I think *both* should be required to receive funding; a woman in that situation needs the pertinent information on all of her options in a non-biased manner.

I agree for the most part stardust. I think that if a pregnancy crisis center gets federal funding not only should they provide comprehensive, unbiased contraceptive information, but they should at least refer women elsewhere if they're seeking an abortion. Telling women something as simple as, "We do not encourage or provide support for abortion here, but the service is available at XXX location." That shouldn't be that hard to do.

I really don't like the religious tilt these places have, but if they are truly providing honest, scientifically sound information I think they should be eligible for some amount of federal funding. But the reality is most of these pregnancy crisis centers aren't...

Either don't fund either, or fund both. I am sick to death of this pro-life slant... how about calling it anti-choice? I'm not pro-choice because I support death.

Also, I saw a great bumper sticker not too long ago: "If you can't trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?"

No clinic should be pushing their religious or ideological services period regardless of belief.

It should simply be a matter of services. IMO it should be law that what they provide in services should be as plain as day once you walk in and if it's apparent to you that they do no provide abortions then you simply turn around and walk out, no discussion needed.

The problem comes when every wants to debate Roe vs. Wade over the service counter. Let the authorities deal with that. Go take care of your baby.

I am a Christian and 100 percent against this.

Religion has no place being funded by the state. Furthermore, health care should be between a woman and her doctor. She MUST be given informed consent, have all the options and make a decision that is in her best interests - not the pro-life or the pro-choice movement's interest.

Religion should not come into play or it shouldn't be publicly funded. There needs to be a comprehensive array of options. This is a life-altering decision and it is only fair that a woman receive all the advice that is available to her.

religious agendas should not be provided government funding. if government-funded clinics offer abortion, adoption services, counseling, etc... the whole shebang, then great. I wish they would

Planned Parenthood is NOTORIOUS for giving misleading and flat-out wrong information about abortion, yet they're still hailed as the be all and end all.

Fund both or don't fund either.

I don't think this should be funded...I think the US government should fund clinics that are willing to look at the issue from both sides, depending on the needs and desires of the woman in question. If said woman wants info about an abortion, provide her with accurate info and support; if she doesn't want one, inform her about alternate solutions. The religious beliefs of the people working at the centre should never interfere with the clients' health.

No, because I shouldn't have to pay for either side of this issue.

Everybody has an agenda, so I don't trust either one of these "undercover exposes".

Though I have wondered what goes on at a pregnancy crisis center - I went to a Catholic university where they prayed the rosary in front of the Planned Parenthood and then passed out flyers to the pregnancy crisis center that's funded by the RCC...but they could never tell me what exactly it is you do at a crisis center. Girls are scared and frightened...but practically telling them they must have the baby or be considered a murderer according to a doctrine they may or may not believe doesn't help.

I think we should encourage women to go see a doctor as soon as they think they might be pregnant or find out they are pregnant [that's in general across the board]. Then, if the woman wants to know, they should be presented with ALL options available, and where they can find the services they are interested in and feel they need.

Anon: "Also, I saw a great bumper sticker not too long ago: "If you can't trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child?" "

That quote is AWESOME. Thanks for sharing!

Wow, I was literally JUST about to say that that bumper sticker is awesome. That is definitely a great point.

I actually work at a pregnancy center. We do share God and HIS LOVE for all women. The baby is always in concern but we care for the woman first. Obviously of she is pregnant and wants to have an abortion she is already in a VERY DIFFICULT spot. NO WOMAN makes that "choice" without feeling some sort of remorse, guilt, and knowing that SOMETHING about this is just not right. These women NEED help, or they will be "trusted" to make this choice on their own out of fear, therefore suffer the consequence after the abortion. THIS does cause TRAUMA everyone, and we need to warn women that this happens. ULTIMATELY YES, the choice is the womans, and they need to be informed of what really happens in abortions because 80% dont know what really goes on. GOD HIMSELF will not impose upon anyone, and we do not intend to, we are all people who one day found ourselves in a crisis and needed the LORD, and he showed up and changed our lives, and we want to give that opportunity, because some crazy christian shared their "religious belief" with me, my life has changed and ITS AWESOME- We cannot stop women from getting the abortion, we can only advise them that YES they do have a choice, and we are here to help them if they are thinking about an abortion because they are afraid.. WE WILL TAKE THE SHIRTS OFF OUR BACKS for these women.. because Christ gave his life for us, and if he walked the earth today, he would love those who abort as much as those who don't. We don't condemn nor judge, if not judgement falls right back on us..

The government should not fund "prolife" centers.

John Kerry said "You can be certain and be wrong." This is how I feel about myself after having worked in the prolife ministry for over 9 years for CareNet and their affiliate "prolife" centers as a software vendor.

I believe that personal information between a client and her counselor should never leave the room. My client intake software is designed to store data on-site at the center so that I never see it. No one has any business seeing personal information except a client and her counselor.

CareNet doesn't feel this way. They heavily endorse an internet based company ekyros.com. Hundreds of their affiliate pregnancy centers use the internet based ekyros.com client intake software. These centers make clients think that their pregnancy history and other confidential information will never leave the room, then they turn around and enter it online and this personal information leaves the center and gets into the hands of ekyros employees.

I am losing my business because I will not change my software to send client data outside the walls of the center. A client already has enough on their mind. They do not need their right to privacy violated.

I don't care about losing my company. The client's right to confidentiality is more important than my business.

I only bring up the point to say that I worked for CareNet and their centers for years for 15 thousand a year and without health benefits and now my wife and I are going under. My wife is ADHD and her medicine is expensive. My situation has convinced me that CareNet and their affiliates don't respect the women who visit them. I know this because they had no respect for my wife and I even though we worked for them for years without medical benefits barely above the poverty line. They won't help the girls after they have their child and have proved this time and again. My situation just helped bring this fact home to me through personal experience.

The very name 'prolife' is deceptive, because it implies that pro choice is pro death. It is fringe prolifers that have murdered innocent people at abortion clinics.

CareNet and their prolife affiliates treated my wife and I like a non-person.

They don't do anything to help the young girls who visit them stay off welfare. These prolifers wash their hands when the child has to grow up in low income housing projects and does nothing keep the child from turning to crime to support the household.

Check out CareNet's financials. They take in millions a year. Their president and board members each make over 100,000 a year, yet they give 0$ back to their affiliates or to the girls they say they serve.

Ask a center who uses ekyros.com if it bothers them that they promise absolute confidentiality to the client and then place the client's information in the hands of the employees of an outside internet company. Ask them if they inform the client where their information is going? You will see that the client is a non-person to them and (in their eyes) doesn't even deserve the basic respect of asking the client whether they are comfortable with their personal information leaving the center.

All this is just to say that when the prochoice people say the prolife centers are deceptive and don't look out for the welfare of the client in the long run,

I know this to be true, BECAUSE MY WIFE AND I HAVE WITNESSED WHAT KIND OF HEART THESE "prolife" PEOPLE HAVE FIRST HAND.

The prochoice side is the side that really looks out for the mother and offers family planning and even works with the mother to have her child and looks out for her and her child in the long run if she decides to have the child.

The prochoice side is the side that is not deceptive and really treats the mother and others with respect.