When a woman discovers she is pregnant in the United States, she’s usually overwhelmed with one of two emotions. She may be rejoicing in celebration and excitement over the new life growing within her womb or, overcome with fear and anxiety over an unwanted pregnancy.
In a culture that increasingly places a higher priority on sexual freedom than it does marriage, commitment, and family, the latter response is becoming the more prevalent of the two among young mothers and fathers.
The Realities of Pregnancy in the United States: Reactions and Challenges
There are times when young mothers and fathers in stable relationships find themselves in a difficult position when it comes to pregnancy. They may lack the resources they feel they need to be successful parents, whether it be physical, financial, or familial.
Planned Parenthood
When these difficulties arise, mothers often turn to resources that are affordable and accessible. For many, this is Planned Parenthood. With its plethora of services — such as birth control and STD testing — provided to patients at minimal-to-no cost, the company is a popular spot for women looking for answers.
Abortion services
Although Planned Parenthood sounds good on paper, and appears that way on their website, the company falls short. Although they attempt to gloss over the facts, Planned Parenthood performs abortions and the numbers can’t deny the amount of lives lost to abortion every year.
Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Numbers: A Closer Look
Planned Parenthood tracked their health service data in their 2021 annual report. Under their affiliate medical services, abortion made up 4% of the total. While this number may seem insignificant, the report revealed just how large 4% is, claiming 383,460 abortions were performed by Planned Parenthood in 2021 alone.
Along with Planned Parenthood’s hundreds of thousands of abortions each year, its founding is another reason to raise eyebrows and question the company’s practices and purpose.
Margaret Sanger and Her Controversial Beliefs
Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger, fought for women’s reproductive rights, focusing special attention on poor, immigrant women. Although much of her story seems heroic, there is a sinister side to Sanger’s efforts.
In a speech she wrote in 1932 titled “My Way to Peace,” which she delivered to the New History Society, Sanger outlined a plan for eugenics in the United States, along with sterilization and segregation.
Pro-Life Perspectives on Life and Human Dignity
Although Sanger believed these efforts were for the achievement of national health and thus universal peace, we cannot deny that her methods of attaining these goals were void of dignity and respect for all human life.
As Psalm 139 reminds us, all human life is sacred and valued by God. Verses 13-18 (NKJV) highlight just how thoughtfully each person was created and crafted in the womb of their mothers:
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
Psalm 139: 13-18 (NKJV)
When I awake, I am still with You.”
Like the Psalmist, we, and all of humanity, were knit together with dignity and care in the wombs of our mothers. We too are fearfully and wonderfully made. Not only do Sanger’s beliefs go directly against the truth found in Psalm 139 about the intention each individual was crafted with, her eugenic mission failed to acknowledge the image of God in each person.
Genesis 1:27 (NKJV) states, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” If these words are true, we cannot deny the fact that each child in the womb is worthy of an opportunity at life.
Conclusion
Expectant mothers often face emotional challenges when they discover they are expecting a baby. It is essential for them to understand that a God-created soul is growing within them and this soul is of immeasurable value. When they begin to awaken to this fact, challenges become manageable and more than worth the alternatives.
Planned Parenthood, as one of the nation’s largest abortion providers, does not value life nor the beautiful complexity of pregnancy.
Mothers don’t have to tackle the challenges of pregnancy alone.
By donating to PreBorn!, you can help a mother save the life of her baby and support her through the journey of her pregnancy. To learn more or donate, visit preborn.com.