When Hurricane Harvey ripped through Texas, people were in desperate need of medical services, food, water and shelter. The people of Texas, and the rest of the nation, stepped in to help free of charge.
So, also, did a chain of abortion facilities.
Whole Woman’s Health, which has locations in major cities throughout Texas, offered free abortions after Harvey for mothers in need of abortion. Proving the abortion lobby is not even above taking advantage of a natural disaster, they raised $15,000 through the Lilith Fund to pay for the travel of mothers who would be coming from long distances to abort their babies. Around 74 women thus far have taken the organization up on their offer.
The organization wrote on their web site earlier this month, “To ensure our patients get the compassionate, quality abortion care they deserve, we’re providing no-cost abortions for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.”
While I don’t necessarily fault women for feeling alone, afraid, and confused about what to do during (perhaps) an unplanned pregnancy, and I can see where it might look like a viable option, it’s not. Abortion still causes emotional pain and irreparable damage. By offering “free” abortions, Whole Women’s Health takes advantage of this vulnerable time, giving women a path toward a decision that will be harmful to them and end a baby’s life.
Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said, “Though sad, this is unfortunately not new. The abortion industry is exploiting the victims of Hurricane Harvey instead of addressing the real needs of people facing natural disaster – such as housing, fresh water, food, etc. This hurricane has already caused enough devastation for the women of Texas and abortion will only continue to put them in harm’s way.”
Even worse, Whole Woman’s Health is the same organization the Supreme Court ruled in favor of last year in a pivotal abortion case. In Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the case revolved around two provisions in a Texas law — one requiring physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and the other provision requiring abortion clinics in the state to have facilities comparable to an ambulatory surgical center. Whole Women’s Health did not have these and thought they didn’t need to abide by these regulations.
The Supreme Court ruled the provisions “place a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking an abortion, constitute an undue burden on abortion access, and therefore violate the Constitution.” Had the Supreme Court not found in favor of Whole Women’s Health, the organization would likely have met these safety regulations or gone defunct.
Abortion is always a bad choice, but it’s easy to see why, in some situations, women might turn toward that option. When an organization such as this takes advantage of a raw natural disaster and the vulnerability it produces, it shows an even uglier side of the abortion lobby than usual.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
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