Bush administration plans to promote abortion alternatives

[ryban]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The state would work with nonprofit organizations to try to convince women with unwanted pregnancies not to have abortions under a proposal Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings announced Monday.

Pregnant women would be able to call a state hot line and immediately be referred to a nonprofit organization that would advise them on choices they have other than abortion. The state would provide the groups with grants to counsel the women.

"It's all about making sure that there are services there in the community to help women who feel they don't have a choice," Jennings said. "We want them to know that they do have a choice."

She announced plans for the program during an event at Women's Help Center in Jacksonville and later at a Miami pregnancy center. Several Republican lawmakers joined her at each stop.

<snip>

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/apnews/stories/022805/D88HOJ780.shtml

[Warpy]

1. Somehow, I doubt living wages and affordable day care

along with guaranteed national health insurance will play any part of their plans.

All I can see is enless harangues and pictures of bloody gauze.

[Krupskaya]

2. Or birth control, either.

or decent education, equal wages for women, etc.

No surprises here. But infuriating just the same.

[vpigrad]

3. "counsel"

A friend's daughter went to one of those places. They locked her in a dark room for about six hours then three preachers walked in and yelled at for over an hour. That's kidnapping, but of course, the thugs in blue won't do anything about it. I still can't believe the repuke thugs call that counseling!

[Politiclo8]

4. Of course these unwanted pregnancies.......................

could have been prevented if birth control and the morning after pills had been available and if kids were taught comprehensive sex education instead of abstinence only sex ed, but I digress.

[Krupskaya]

5. Stop it! You're making sense!

I'm not listening! lalalallalalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaa!

/republican

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. You don't understand

they need these babies to feed their war machine later on. War is a lot more profitable then sensible family planning.

BTW: Welcome to DU :hi:

[all.of.me]

33. and...

...after a lifetime of poverty and welfare living in a single parent household, the army will look like a dream!! "get a free education! learn a trade that will pay you well when you get out! travel around the world free!" what poor kid couldn't resist that?!?! good god.

[bliss_eternal]

6. Ummmmmm---

in theory isn't this what MOST family planning agencies already offer?I worked with a local family planning clinic that offers abortions, and women were ALWAYS advised of their options. They were given names and numbers of places they could talk with about adoptions, etc. If the RETHUGS took the time to SEE this they would know.

I seriously DOUBT that what they are considering doing would ethically come even close to what was offered BEFORE they started cutting the funding to such clinics. The assumption that they all just FORCE abortions on women is insulting.

[Ian David]

9. A new abortion alternative: Cryonic Suspension of fetal tissue

If it's good enough for Ted Williams' head, why not for pieces of fetus?

"Gee, Father O'Donnel, I didn't KILL the fetus... it's just in suspended animaiton until someday when more advanced people can revive it and restore it to life."

http://nanodot.org/articles/02/07/10/2348229.shtml

[intheflow]

17. I just had a discussion with a Christian Coalition woman about this.

She said she was anti-reproductive rights (or course she called it "pro-life") because she got pregnant at 17 and was hustled into an abortion clinic. My boyfriend's ex said the same thing--and she's also a CC chick. Meanwhile, when I got pregnant at 17 I was counseled on all my options.

Granted, we lived in different areas of the country, and there was a five year span from the first counseling to the last, but honestly, I think these women mostly have selective memories. They found out they were pregnant, freaked out, and only "heard" one option because they were in a panic. I just can't believe there were ever a bunch of people running around shoving abortions on women. Every abortion provider and clinic worker I've ever met have worked in gynecological and obstetric offices/clinics. You can't tell me such people are into ruining women's lives by forcing them into having unwanted abortions. :grr:

/rant (But it sure felt good to get THAT off my chest!)

[Megahurtz]

8. Bushitler wants all of those future soldiers!

Gotta exploit the American women for that!!!:mad:

[merwin]

10. So does that make them pro-choice?

"It's all about making sure that there are services there in the community to help women who feel they don't have a choice," Jennings said. "We want them to know that they do have a choice."

[tridim]

11. BushCo's goal..

[HockeyMom]

13. $1.5 BILLION Promote Marriage

i.e,, SHOTGUN WEDDINGS

[Ilsa]

24. And then they'll figure out a way to outlaw coathangers. n/t.

[Demeter]

12. Which Option is That? Gelding?

These people are insane, as well as traitors to the US.

[peacetalksforall]

14. Yes save the fetuses - our future soldiers. n/t

[SoCalDem]

15. Attention : Toni Jennings !!

"They" already KNOW their options... When someone decides to get an abortion, they KNOW it's their last resort.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

16. No, assholes, they don't have a choice.

They've considered the options, and don't need the State minding their personal business.

I am so sick of these self-righteous pricks. :grr:

[DemBones DemBones]

18. Read the article for more information. Here's some:

Women would be told about abortion alternatives, including adoption, and about programs to help them if they choose to keep the child.

"The support is needed just as much in the next year as it is in the prenatal time, to help them work through job issues, making sure they have everything they need for the baby, counseling for how they work through the postpartum months, all of that is as important as the pre-delivery time," Jennings said.

There were 92,000 abortions performed in Florida last year, compared to 217,000 births, according to the governor's office.

"That's about one in three," Jennings said. "We want to make sure that no woman feels there is no alternative, that she doesn't have a place to go, that there's not someone who will help her."

******

How good the program will be remains to be seen, but I'm all for providing help to women so that they are not forced to choose abortion. (How can you call it "choice" if abortion is the only alternative a woman has?)

[ryban]

22. Here's the press release from Gov. Bush's office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2005
CONTACT: JACOB DIPIETRE
[phone]

LT. GOVERNOR JENNINGS ANNOUNCES PREGNANCY SUPPORT
SERVICES PROGRAM
~ Initiative would provide support and services for women in crisis pregnancies ~

JACKSONVILLE - Lt. Governor Toni Jennings today announced a pregnancy support services program that would coordinate the efforts of nonprofit organizations throughout the state in providing counseling and support to women in crisis pregnancies. The program will work to provide greater access for women seeking assistance in coping with
crisis pregnancies and getting information on alternatives to abortion.

“Too often, women in crisis pregnancies face their circumstances on their own without someone to comfort and support them as they are forced to make critical decisions about their welfare of themselves and that of their babies,” said Lt. Governor Jennings. “We must create as many avenues as possible for them to be informed of options other than abortion, because we know that these decisions have a profound impact on their families and our communities as a whole.”

In announcing this new initiative, Lt. Governor Jennings visited Women’s Help Center a local provider of pregnancy support services in Jacksonville. This organization is affiliated with Heartbeat International. The Lt. Governor highlighted the story of Kizzy Coleman, a young woman who received assistance at the center.
The purpose of the program is to promote the well-being of Florida’s families by increasing the availability of and enhancing the quality of services promoting childbirth rather than abortion for women in crisis pregnancies.

The initiative will:
Ø Offer a statewide pregnancy and parenting support system to
provide compassionate, practical alternatives to abortion;
Ø Improve a woman’s physical and mental well-being during her
pregnancy and post-natal period;
Ø Improve the physical well-being of the unborn child and the newborn;
and
Ø Encourage alternatives to abortion, including adoption, as an option for women who are unable to parent.

“The Governor and Lt. Governor are to be commended for presenting the pregnancy services support program and requesting funding. It is imperative that we take a pro-active role in providing women the necessary information they need to keep themselves and their baby healthy while choosing between keeping the child in their family or
placing them for adoption,” said Sen. Durell Peaden, Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairman.

“These women have many needs in the areas of one-on-one counseling, parenting skills training, as well as healthy baby care, and I am committed to ensuring this program is funded.”

More than 217,000 new babies were born in Florida last year, while the number of abortions in the state reached nearly 92,000. This translates into nearly one in three pregnant women choosing not to carry their pregnancies to full term. Since 2001, the number of abortions performed has risen nearly seven percent, while the number of newborns has only risen by 5.4 percent in that same time period.
“I applaud the efforts of the Governor and Lt. Gov. to provide a source of accurate information to women during their time of need,” said Representative Aaron Bean, House Health Care Appropriations Chairman. “By providing a statewide support system for these pregnant women, we are ensuring their physical and mental well-being will be
improved through this very important time in their lives.”

The program is modeled after a similar initiative in Pennsylvania that has seen encouraging results. Through December 2004, more than 93,000 women in that state, who may have not otherwise been able to access local services, were provided assistance.

In fact, it is so successful that 13 other states are seeking to emulate it.

The Pregnancy Support Services Program will focus on coordinating, extending, and ensuring quality service among already established nonprofit organizations. A contracted vendor will administer the key elements of the program, which include:

Ø Funding one-on-one counseling assistance for women in crisis
pregnancies for up to one year after the birth of the child including
pregnancy support services, development of parenting skills, and
promotion of abstinence as an option to preventing unwanted pregnancies.
Ø Implementing a statewide, toll-free hotline to direct women in crisis pregnancies to appropriate local resources.
Ø Contracting with nonprofit organizations to provide pregnancy
counseling and support services in order to increase the availability of services offered statewide.
Ø Developing a statewide media outreach campaign in
partnership with nonprofit organizations in order to increase awareness of alternatives to abortion, including adoption.
Ø Providing uniform training to ensure that state-funded counseling is of high-quality and employs best practices.
Ø Developing reporting requirements for each nonprofit
organization to measure performance outcomes.

The first year of the program will be funded with $4 million to initiate the program to contract with a vendor who will administer the program. The program will emphasize services - not bureaucratic overhead - by coordinating efforts among nonprofit organizations statewide, expanding support through financial assistance, and ensuring quality service through training and auditing.

The Lt. Governor was joined in Jacksonville today by Sen. Durell Peaden, Sen. Daniel Webster and Sen. Steve Wise. Also participating in the event were Joel Johnson, Women’s Health Center of Jacksonville; Sheila Hopkins of the Florida Catholic Conference; Linda King; Governor’s Faith-Based & Community Advisory Board; Robin
Hoffman, President of Florida Right to Life; Imam Muhammad Zaid Malik of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida; and Paul Hooker, Chairman of Interfaith of Northeast Florida.

For more information on the Pregnancy Support Services Program, please visit
www.myflorida.com <http://www.myflorida.com>.

+++++++++++++++
NOTE ADDED ON EDIT: The Women’s Help Center in Jacksonville is a local provider of pregnancy support services. This organization is affiliated with Heartbeat International. To find out what kind of groups the state is considering partnering with, check out the website of the group http://www.heartbeatinternational.org/

[cap]

25. but no counseling on contraceptives...

[sonicx]

28. Who forces woman to have abortions?

And don't family planning agencies talk about alternatives *already*?

[Anakin Skywalker]

19. Alternatives? Like What? Faith-Based Contraceptives???

No such thing! You women might as well be indentured servants as far as Shrub is concerned.

[ryban]

20. Gov. Bush: Support Unintended Pregnancy Prevention, Not Anti-Choice Rhetor

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2005
Gov. Bush: Support Unintended Pregnancy Prevention,
Not Anti-Choice Rhetoric


Lt. Governor Jennings Announced A Pregnancy Support Services Program Providing Resources to Deceptive and Dangerous Organizations

Tallahassee, FL— The Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates (FAPPA) condemns Governor Jeb Bush’ s program that provides resources to deceptive and dangerous organizations. These so-called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) entice women into their centers under the pretense of providing the full range of reproductive options including abortion. However, the anti-choice staff members of these misleading centers use anti-abortion propaganda, misinformation, and intimidation to deprive women of access and information about all of their options including birth control and abortion. FAPPA encourages Gov. Bush to reallocate those resources to the prevention of unintended pregnancies by fully funding comprehensive family planning services which reduces the need for abortion.

“Women deserve accurate and unbiased information so that they can make responsible decisions about their health care. Gov. Bush’s proposal funds anti-choice organizations that deprive women of information about birth control and then mislead women about all of their health care options,” said Stephanie Grutman Executive Director of the Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. “At Planned Parenthood, we provide our patients with comprehensive reproductive health care that focuses on the prevention of unintended pregnancies and reduces the need for abortion.”

In 2001, the Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy found that 74% of Florida’s low-income women in need of publicly funded family planning, are not receiving services. Each year in Florida publicly funded family planning clinics help women avoid 86,300 unintended pregnancies and over 40,000 abortions, yet there has been no additional funding for family planning in over a decade.

“Planned Parenthood does more than any other organization in the country to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion. For over a decade we have asked the legislature and our Governor to help us reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by providing more resources to low-income women for family planning. Each year the women of Florida are denied,” said Grutman. “Gov. Bush should reallocate the proposed funding to organizations that provide women with accurate information and prevent unintended pregnancies.”

Planned Parenthood is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary family planning organization. For nearly 90 years Planned Parenthood has provided education, information, and comprehensive reproductive health care services to millions of women and men. In Florida, Planned Parenthood operates 29 health clinics and provides a full range of health services to nearly 100,000 patients each year including; sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, HIV testing, cancer screenings, pap smears, birth control counseling and provision, abortion services, and options counseling.



###

[MHalblaub]

21. It is not the woman who aborts it's the society.

Best way to promote abortion is to enforce the "Just wait!" campaign.

[NVMojo]

23. buttface has his hands full with homeland security, a war in Iraq but he's

got time to act like a bleeding heart jesus.

[dolstein]

26. Wrong Bush

This article is about Governor Jeb Bush of Florida. Sheesh.

[dolstein]

27. I don't have a problem with this.

Roe v. Wade doesn't preclude states from offering assistance to women who don't want to have an abortion.

I don't support efforts to outlaw abortion, but I'm 100% in favor of providing assistance to women who want to seek alternatives to abortion.

[Merope215]

29. In theory, I don't either

But I would imagine that much of this funding will be supporting coercive anti-abortion clinics that don't provide women with all of the options or that tell them that abortion causes breast cancer or something. In theory, it sounds fine; in practice, I doubt it will be helpful.

edit: clarification

[truthisfreedom]

30. you mean they're finally for condoms?

just kidding, prez. bush. we know you don't want us protecting ourselves against diseases.

[Judi Lynn]

31. Lt gov.'s proposal would authorize state to fund anti-abortion programs

Lt. gov.'s proposal would authorize state to fund anti-abortion programs

By Brendan Farrington
The Associated Press
Posted March 1 2005

TALLAHASSEE · The state would work with nonprofit organizations to try to persuade women with unwanted pregnancies not to have abortions under a proposal Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings announced Monday.

Pregnant women would be able to call a state hot line and be referred to a nonprofit organization that would advise them on choices they have other than abortion. The state would provide the groups with grants to counsel the women.

"It's all about making sure that there are services there in the community to help women who feel they don't have a choice," Jennings said. "We want them to know that they do have a choice."
(snip)

Gov. Jeb Bush included $4 million in his budget proposal to start the program, which would be overseen by his office. A contractor would be hired to coordinate with nonprofit providers, which could include religious organizations, to provide services. The proposal would have to survive the Legislature's budget process.
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-fabort01mar01,0,7956578.story?coll=sfla-news-florida

[JerseygirlCT]

32. "We want them to know that they do have a choice."

Except it doesn't sound like they're providing them with all their options, either.

I have no problem with women being presented with all the options. I've got a big problem with providers only providing/pushing the option they want. (This goes both ways, BTW)

Offer them support (and have that support last well into the child's life if it's to be meaningful... not just to birth), but offer them the whole range of options. Anything else is dishonest.

[H3Dakota]

34. Aw, man...

MY state, mucking things up yet AGAIN!

The pay here in FL sucks as it is - just how do these people think that these children will be supported when the parent(s) don't make enough money to support themselves, let alone a newborn infant?

Oh, adoption? Puh-lease!!! Do they have ANY clue how many children exist in foster care, etc. today that no one is adopting?? Not to mention what a big problem we already have with "dumpster babies"...

:grr:

[Samurai_Writer]

35. I know exactly what their 'alternative' is...

adoption. Let's open up new unwed mother's homes and pop those babies out for all the poor, deserving, infertile, married, christian couples who are just dying to have a baby of their own!

They want to turn back the clock when single pregnant women were nothing more than breeders for those who were 'more deserving' of raising another woman's child.

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2991/marybb.html

That's just one woman's story about how it was... and still is, in many places in this country.

When will we become civilized enough to not treat children like commodities and actually honor motherhood by providing the services and programs needed to help mothers raise their children? I'm not going to hold my breath.

By the way, do the math -- One US infant adoption is approximately $50,000. An abortion is about $500. The adoption industry (and yes, it is an industry) is unregulated, and most agencies, facilitators, and 'pregnancy help centers' use intimidation, shame, fear, and coercion to get pregnant women to surrender their children for adoption. They promise open adoptions which are not legally enforceable, then the moment the adoptive parents get the baby, the birth family is left out in the cold. This happens more often than one might think.

And we won't even get into adoptees' rights to their original birth certificate, medical history, and birth information. Until the adoption industry in this country is regulated, adoption is NOT a viable option for pregnant women.

And actually, adoption is not an alternative to abortion anyway. Adoption is an alternative to raising your child. You can't do either of those until you decide to go through with a pregnancy. Abortion is an alternative for going through with a pregnancy.

/Rant off

Bella

[Warren DeMontague]

36. Molly Ivins on Texas Legislature fun with Minors and "Consent":

http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv

Social worker for a 13-year-old: "She ran away from her foster home and was gone for eight weeks. Now she's in an emergency shelter and is pregnant. Her mother is deceased. Her father raped her when she was 8 years old and is still in prison for it. I knew her when she had to testify against him. I don't know if I can convince her to go back to court, but she definitely wants an abortion."

Boyfriend of a 15-year-old: "She can't report anything to the police about what her stepfather does to the family. He works for the department. And this is a very small town. The family seems to live in fear of him."

"My older sister got pregnant when she was 17. My mother pushed her against the wall, slapped her across the face and then grabbed her by the hair, pulled her through the living room, out the front door and threw her off the porch. We don't know where she is now." -- pregnant 16-year-old.

"My little sister was raped. Our parents are somewhere in Mexico, but I don't know if I can find them." -- older sister.