Posted on 12/27/2004 4:15:49 PM PST by nickcarraway
New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- A women's magazine has touched off a firestorm of criticism with an article attacking pregnancy resource centers.
The December 2004 edition of SELF magazine carries a two-page article dubbed, "The New Pregnancy Scare: Clinics Run by Antichoice Supporters Are Drawing in More Unsuspecting Women Than Ever." The article accuses pregnancy centers of using coercive tactics with their clients.
It's a claim pregnancy center operators have heard before -- and a media-driven myth they hope to dispel.
"This article paints such an unfair picture of pregnancy centers," said Kurt Entsminger, president of Care Net, which represents a network of pregnancy centers.
“It (the article) goes against all that pregnancy center staff and volunteers are trained to do--to treat clients with the care and professionalism that they deserve," Entsminger added.
In the article, client Amanda Greene states she was pressured “to watch a video of aborted fetuses." She adds that, when she refused, “The counselor promised financial aid if she kept her baby."
When Greene insisted on an abortion, "a nurse took her into an examination room for an ultrasound. While she lay on the examining table waiting to begin, the counselor handed her religious pamphlets."
She added that she felt "incredibly trapped. Eventually it dawned on me that I wasn't getting an abortion that day."
"We are urging SELF to do another article to investigate whether the type of claims made by Amanda Greene are truly characteristic of pregnancy centers across the United States. We are confident that SELF magazine will find that they are not," Entsminger said.
The article goes so far as to encourage readers to go to abortion centers when faced with unexpected pregnancies.
Greene's experience seems inconsistent with the experiences of thousands of other women, who have found pregnancy center staffs to be caring and supportive.
In fact, Care Net centers follow a "commitment of care" requiring that clients be treated with the "utmost of integrity and professionalism." Centers have policies in place to ensure that clients are “never coerced, misled, or pressured."
In a letter to SELF, Entsminger wrote, "In December 2003, Care Net surveyed its affiliated centers and asked whether they used graphic abortion pictures and their opinion on the use of such materials in Care Net centers. The results showed that 94 percent already do not use graphic pictures with their clients and feel strongly that they should not be used."
Those wishing to respond to the SELF article can write to the magazine in care of Elizabeth Shaw; Senior Health Editor; SELF; Four Times Square; New York, New York; 10036-6599. You can also send a letter to the editor to: http://www.self.com/services/contact/letters
Related web sites:
Self Magazine - http://www.self.com
CareNet - http://www.care-net.org
Pregnancy Center Referrals - http://www.pregnancycenters.org
I think that it would also be helpful if the woman is shown an ultrasound of her baby - even very early on the baby can be identified as such, complete with heartbeat.
Many women I know became pro-life after becoming mothers and seeing their unborn child on ultrasound. They say that gave them the realization that this is not a "product of conception," it's a living human being.
What do you not understand about the name of the magazine?
The pregnancy help centers that I know of don't hide the fact that they are pro-life. Looks like the pro-abortion media are trying to drum up a negative image of the centers and pro-life people in general.
I think Ms. Greene was a plant.
I am sure the auction block in slave days was pretty graphic, too. God save us all.
>The New Pregnancy Scare: Clinics Run by Antichoice Supporters >Are Drawing in More Unsuspecting Women Than Ever.
These clinics offer a service to the community. If abortion centers can sugarcoat an abortion, centers offering FREE pregnancy tests can OFFER to show real footage of an abortion.
I love how they say "ANTI-CHOICE". Crap psychology terminology.
yeah....SELF ... says it all doesn't it? I agree with you.
Good point.
"[S]he felt "incredibly trapped. Eventually it dawned on me that I wasn't getting an abortion that day."
Well DUH! She should have felt incredibly STUPID!
Abortion is an incredibly selfish, evil deed. People who work--especially those who volunteer--to provide alternatives to abortion are among the most selfless, kind people on the planet. It is vile that liberals in the media, pro-aborts, NY attorney general Spitzer, etc. want to work against the crisis pregnancy centers. They deserve our disgust. But the best thing would be for such as these to repent and turn pro-life as--amazingly!--Dr. Nathanson and "Jane Roe" (McCorvey) have themselves.
I think Ms. Greene is more like Jayson Blair or Janet Cook. If she had told the truth about the pregnancy help centers (that they are filled with nice, good people), she wouldn't have gotten paid a dime for her article by SELF or any other MSM magazine.
"Many women I know became pro-life after becoming mothers and seeing their unborn child on ultrasound."
They must have access to a lot better ultrasound equipment than I have seen. All of the ultrasound pictures or our kids looked like bug-eyed aliens (when you could make out anything at all.) (We took a chance and kept all six of them anyway.)
"or our kids" = of our kids.
It's hard to type at 2:49 a.m. Bed time...
It is fitting that a magazine that is caused "Self" (as in "selfish") is denouncing pregnancy crisis centers - which really DO offer an alternative to abortion - in favor of one of the most selfish things a woman can do - murder her unborn because it is too big of an inconvenience.
Did anyone expect sanity from a magazine titled "SELF?"
Kill them little piggies, girls, Tay-ray-za is on YOUR side.
Blue Amerika forever.
Useless eaters "'Raus!"
All we really need to know about "Self" magazine is a list of its advertisers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.