Intellectual consistency and honesty is very important to me. Unfortunately, however, we live in a clickbait headline-driven world where intellectual consistency and honesty tends to take the back seat.
We are seeing this type of faux journalism more and more as our political culture continues to careen into a polarizing heap of nonsense. What is often overlooked during this process is that nonsense, regardless of the amount clicks it may receive, is still nonsense. We cannot will something to be useful if the very foundation for that something is dishonest or intentionally slanted to push a view or narrative.
These thoughts came to mind today as I read a piece from Elite Daily entitled What Happens When a Crisis Pregnancy Center Moves Next Door To An Abortion Clinic. This news outlet covers any and all topics as they claim to be the voice of Generation Y. I can appreciate their willingness to take on traditional media and create a space for millennials to seek out news, but I do struggle with their assumption that the news in which my generation seeks out must be from an abortion-on-demand perspective.
I can also appreciate a good back and forth on the issues and topics facing our nation. I will often read pieces from those that see the world and issues differently than I do. This appreciation often wanes when the disdain for those who would dare oppose their views is on full display. Don’t get me wrong, I love an honest writer, but shouldn’t our journalists be held to a higher standard? Elite Daily is one of the largest news sites in the country. They have over three million followers on Facebook and routinely are in the top ten for most shared news stories online.
This isn’t a group of bloggers seeking to have their voice heard. It is a group of around twenty in-house writers seeking to shape the news read by the millennial generation. I, again, applaud this type of forward thinking, but intellectual consistency and honesty must be a hallmark in order for the ways of the past to be replaced with the news and ways of the future.
This, in my estimation, was not done in the article I linked to earlier. In that piece we are shown a clear juxtaposition as we learn that a pregnancy center has dared open next to an abortion clinic. We are told of how this pregnancy center is a fake clinic seeking to steal patients from their abortion clinic neighbor. The author, who did a story a few months back on the pregnancy center in question, does a fine job in affirming the fake clinic narrative as she paints the pregnancy center to be outright liars.
The author does take the time to link to sources that, in her mind, support these claims, but these sources are all slanted politically as we find Teen Vogue and NARAL Pro-Choice America cited. This isn’t fair to the reader or to the parties involved in the story.
You will always find pregnancy centers close to abortion clinics. That is the point. We are all seeking to serve the same demographic. We want our patients to know that there are choices outside of abortion. I would assume the abortion clinic wants this as well. They are pro-choice after all.
What problem could one possibly have with offering more choices? Our desire is for young moms to know that life is not over when a pregnancy occurs. We want them to know that they can have their dreams and their baby. We want them to know their well-being is paramount to us.
This is why, at HOPE, we offer every service at no cost to the patient, tax-payer, or government. We are fully funded through our supporters and provide over $600,000 worth of services every single year. This is why we have three nurse practitioners and four registered nurses on staff. This is why we have a Medical Executive Committee made up of nine OBGYNs and Physicians. This is why we have regular training and assessments. Labeling all pregnancy centers as a fake clinic is an insult to our patients, our staff, and the intellect of our society.
There is no coercion at our clinic. Our goal is not to convince a patient one way or the other. Our goal, instead, is to show our patients that they are loved, valued, and respected. Many of them find their way to our doors at their lowest moment. They don’t need someone to convince them of anything. They simply need someone willing to listen and care.
That is what the vast majority of pregnancy centers do on a day to day basis. I am willing to admit that there are some pregnancy centers around the country that could use some sprucing up. I will note that this is often a topic of conversation from pro-lifers as we continue to strive for excellence. I don’t hear or see the same type of reflection from our counterparts, but I digress.
Convincing someone to do something is easy. Minds can be changed and plans can be made. This is true about every patient that walks into a pregnancy center, which is why convincing is not our model or goal. I cannot say the same about abortion clinics. Once a procedure is done, in most all cases, there is no turning back, no changing of the mind, and no alternative plans to be made.
Roughly one million heartbeats were extinguished via abortion last year alone in this country in exams rooms in every state. This number is not minute and should not be chalked up to a mere choice or a women’s health issue. That number should keep us up at night.
So, what happens when a pregnancy center moves next door to an abortion clinic? I am glad you asked. Lives are saved, women are loved, and dreams are made. May we never apologize for that!
posted by Andrew Wood, Executive Director of Hope Resource Center
