Abortion clinic offers "no cost abortions" to victims of Hurricane Harvey
This is how Whole Women's Health plan to "help" hurricane victims.
Since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on 25 August, at least 25 people have died in and around the city of Houston, and an estimated 30,000 people have been displaced. One organisation knows how to help - offering free abortions.
On Friday, the Texas-based abortion chain Whole Woman’s Health posted an advert on Facebook offering free abortions to victims of the hurricane. "We’re providing no-cost abortions for patients affected by Hurricane Harvey for the month of September," the abortion chain wrote. "We want to help. Call us."
First response
This is only the latest example of "emergency abortion care" for victims of the hurricane being prioritised. On 31st August, when first responders were scrambling to save lives, a feminist writer tweeted: "May I suggest that, among your donations for #Harvey relief, you consider also donating to a Texas abortion fund? This, too, is needed."
On the same day, the Austin-based Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity announced that it had created a special fund for those affected by the storm who are also seeking abortions.
Taking advantage
Pro-life advocate Abby Johnson said that her former employer, Planned Parenthood, did the same thing when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. "So many Louisiana residents were being sheltered in Houston, we thought that ‘free abortions’ would be a fantastic idea," she wrote on Facebook. "I remember thinking that we were really doing something so heroic…doing something to help these women who had lost everything.
"I now realize that we were preying on these families in their most desperate time of need. We didn’t offer to help them find housing, food, clothing, or anything else…just a way to kill their unborn child at ‘no cost.’ Sick."
Real help
In contrast, pro-life groups and crisis pregnancy agencies are providing support for pregnant women and families in the wake of the disaster. For example, New Wave Feminists is currently using 100% of the donations it receives to buy "pads, tampons, formula, diapers, & wipes for Texas women affected by Hurricane Harvey". Abby Johnson's organisation, And Then There Were None, has set up a registry for people to buy baby items for people who have lost them in the disaster.
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