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INSIDE A SHELTER FOR WOMEN FACING A CRISIS PREGNANCY: For the last 14 years, a maternity home called Mary’s Shelter in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has been helping more than 350 women get back on their feet after facing a crisis pregnancy.
The shelter offers housing, rent free, for women as they take classes and work, preparing for a life where they will live independently after they leave. It describes itself as a “pro-life ministry” that abides by Catholic teaching.
“Yes we want to save the baby, but we really want to see women have an opportunity to grow and succeed,” said Kathleen Wilson, the executive director of Mary’s Shelter. She has seen families reunited after staying in their residences. “There is such a trickle effect to these kinds of homes. It’s not just about that baby.”
Homes for pregnant women were better known during a different time in America, when getting pregnant outside of marriage was more stigmatized, even before the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
But there has been a new iteration of maternity homes in the last 30 years set up by people within the anti-abortion movement who view them as a way to support women in difficult circumstances who choose adoption or motherhood, said Mary Peterson, housing specialist and facilitator for the National Maternity Home Coalition through Heartbeat International. Peterson has seen growing interest from organizations who want to open more homes, particularly among those who operate crisis pregnancy centers that work to dissuade women from having abortions.
The National Maternity Home Coalition has tracked roughly 400 faith-based homes around the U.S., but their programs vary because most are the result of small, community efforts that get funding from churches, individual donors, and some businesses, and aren’t part of a centralized organization.
The shift is happening at a time when abortion advocates have become staunchly polarized along party lines and as they brace for whether the newly constituted Supreme Court will limit abortion rights. Mary’s Shelter, and homes like it, are a reminder that despite what is happening in the nation’s capital and state legislatures, the anti-abortion movement is composed of many different layers.
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TRUMP WARNS CALIFORNIA TO STOP FORCING ABORTION COVERAGE: The Trump administration is warning California to stop enforcing its law obligating health insurers cover abortions, saying it will otherwise face the loss of federal funding. California has 30 days to go along with the order, said Roger Severino, the director of the Office for Civil Rights within the Trump administration’s health agency.
The administration is accusing California of violating a rule attached to spending bills, called the Weldon Amendment, that says states and other government entities cannot discriminate against healthcare providers that don’t provide or pay for abortions if they receive federal funding. Severino warned states with similar laws would face similar actions, but didn’t cite examples. Oregon, New York, and Washington state have similar laws obligating private insurers to pay for abortions.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES ‘PRO-LIFE’ COALITION: The Trump campaign announced Friday that it is launching “Pro-life Voices for Trump,” led by Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. Trump, who will be the first president to address the March for Life Friday, is looking to push voters who oppose abortion to the polls. In addition to Dannenfelser, Trump’s coalition includes Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America. “While President Trump continues to protect innocent life every day and at every stage, 2020 Democrats stand in stark contrast and support extreme pro-abortion policies,” Dannenfelser said. “Re-electing President Trump means keeping pro-life values in the White House.”
Azar to join: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Thursday that he is “immensely proud” to join Trump at the March for Life Friday. “As thousands from across the country gather to march for life, I am proud to serve as part of the most pro-life administration in this country’s history,” he said.
NEW SUSAN B. ANTHONY LIST PAC AD CALLS DEMOCRATS THE ‘PARTY OF DEATH’: Women Speak Out PAC, the super PAC of SBA List, released an ad Thursday calling Democrats “more extreme than ever.” SBA List announced Jan. 17 it is launching a $52 million campaign to rally voters for Trump and members of Congress who oppose abortion.
THE LATEST ON THE WUHAN CORONAVIRUS: China has now imposed travel restrictions on 33 million people in response to the coronavirus outbreak that has surpassed 880 cases with 26 deaths reported. A second case in the US was also reported Friday in the U.S. by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a woman in Chicago.
Senators will be briefed: There will be an all-senators briefing Friday regarding the outbreak.
SURGEON GENERAL THERE’S NOT EVIDENCE E-CIGARETTES WORK AS CESSATION DEVICES: Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said in delivering the latest report on tobacco use Thursday that there is not enough evidence to conclude e-cigarettes are effective smoking cessation products. “E-cigarettes are a continually changing and diverse group of products that are used in a variety of ways… there is presently inadequate evidence to conclude that e-cigarettes in general increase smoking cessation,” Adams said.
The Rundown
The Wall Street Journal Racing for the last train out of Wuhan: ‘If I don’t leave now, I won’t be able to’
The New York Times Many in China wear them, but do masks block coronavirus?
The Hill House candidate asks FEC to let her use campaign funds for health insurance
Stat 23andMe laying off 14% of employees amid slump in DNA spit kit sales
Calendar
FRIDAY | Jan. 24
Jan. 23-25. Families USA Health Action Conference. Details.
March for Life. Details.
