"U.S. abortion, vasectomy rates rise as economy falters"

Absolutely heartbreaking:

Doctors in the U.S. are reporting an increased demand for abortions or vasectomies during the recession.

A pregnant woman in Oakland, Calif., told her doctor she walked to the medical centre in flip-flops and tears to save bus fare after her boyfriend lost his job. She was seeking an abortion to prevent what would have been her fourth child.

"This was a desired pregnancy — she'd been getting prenatal care — but they re-evaluated expenses and decided not to continue," Dr. Pratima Gupta told the Associated Press.

"When I was doing the options counselling, she interrupted me halfway through, crying, and said, 'Dr. Gupta, I just walked here for an hour. I'm sure of my decision.'"

In Illinois, Planned Parenthood said it performed a record number of abortions in January, many of them motivated by economic worries, said CEO Steve Trombley, who declined to give exact numbers. (CBCNews)

Abortion is not the answer to economic hardship. Many organizations provides help to women facing crisis pregnancies. Feel free to post links to them in the comment box.

I want to be very careful how I phrase this next question. I am not trying to make any sort of political capital out of this. I just want to raise the issue that Obama and the democrats made a huge deal during the election that they wish to provide tangible aid to women facing crisis pregnancies. I agree this is a very good thing (I disagreed that it is the only thing we can do to eliminate the scourge of abortion in this country).

That said ... what's happened to this priority? Are we aware of ongoing efforts by the Obama administration to supply aid to these women? Surely in a time when every conceivable industry is getting a bailout, funds should stop flowing to mega-abortion mills like Planned Parenthood (referenced in the article above) and start flowing to pregnancy counseling centers (which provide ultrasounds, immediate care and advice, and adoption alternatives).

Pope John Paul II famously said that "a nation which kills its own children is a nation without hope." Obama, of all people, with his administration and supporters, should understand what the pope is saying. Yes you can.

And if you reading this want to do something about this right now, support the ArborVitae women's and pregnancy help center in Ann Arbor, MI (right by the University of Michigan campus). I know some of the people involved there and, like many pregnancy counseling centers across the U.S., it's always in need.