The Latest Phase of the War on CPCs Begins in Baltimore
Part One of Two

By Dave Andrusko

Part Two shows how adult stem cells are working. Please send your comments on either part to daveandrusko@gmail.com.  If you'd like, follow me at www.twitter.com/daveha.

There are so many things about abortion that are so horrific it almost seems petty to mention one more: many abortion proponents are callous, mean-spirited bullies.

You see this in many settings, but the one that puts my teeth on edge and my blood to boiling is their constant harassment of crisis pregnancy centers/women helping centers.

Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden testifies against bill 09-0406.

This is not new, but there is a new phase: A proposed fine of $500 a day for these centers now under consideration by the Baltimore City Council. The fine would kick in unless a required disclaimer, in English and in Spanish, is posted, saying that the center "does not provide abortion, birth control services or referrals to clients."

A three-hour-long hearing on the bill was held Tuesday. It drew 50 supporters and critics, according to the Baltimore Sun.

City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, who is sponsoring the bill with ten other council members, said that City Council Bill 09-0406 is "not about the abortion debate," but "a bill about truth in advertising. " Rawlings-Blake said, "Crisis pregnancy centers provide good and charitable work. A simple sign insures everyone walking into a center knows what to expect."

Really? Let's see.

According to the Sun, Rawlings-Blake "introduced the bill at the behest of Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization that hopes the Baltimore legislation will serve as a model for a national effort." Testifying in favor of the measure were representatives of NARAL Pro-choice Maryland and Planned Parenthood.

But "Leaders from several pregnancy centers flatly denied that they create any confusion and said the legislation is a form of political harassment because it is so narrowly focused," the Sun reported. Carol Clews, executive director of the Center for Pregnancy Concerns, "showed a release form and a statement of care they post in their facility. Both indicate that no abortions are performed."

Clews testified, "In a very gentle, understanding way, we try to discourage women from having an abortion," according to WJZ television. "We make it very clear up front that we don't perform them, nor do we refer for them. And we also won't tell them where to go to get one."

"It's not atypical of NARAL and Planned Parenthood to create issues that create problems for centers like mine," Clews continued. "The archbishop [Denis J. Madden] is right: it is harassment. It does impugn our integrity. It's looking at us and saying, `You're not complying.' And the fact of the matter is, we are and we do comply." (Bishop Madden's St. John Neumann vicariate includes Baltimore City.)

The Catholic Review, in its story on the hearing, wrote, "Councilman Robert Curran acknowledged that when he recently visited one of Clews' pregnancy resource centers in Baltimore, the first thing he saw was a sign near the reception desk that outlined what services are provided."

Anthony Dilulio, executive director of the Gabriel Network, questioned the bill's rationale. "Absent any documented evidence of harm, where is the proof women are going into these centers confused about what they offer?" he asked.

The Catholic Review also reported that in written testimony, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien said pregnancy resource centers partner with and accept referrals from city and state agencies "because they provide services and materials that few others in the city provide."

"The centers work with communities and congregations of all denominations throughout the city," he said, "serving hundreds of women who have nowhere else to turn."

That, of course, is the whole reason a billion dollar national Goliath is attempting to smother the ridiculously underfunded CPC David, starting in Baltimore. "Choice" is the banner they raise high. But in the Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter world of Planned Parenthood, the only acceptable choice is death.

And woe to those who dare to stand up for genuine choice. They must be crushed, at all costs.

Part Two