Obama Win Hurts Pro-Life Legislation, But Pregnancy Centers Push Ahead
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 5, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A Barack Obama victory is a setback for pro-life legislative efforts in Washington, but a leader of a national network of crisis pregnancy centers says the pro-life movement can renew its efforts around their direct work to help women in difficult circumstances avoid abortions.
In the wake of the presidential election results, Care Net president Melinda Delahoyde says she has good news for pro-life voters.
"While legislative efforts to protect the unborn and women from abortion may be limited in future years, the work of pregnancy centers is advancing stronger than ever before," she told LifeNews.com.
She says the pregnancy center movement is expanding where it is needed most — inner cities. That’s where abortion figures from state health departments show most abortions are done in most states.
"The ‘pro-life good news story of the week’ is the movement afoot among urban African American church leaders who want to see abortion statistics reversed in their communities and are opening up local pregnancy centers," Delahoyde explained.
The expansion of such centers can help reduce the number of abortions by significant amounts.
"Through practical help and emotional support, nine out of ten women who visit a pregnancy center are empowered to carry their pregnancy to term," she said.
Rev. Herbert H. Lusk, a former star for the Philadelphia Eagles, is spearheading the effort to bring a new pregnancy center to his hometown. He’s glad he’s finally involved in helping women and children after spending years on the sidelines.
"If you don’t do anything about abortion, you’re not part of the solution, which means that you’re part of the problem," he said. "The good news is I am no longer part of the problem."
With nearly 40 percent of the abortions in Pennsylvania taking place in the City of Brotherly Love, Lusk and his "People for People" community outreach organization will open the doors to The Hope Center, a new pregnancy center on Broad Street.
What sets this center apart from various social service agencies is the love of 25 trained volunteers and its free services, which include peer counseling on pregnancy options, material resources, parenting training, mentoring, and post-abortion support to women and men facing unplanned pregnancies and related issues.
"The opening of pregnancy centers like The Hope Center is indeed a change to the status quo in cities like Philadelphia, where abortion feels to many like their only option," Delahoyde concludes.
"It’s a sign that a culture of compassion instead of hopelessness is emerging in some of the neediest places of our country."
Related web sites:
Care Net – https://www.care-net.org
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