From Alberta Pro-Life
Campaign to de-fund abortion in Alberta Pro Life
In late August, Albertans learned that the provincial government has racked up a $7-billion dollar deficit. The day of the announcement happened to coincide with a meeting Alberta Pro-Life had with Premier Ed Stelmach’s Deputy Chief of Staff to discuss de-funding abortion under the Alberta Health Care insurance program. It was very timely. We were not making a pitch for money, rather showing the government a way of reducing $6-8 million per year. That’s how much the province paid last year for 12,195 abortions – virtually all of which were medically unnecessary. Less than 3% of abortions are required to save the life of the mother.
At a time when medically necessary procedures like MRI’s, the closing of acute care beds and long-term care beds, and other cut backs yet to be announced, it does not make sense to pay for abortions at taxpayers’ expense. We would like you to visit your MLA and ask that he/she support de-insuring abortion. Abortion is not a medical service, it is a booming business in Alberta. In the Capital Health Annual Report 2007-2008 The Women’s Health Options clinic (formerly the Mortgentaler Clinic) across the street from the Alberta Pro-Life office billed Alberta Health for a whopping $2,179,900 for pregnancy terminations. That is only 1 clinic in the province of Alberta. That does not include any of the abortions done at the Kensington Clinic or in any of the hospitals here in Alberta.
By now, every MLA in Alberta should have received the MLA Information Package prepared by Alberta Pro-Life. Our goal is to have every MLA in the province approached by as many constituents as possible to demand that abortion is de-insured. At a time when Alberta is experiencing its largest yearly deficit in its history, we have an opportune time to lobby to stop the cost of abortions being paid by taxpayers. If you are unsure who your Provincial MLA is, please go to http://alberta.ca/home/mla contacts.cfm
Something else you can do…
Alberta Pro-Life hopes to move to the next step in our campaign for De-funding Abortion in Alberta. Our plan is to place a number of ads in various Alberta newspapers. As you know advertising is very expensive. If you find it in your heart to help out financially to help us get the word out about De-funding at this very crucial time, please forward cheques to Alberta Pro-Life, PO Box 11479, Edmonton, AB T5J 3K5 or call 1-877-880-5433
Church Bulletin Insert
For the month of October, 2009
Please consider inserting the following into your church bulletin for the month of October. NOW is the time. Our prayerful actions CAN make a difference when it comes
PRO-LIFE ACTION ITEM
October is the month to pray, pray, pray. Alberta Pro-Life is in the midst of a provincial campaign, asking our MLAs to de-fund abortion in Alberta in 2009-10. Each year 1 in 5 Albertans are aborted with taxpayers’ money, with little thought to the damage it does to baby, mom and dad. Now is the time to de-fund this procedure, with so many proven harmful effects. Call your MLA and encourage them to take a stand – you can find their address at www.assembly.ab.ca or call Alberta Pro-Life for more info 780-421-7747.
Bless you for speaking up on behalf of those who suffer as a result of abortion.
Comment from Rabble:
Rabble has left a new comment on your post "Abortion and Health Care Costs in Alberta":
For the love of your fucking GOD.
You people are stupid!
You can't not pay taxes for something you don't support. That's like going to the zoo and saying "Well I don't think tigers should be in captivity, so here's $15.50". Admission is $20 fuckers.
If you get to fucking opt-out of taxes for safe, legal medical procedures, then I get to opt out of the taxes that supply service to your churches, or your fucking Crisis Pregnancy Centers or hell to your house. Can I do that? Where on my taxes is the form that let's me tick off people and services I don't want funded by my money.
I also like how the argument is that is could save the system money.
Only, abortions don't go away. De-funding abortion does not magically erase the need for it.
In fact, restrictions do nothing to reduce abortion rates. Instead, they wind up being done in back-alleys, these procedures kill 70,000 women every year. They also cost the health care system millions.
Do you see how fucking stupid this is?
Love,
Rabble
"You can't not pay taxes for something you don't support."
ReplyDeleteThat is unfortunately so, taxes being what they are.
It does not stop anyone in a free society to voice their opinion, distress, disagreement about that and to try and shape public opinion about it.
All of this and the pregnancy-care work is done without government money. People who already donate to their churches, World Vision, etc. are giving their own hard-earned money and time to support these services.
I wonder how long the abortion clinic would run, if it had to run on donations and the staff had to work for free? Venture a guess?
There are many people who would love to adopt babies and wait forever. Is this not an option? Does pro-choice mean: let's not encourage adoption?
Both my children were adopted through open adoption. We've always kept in touch and shared much love with the birthfamilies. It all worked out great. The birthmoms and dad's got married to different people and all have their own stable families. It's a great choice and strengthens the character of the person making adoption plans. However, most women think this choice is too difficult.
I do not think that the abortion experience helps the psychological well-being of the post-abortive woman. I would really respect the "pro-choice" women if we could hear them speak about the courage needed to place for adoption. Open adoption is a much more humane than the practices of the past.
Instead we hear reports of the planned parenthood director in the States quitting because of the pressure to refer for abortions since it is the money-making arm of their work. (I should find the link, but you've probably heard about it.)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,571215,00.html?test=latestnews
ReplyDeleteThis is the recent story about Planned Parenthood in the United States.
So, all Crisis Pregnancy Centers are run by grassroots mom-and-pop-style people who just pay what they can?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.birthright.org/
Then this whole International business is strange. You show me unbiased proof that CPCs get no assistance except in donations from single parties and I'll believe it. From what I know, Churches at the very least fund a lot of these places. That and the giant, multi-national machines such as, say, Birthright are what make CPCs viable on no government money.
Now if clinics were required to run like they they'd shut down. For a few different reasons.
The biggest one being the fact that these clinics need to employ people. People like trained counselors, who are certified to be social workers. They also need to pay doctors for their services. Not to mention the equipment and rent for buildings with enough space.
To run a CPC one really only needs a phone, a day-planner and a place with two chairs. The counselors are not qualified or certified, there's no medical equipment, no need for a sterile environment and no doctors to pay.
Comparing the costs of running a CPC to the costs of running a health clinic is like comparing the costs of running a scouting group to the costs of running an elementary school.
As for adoption, it's commonly thought that pro-choice does not support adoption. This is false. Pro-choice supports the mother's choice, whether it is adoption, abortion or mothering. The point is that women get to reproduce when they feel ready.
So yes, adoption is an option, but adoption is far from a painless one. There is little attention paid to the mother after she has signed away her child. Often the mothers are not allowed to hold the baby, feed the baby, know the baby's gender or even if it was born healthy.
Your children were adopted through open adoption, which is amazing and wonderful. If you wanted to fund more open adoption I would be behind you 150%.
But Open Adoption is not the norm.
The norm is a slow transition from orphanages to foster care and then to foster care and so on. These children are unlikely to get adopted unless they are under the age of 3, white and have no mental disorders to speak of. Otherwise they spend their lives in unstable homes with overworked caretakers and high rates of abuse.
As for your concern with women who have had abortions, no need to worry, less than 1% of women experienced a negative change in their emotions following an abortion. The primary feeling was a sense of relief.
In contrast though, putting a child up for adoption (closed adoptions mind you) has been linked to depression symptoms resembling PTSD.
As for the director who quit, I mentioned her in a previous comment but I'd like to point out that only around 3% of Planned Parenthood's revenue yearly comes from abortion services. Abby Johnson herself cited that statistic in a 2002 interview.
Love,
Rabble
In Edmonton the Pregnancy Care Center does not receive govmt funding. I don't know anything about Birthright. Maybe someone else can comment.
ReplyDeleteIn Canada, churches also are completely independent of the government, so any support from churches is also support from private individuals.
I don't see why those who believe abortion is an important and beneficial option for women can't collect enough money to run an abortion clinic. And why can't doctor or nurses work on a pro-bono basis like other people do for causes they support?
I have run a dental clinic. I know what overhead costs are and what professionals expect to get paid. But dental professionals also work in third world electives, inner cities and do much for free when there is need.
See, it's not unreasonable to expect that if people really think that abortion is a compassionate and right choice, that they also put their money where there mouth is. Wouldn't you say?
"The point is that women get to reproduce when they feel ready.:" At this point it's too late. She has already "reproduced". There is a brand-new human being now and at some point she will know this deeply. We are wired this way. It can't be helped. Who and what will support her then? Taking her to the abortion clinic was easy in comparison to really taking care of someone.
"So yes, adoption is an option, but adoption is far from a painless one. There is little attention paid to the mother after she has signed away her child. Often the mothers are not allowed to hold the baby, feed the baby, know the baby's gender or even if it was born healthy."
(I wish I knew how to off-set quotes better.)
There practice don't really occur in Edmonton, as a rule. A woman who will chose to make an adoption plan generally goes to an agency that allows of open adoptions. It's only natural. The birthparents controll the process, which is a beautiful thing for them and strengthens their sense of esteem and responsibility, not to mention the benefits for the child and the peace of mind all around if you can build lasting trusting relationships (which can usually be done, since in the end everyone cares most about the needs of the adopted person, casting their own little egos and worries aside.)
The foster-care system is another story and sadly not a happy one most of the time.
"As for your concern with women who have had abortions, no need to worry, less than 1% of women experienced a negative change in their emotions following an abortion. The primary feeling was a sense of relief."
According to some sources, I think Amanda has the stats, we can ask her--there is an increased risk of psychiatric disorder that is not insignificant. Especially people coming in with a risk factor, tend to have these exacerbated. We should make another post and figure out the data.
About Abby Johnson, any numbers from 2002 would be pretty old by now in terms of accounting. (Come to think of it, even the government does not expect you to keep your records more than 7 years.) (Don't throw them out though, in case you ever have to prove anything from that far back.)
In terms of counseling skills and qualifications. I have worked as a "peer counselor", but I am not therefore unqualified personnel. I have taught high school. I have extra courses in religion. I have adopted and spent time with young adults. All of that does not make me the best counselor.
ReplyDeleteThe best counselors have the most care, experience, compassion and passion which also keeps them listening and learning so they can give even more to their work. A social work degree can only take you so far. It's the school of experience that makes or breaks a practice.