The other choice

It has always been my contention that Roe v. Wade did more than allow women to have abortions. It has been the impetus for the opening of many humane homes for pregnant women. For example, in our neighborhood, there is a home that not only supports women through their pregnancies, but also supports women in getting pre-natal care, basic education, parenting education and in fixing the familial relationships that will be so important as they raise their child. They provide a transitional living arrangement for the women once their child is born and they are economically independent. Not a small task.

But it never existed before Roe v. Wade. Before Roe v. Wade the only homes for pregnant women were places where you were eventually going to give up the baby. Mothers to be were criticized for getting into the situation. Most of the tenant's of these houses were sent from somewhere else in the country to spare their family the embarrassment of their "situation." What happened to the fathers? Nothing. They continued their lives as if they had done nothing to contribute to the problem.

So I did some searching on the web:

The Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Tuscan (I might use AZ as a setting for the novel)
"In 1980, the Tucson Chapter of the Christian Action Council was formed under the leadership of Jerry Peyton, a pastor at the Vineyard Christian Community. He believed that the time had come for the Christian community to act out its faith in ministering to unborn children and their mothers in Tucson."
http://www.cpctucson.com/about_cpc/cpc_history.htm

Heartbeat International:
"The roots of Heartbeat were established in Toledo, Ohio by the late Dr. John Hillabrand, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, who brought together a group of “pioneer” pro-life pregnancy service providers.In 1971, the organization formally incorporated as Alternatives to Abortion. The name was soon changed to Alternatives to Abortion International (AAI). For more than 20 years, AAI operated with volunteer consultants and one part-time paid staff member, providing education, training, consultation, and support to affiliated centers on an as-requested basis."
http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/history.htm

Birthright International:
"Birthright began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1968, when Louise Summerhill, a busy housewife and mother of seven children, felt something should be done to help women through an unplanned pregnancy. The grassroots response to her idea was overwhelming, and the Toronto chapter quickly grew into Birthright International, the world's first international crisis pregnancy service. In 2003, Birthright International celebrated its 35th anniversary with over 400 chapters worldwide, including Canada, the United States, and others in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and Colombia. Birthright is a fully independent organization, not affiliated with any church or public agency. Its name and logo are trademarks. An estimated 28,000 women make their first visit to a Birthright chapter every month. "
http://www.birthright.org/htmpages/about.htm

And many more. Notice the dates.


So in Roe v. Wade came not only the choice to abort, but also the choice to adopt or to keep a baby. In a way, Roe v. Wade has done more to save babies (and mothers) than to kill them.

The think that irks me so much is where were these homes before Roe v. Wade? If saving babies is so important, where were you before a woman had a choice? Why weren't you saving these moms from illegal abortions? Why weren't you giving moms the choice (both socially and economically) to keep their babies? Why weren't you making it socially unacceptable to chastise a woman for a crisis pregnancy while ignoring the man's part in the whole thing?

The way to end abortion as a Christian is to make it legal, but make the other choices far more palatable than the abortion choice.