performed annually… Women bucking the cultural tide generally do not publicize their choice. They are much more willing to admit they have terminated a pregnancy, adoption advocates say, than to say they have placed a live newborn with loving parents.” Easton goes on to say that in order to turn the tide, we must ensure that adoption becomes an “empowering” option for young women in crisis through the knowledge that they are supported and honored by their friends, family and church.

One website, ichooseadoption.org, maintained by the National Council for Adoption, presents a great forum for birthmothers and families to learn more about adoption. The site lays out resources, from contacts with representatives to videos and stories from birthmothers who chose adoption.

In order to provide homes for children who are currently without families and support for women in crisis pregnancy, proponents of the sanctity of life should do all we can to advocate for the beautiful choice of adoption. We need to celebrate adoption and promote policies that make this life-changing and life-affirming option more readily accessible.

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“Try to Discourage Her From Seeing the Baby”

by Robert Morrison

May 14, 2013

Pro-abortion groups are reacting to the Gosnell verdict with predictable spin. It’s all the fault of those anti-choice people, they say. If more women had greater access to free abortion, things like Gosnell’s abattoir would never have happened, they claim.

Brenda Pratt Shafer is a nurse who once worked in a facility that does late-term abortions. In 1996, she testified under oath before Congress about what a day is like in one of those well-appointed, well-lighted, clean, approved centers, the kind that are being offered to Americans today as the answer to Kermit Gosnell’s filthy house of horrors.

The abortionist in Nurse Shafer’s story did not want his patient to see what he had done to her unborn child. “Try to discourage her from seeing the baby,” he said.

The what? Didn’t he let his mask slip here? Isn’t he supposed to maintain the fiction that it is just a fetus? A mass of cells? A clump of tissue? Or is it alright to call it a baby after the unborn child’s dead body has been removed from the womb and thrown in a cold metal pan?

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Polls: Life and the Double Standard on Inevitability

by Nathan Oppman

May 13, 2013

A recent poll released by Gallup shows a strong majority of Americans oppose all or most abortions.  It’s even more interesting that young people are more likely to oppose abortion in all cases than any other group.  Over 40% of Democrats oppose abortion most of the time and 12% oppose it entirely.  What does this suggest?  Well if we apply the same standard to abortion that applies to marriage then it would suggest that the pro-life position is becoming the position of inevitability.  It would suggest that politicians should make sure they are on the right side of history, that the Democratic party is starting to fragment, and that both parties should cater to pro-life beliefs if they want to win over young people.  But of course the same standard will not be applied. 

There is a lesson to be learned.  If one continues to speak the truth people may listen, even if it takes years and even if the media does not report it.  So let’s keep up the pro-life momentum and make the end of abortion in America a reality!

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May 10, 1940: Walking with Destiny

by Robert Morrison

May 10, 2013

Dateline: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Yes, Sir Winston Churchill was here, too. He actually came to see the Falls at least twice, in 1900 as a rising journalist, and again in 1943, when he was Britain’s wartime Prime Minister. On that latter occasion, he was prodded by pesky reporters who wanted to know if he’d ever seen the Falls before and what he thought of them.

“I have seen them before, before you were born,” he ribbed the self-important young journos, “and I see the principle remains the same.”

The reason everyone wanted to know what Churchill thought is because of what happened on this day – May 10, 1940. It was on that day when, despite all odds, Churchill became Prime Minister of an embattled Great Britain.

On this day, too, Adolph Hitler ended the phony war in the West that many had taken to calling a “Sitzkrieg.” Hitler had left Berlin in the early hours of May 10th. He rode over velvet-smooth tracks in his private train, oddly named “Amerika.” He wanted to be there for the jumping off of his powerful army, his Wehrmacht.

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Hey Mr. President, Am I Parent 1 or Parent 2?

by Cathy Ruse

May 10, 2013

Yesterday the Obama Education Department eliminated Mothers and Fathers in official government documents. As a mother, I find that deeply offensive.

I carried my children for 9 months in my womb, I endured the pain (and joy) of birth, I nursed them for many months after they were born, and every morning they jump into my bed screaming, “Mommy!”

But the federal government says I’m Mommy no more.

I am Parent 1.

Or maybe Parent 2.

Kind of like Thing One and Thing Two. But Dr. Seuss was being ironic.

Mr. President, I dare you to tell my daughters I’m not their mother.

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The Social Conservative Review: May 9, 2013

by Krystle Gabele

May 9, 2013

Click here to subscribe to the Social Conservative Review.

Dear Friend,

It’s human nature to wish every victory could be final and decisive. For example, when we defeated Nazi Germany, it was a complete win. Clean, neat, done.

The battle for our culture is not like that. We can win heartening pro-life victories at the state level even as legislatures legalize same-sex “marriage.” The pregnancy care center movement is growing, even as abortion providers get federal money.

Two steps forward, one step - and sometimes two - back. So why do we keep fighting? Because the lives of the unborn and those of their mothers have value. Because without strong families, we unleash chaos and brokenness. Because without religious liberty, all other liberties are in jeopardy.

“Vindicate the weak and fatherless,” commands the God of the Bible. “Do justice to the afflicted and destitute” (Psalm 82:3-4). This is not a recommendation. It is a demand from our Creator and Redeemer. Thank you for helping FRC obey it.

Sincerely,

Rob Schwarzwalder
Senior Vice President
Family Research Council

P.S. Download (at no cost) Dr. Wayne Grudem’s valuable new booklet, “Why Christians Should Seek to Influence Government for Good.”

Educational Freedom and Reform
Homeschooling

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The Business of Planned Parenthood

by Anna Higgins

May 7, 2013

The public perception of Planned Parenthood tends to be favorable, even among those who identify themselves as pro-life. However, when confronted with the actual practices of the $1.5 billion “non-profit,” those favorable opinions turn sour, for good reason.

Revealing the truth about the practices of Planned Parenthood is the goal of a new campaign by Alliance Defending Freedom. The campaign, “Pretty Ugly, Planned Parenthood’s deception of the American Public,” is focused around four little-known truths about Planned Parenthood: that they 1) promote sexual promiscuity to children to create a customer; 2) promote abortion and enforce abortion quotas to drive funding; 3) keep health standards and overhead low, putting women at risk, and 4) they commit fraud by wasting and abusing taxpayer dollars.

Planned Parenthood is a business. They promote sexual promiscuity through advertisements and sex education curriculum to create a customer at a young age, which ensures financial stability and growth down the line. As sexual activity among the young rises, they will need the services of Planned Parenthood even more – from STD testing and eventually abortion. Abortion is big business, especially at Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Abortion, which costs $450/abortion (for first trimester abortion), makes up about half of Planned Parenthood’s revenue. As of 2013, every Planned Parenthood affiliate is required to provide abortions and is given a required quota to fulfill.

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Audio of Rear Admiral Lee Addressing Regulations Restricting Religious Liberty

by FRC Media Office

May 6, 2013

In an emotional moment at last week’s National Day of Prayer service, Coast Guard Rear Adm. William D. Lee stood at the microphone and said that he had 10 minutes of carefully prepared remarks ready but decided to “speak from the heart” instead. He told the story of so many servicemen searching for reasons to live, and talked about one 24-year-old who had tried to commit suicide and failed. Despite the protocol, Lee said he felt strongly that he should give the soldier a Bible. “The lawyers tell me that if I do that, I’m crossing the line,” he told the crowd. “I’m so glad I’ve crossed that line so many times.” To a standing ovation, Admiral Lee promised not to back down from “my right under the Constitution to tell a young man that there is hope.” 

Listen to the audio

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