Let me say first that I do agree that we have to be vigilant under the incoming administration and Congress. There will be many opportunities for the pro-choice crowd to push through “health” legislation that has subtle language or riders that will expand abortion access, may be even to the point of funding such services. In no sense did I mean to downplay the severity of that possibility; I only meant to say that it is not as much of a priority for the President-Elect at this point. Given some of the early efforts Obama has made toward bipartisanship and reconciliation (even down to Rick Warren being selected as the pastor leading the invocation of his inauguration), I still hold out hope that we may not see abortion advocates running the show this legislative session. Even die-hard Republicans like Pat Robertson have recently commented that they are hopeful about the new administration.

I also agree that we should work to stop the assault on CPCs around the country. I have been to your center and it is a professional, honest, and safe refuge for women seeking help with an unplanned pregnancy. CPCs have been the primary instrument of change on this issue and have given the pro-life movement compassion and credibility with even the hardest skeptics. It is shameful that Planned Parenthood and the like have targeted CPCs in their attacks, but it’s not surprising given the success that CPCs have had in slowing the abortion rate over the years. What is equally appalling to me, though, are those few (and I mean, very few) so-called pregnancy centers that have been established by zealots who only seek to scare women.

I have seen some of these places up close, with their handbills full of photos of dead unborn children (many of whom are far past the legal limits on late-term abortions) and brochures that claim birth control causes cancer. These groups also give women false information about fetal development, ignoring the true facts that are equally, if not more compelling a case against abortion. Those with a pro-choice agenda have managed to portray these few bad apples as representatives of the whole group and they are by no means the reputable pregnancy centers I have worked with over the years. It’s important that we show legislators that attempts to curb the work of CPCs wholesale will cripple those centers like Lois’ Lodge that sincerely and effectively help women and save unborn lives. We can’t let these few nutjobs (for lack of a better term) stain the integrity of our movement.

That said, I still believe that Republicans have not been wholly pro-life over the years. This is why committed pro-choice legislators like Barney Franks can generally and safely say that pro-lifers are only so from conception to birth. Republicans have voted down (even recently) reauthorization of SCHIP (State Childrens Health Insurance Program), which provides healthcare and maternity coverage to pregnant women and children in poverty. Republicans were responsible for imposing a family cap in welfare reform in an effort to stop women from allegedly having babies to stay on the dole.

This effort in particular has caused abortions to rise in the states where it has been passed, driving women without resources to continue a pregnancy to the abortion clinic. Republicans have cut WIC, a program that provides nutrition information and food vouchers for women and children in need. I know of a young woman who became pregnant in college and without public supports like Medicaid and WIC, would not have been able to successfully complete college and have her baby. Women below the federal poverty level have abortion rates four times that of women at higher income levels, and yet time and again, in slashing at these programs, Republicans expect these women to carry their unborn children without the financial and practical support they need to do so. While it’s laudable that so many conservatives are volunteering and donating to CPCs, it would be nice if the consistency of their pro-life ethics extended to the voting floor.

Other supports like family leave, a higher minimum wage and equal pay for women have historically been opposed or at the very least, criticized and doggedly challenged by conservatives. While the latter two policies may be tangential to the abortion question, they are still economic factors that can influence a working woman’s decision about her pregnancy. Until women themselves are fully respected, their capacity for carrying and nurturing an unborn life will not truly be protected.

As Frederica Matthewes-Green wrote, “It seems clear that no woman would have an abortion if her alternatives did not appear even more forbidding. Like an animal caught in a trap, trying to gnaw off its own leg, the aborting woman can see no other escape except this route of violence and despair.” As you said, Debbie, we have gained so much ground in convincing the world of the truth that a fetus is a person (though ultrasounds, etc.) We have won the battle for the baby; now we have to win the fight for the woman.

I do believe that the Obama administration will continue to expand some of the essential programs, while preserving equally vital legislation like the Violence Against Women Act (which Joe Biden initiated and protects women against sexual assault), adoption tax credits, child care grants, child support enforcement (as some women are coerced into abortion by the father’s threat to withhold financial support), paid maternity leave, etc. On these issues, we can and should work together.

I think at this point, the pro-life movement should engage the new administration, but with some caution. As Christ said, we should be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

I would argue that it is actually democrats that have taken the lead in opposing the provision of valuable public resources designed to support women who are pregnant. This is through their attack on crisis pregnancy centers (cpcs). The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (an agency for which President elect Obama is a huge supporter) and National Abortion Federation (NAF) leaders have publicly claimed that CPCs (also known as “pregnancy help centers,” “pregnancy care centers,” “problem pregnancy centers,” etc.) are in reality dangerous “fake abortion clinics” that exist with the purpose of luring unsuspecting and vulnerable women into a system providing “anti-abortion propaganda”, lies and misleading promises.

With democratic leadership this effort to destroy and discredit CPCs has intensified. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., introduced the “Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act,”. This act would require the Federal Trade Commission to apply “truth-in-advertising” standards to what she refers to as “fake abortion clinics.” With the Democrats winning control of the House of Representatives, a congressional hearing on the bill is assured. CPCs, along with their dedicated employees and volunteers, will again be publicly attacked and vilified.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has published what he refers to as a “study” of CPCs. This report was quickly embraced by pro-abortion activists. This report claims that 87 percent of centers give misleading and medically inaccurate information about abortion. It also alleges that these centers purposely withhold necessary and accurate reproductive health information from women who believe that they are visiting a neutral and objective medical facility.

I have worked closely with Crisis Pregnancy Centers throughout Charlotte and the country and have personal knowledge regarding the integrity of these organizations and the people behind them. These programs exist to provide women with accurate information about pregnancy, fetal development, lifestyle issues, and related concerns. They also provide free pregnancy tests and discuss all options, including adoption, abortion and parenthood. Unlike abortion providers who often who refer to unborn babies as “uterine material,” crisis-pregnancy counselors are upfront about the potential physical and psychological consequences of an abortion decision. The centers also help expectant mothers of all races, religions and income levels with a wide range of free services - from shelter, nutritional guidance, and parenting classes, to drug abuse, AIDS, and domestic violence counseling, legal assistance, adoption, and post-abortion therapy. An increasing number of crisis-pregnancy centers are converting to licensed medical clinics, which offer ultrasound and Doppler screenings, and other health services.

I take issue with the fact that you have accused conservative profilers of opposing public resources to assist pregnant women. Many conservative profilers work or volunteer with organizations such as crisis pregnancy centers. They seek to do more than discourage abortion. It is their desire to provide women with practical assistance so that they do not feel that abortion is their only option. I applaud the wonderful work done by CPCs and their contribution to the pro-life cause. Pro-lifers need to open the eyes of the public to the agenda of Planned Parenthood. An agenda that is also promoted by many liberal democrats that support that organization (which receives a significant amount of government funding). Our new democratic president and democratic majority in congress can set the pro-life movement back decades. Let’s make sure that we are not naïve and that we seek to assure that abortion is not seen as the only choice that a woman has when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.