LANSDOWNE, Va., March 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- In just a few short weeks, pregnancy centers in Virginia have witnessed an historic victory in the 2010 state legislature. At the beginning of the session, abortion advocates launched an attack on these faith-based charities. The attacks consisted of an erroneous and biased report and discriminatory and unnecessary regulatory legislation. Less than two months later, not only had the hostile legislation been thrown out by its own sponsors, the entire legislature passed a resolution praising the work of Virginia pregnancy centers.
In the words of the Virginia Family Foundation, "What a difference a few weeks -- and the truth -- makes."
Just one week after the legislation against pregnancy centers was introduced, it was dismissed in both House and Senate subcommittees after legislators heard testimony from pregnancy centers directors, former center clients, medical staff,Care Net, the Family Foundation and Virginia Catholic Conference. A few weeks later, pregnancy centers held a day at the state capitol where staff and volunteers came to further educate legislators about their organizations' work. Thanks to the ongoing support of the Family Foundation and Americans United for Life, a resolution praising pregnancy centers was introduced in March and passed in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate this week.
Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde joined Virginia legislators in praising the work of pregnancy centers. "We are so proud of Virginia pregnancy centers for this recognition and their decades of humble service to women in this state. It's not a surprise to Care Net that when people hear the truth about the good work you do, they want to praise you."
A sample "Joint Resolution Honoring Pregnancy Centers" is available in American United for Life's 2010 Model Legislation & Policy Guide.
Pregnancy centers provide practical help and emotional support to empower those facing unplanned pregnancies to make an informed and life- affirming pregnancy decision. Care Net is a national affiliation organization supporting the work of 1,180 pregnancy center in North America.
