In todays Dallas Morning News, there is a shocking development. The state of Texas will actually be paying crisis pregnancy centers to counsel women who come in for assistance to not have an abortion. You can tell this is a shock to whoever put this article together by the use of scare words in the article: (scare words in red)

Texas is part of trend that has alarmed some rights activists

12:00 AM CST on Monday, February 12, 2007

From Wire Reports Los Angeles Times

AUSTIN – In an experiment that's opening a new front in the culture wars, a growing number of states are paying anti-abortion activists to counsel women with unplanned pregnancies. At least eight states – including Texas, Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania – use public funds to subsidize crisis pregnancy centers, Christian homes for unwed mothers or other programs explicitly designed to steer women from abortion.

As a condition of the grants, counselors are often barred from referring women to any clinic that provides abortions; in some cases, they may not discuss contraception either.

Most states still spend far more money subsidizing comprehensive family planning, but the flow of tax dollars to anti-abortion groups has surged in recent months, as grants took effect in Texas and Minnesota.

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The trend alarms abortion-rights supporters, who say that the funds would be better spent – and would prevent more abortions – if used to expand access to birth control. But to anti-abortion advocates such as Nancy McDonald, the funding is both practical and symbolic, a way of putting the state's stamp of approval on their work.

States will spend at least $13 million this year to direct women away from abortion.

I have been trying to get the Dallas Morning News to realize that no one in the pro-life movement calls themselves an "anti-abortion advocate," yet they insist on labelling us this way. That coupled with scare words used in reference to funding a paltry amount of money ($13 million dollars through 8 states) that is going to these centers tells me that the real shock is that this is happening at all.

I am always amazed when people think that not having an abortion is harmful, but how could you come away with any other conclusion from this article?

Labels: dallas morning news, media bias