In June, the Supreme Court defended the free speech rights of pregnancy resource centers (PRCs), which exist to give women facing crisis pregnancies an option besides abortion. California had passed a law forcing them to advertise for abortion, and the Court rightly struck down this law. But abortion activists will continue to fight against them.
This past week, Heidi Matzke, executive director of Alternatives Pregnancy Center in Sacramento, Calif., and one of the plaintiffs involved in the case National Institute for Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra, read a powerful letter from a post-abortive mother to the late Reverend Billy Graham that proves just how important PRCs truly are.
Matzke explained that even though her pregnancy center and hundreds like hers had won at the Supreme Court, they still face opposition in California and elsewhere.
“We will forever, I think, be up against those who are against us in this issue,” Matzke told PJ Media. “I don’t think that will ever go away.”
Since the fight will never go away, pro-life Americans will have to know and share why these centers are so important. Matzke read a letter that “changed American history and pregnancy centers now exist to help women like this.”
Here is the text of the letter (emphasis added). Matzke also read the letter on video, and that can be seen at the bottom of this article.
Dear Sir, I agree with you 100 percent on abortions, but I had one. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. I am going to tell you straight away how I feel.
My boyfriend and I fell in love, we made love, and I got pregnant. My mom noticed that I had skipped my period and I was taken to the doctor. He said that I was six weeks pregnant, so she said I had to have an abortion. My mother set up a date. I had a counselor at Planned Parenthood who talked to me. She said my baby would never be adopted.
Who was I to turn to?
My mother and father didn’t want me to have a child, I was forbidden to see my boyfriend, and Planned Parenthood said my child would never be adopted because of his or her race. Would you mind telling me what you would have done?
I didn’t have a place to go and I had no money. Would you have taken me in to your home? Would you have paid my doctor bills and expenses?
My abortion is something I wish I never had done. I can remember looking at the doctor when it was done and saw him putting my baby in a plastic bag and throwing it away in a garbage can. Do you know how bad that feels? Have you ever lost something you loved dearly? I did, and I’m not proud of it. I know there are girls that don’t care about their babies, they have five abortions a year or more. I happen to care very deeply about my baby.
If I had had a place to go, and if I had had people who cared about me and my baby, maybe my baby would be alive today. It was supposed to be born this month.
It hurts me so bad to hear things about abortion. I get really upset about things like that. You’re hurting the girls who wanted their babies, but didn’t have any alternative but to have them aborted.
But I want to say it hurts like hell. My abortion is something I wish I had never done. I thank you for reading my letter. Please give it thought. You people are against abortions, but are you willing to help girls and women who do not have money or have a place to live? I doubt it seriously.
Some of us women are not killers, we’re humans who make mistakes just like anyone else. And I can tell you that having an abortion is killing me slowly every day. Please think about this.
Pregnancy resource centers exist to meet the critical need this woman requested from Billy Graham. PRCs allow Christians (and non-Christians) who oppose abortion to meet women in crisis, to give them counseling and vital help. Matzke told PJ Media that “they exist to give them hope and life and a safe place where they can go when they face an unplanned pregnancy.”
Christians should offer pregnant women this kind of opportunity. They should welcome women into their homes, or set up PRCs where women can go for help.
In January, Planned Parenthood’s annual report found a massive decrease in non-abortion services between 2016 and 2017. PRCs are replacing the abortion giant when it comes to non-abortion services. This is good news for women who want options besides abortion, and terrible news for Planned Parenthood.
Perhaps due to this threat from PRCs, abortion activists have attacked their free speech rights. While the Supreme Court in NIFLA v. Becerra stood up for the rights of these crucial centers, few Americans understand just how important they are or how vital their mission is.
This letter should help explain both.
Click “Load More” to watch Matzke reading it below.
Why do crisis pregnancy centers matter? Tyler O'Neil is speaking with Heidi Matzke, a pregnancy center executive director who took part in the huge Supreme Court victory NIFLA v. Becerra. She speaks out about animus against pregnancy centers and why they are so important.
Posted by PJ Media on Thursday, August 9, 2018
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