The Anti-Choice Plot to Lure Desperate Women to Christian Pregnancy Centers

cognitivedissonance:

There’s one of these clinics in Laramie. When I called there to write an article about the center and its mission several months ago, they said they wouldn’t talk to me unless I was pregnant and in need of counseling. I called there a few weeks later, told the counselor who answered the phone that was pregnant (I am not) and that I was thinking about having the baby instead of getting an abortion. She invited me to participate in “Earn While You Learn,” their version of parenting classes. From their website:

This program allows you to earn points toward items you need while you learn about the following:

• The basics of the Bible
• Sexual integrity
• Prenatal development
• The ten basic needs for children to succeed
• Balancing discipline and love with children

The counselor also said “millions of women” are “permanently damaged” by the “unnaturalness” that is abortion, and that further, if I wanted to seek an abortion, I was probably past the point I could get one. Never once did she ask how far along I was, and I didn’t volunteer that information. She asked if I wanted to come in, I declined, so she wanted to pray with me on the phone. Before I said yes or no, she began a rambling prayer for me and my “unborn heavenly child.” I hung up when she finished and felt slightly queasy.

I can only imagine what these places actually do to women, particularly when they are in a vulnerable position. Adding “basic” health care for free is only going to make this worse. I wonder if there’s an “Earn While You Learn” for that - basic Bible lessons in exchange for basic health care. To me, that’s akin emotional blackmail.