It’s been three months since Roe v. Wade was overturned with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health ruling, and liberal Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has been on a mission to prove that pregnancy care centers are “false clinics” that are hurting low-income women.
In contrast with most major media reporting since, one pregnancy center in California was given an opportunity to respond to her attacks and provide an accurate, positive view of pregnancy help.
The Sacramento Life Center was featured in an opinion piece penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Melinda Henneberger for the Sacramento Bee. The largest pregnancy center in the area, Sacramento Life was able to illustrate via the article how pregnancy centers do just the opposite of what Warren and other abortion proponents claim.
Sacramento Life Center Executive Director for Marie Leatherby told Pregnancy Help News that the columnist chose to highlight Sacramento Life simply because “we are currently the largest and most well known pregnancy center in town.”
“We are celebrating our 50th year,” she said.
The opinion piece stressed how pregnancy centers help women in need by providing not only education, but items for the women and their babies. It was later picked up and covered by National Review.
Henneberger challenged left-wing activists by stating she believed some women may have had bad experiences at pro-life centers but added there is a clear difference between an abortion facility and a pregnancy center.
Pro-life or not, she said, everyone should agree that women are given support and care in these centers.
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Warren has been claiming pregnancy centers are deceiving and are “torturing” pregnant women and vows to shut them down across the nation.
Recognition of the idea as over the top has not been limited to conventional pro-life circles, with at least one columnist having written that Warren’s idea of shuttering pregnancy centers across the board is “blatantly unconstitutional.”
When Leatherby heard Warren’s comments, she could hardly believe the senator had no idea what pregnancy centers provide.
“At first I was shocked and dismayed that she would say such untrue things about thousands of centers and clinics as a representative of the people,” Leatherby said. “I couldn’t believe how misinformed she is on what pregnancy centers actually do for women; provide free services for women who need help during and after their pregnancy.”
“What she said is just plain wrong and untrue, and very unkind,” Leatherby told Pregnancy Help News. “I chalked it up to her receiving campaign funds from Planned Parenthood and she is just towing the line for them at this point for her continued candidacy.”
Sacramento Life has one location in the city, serving 50 to 60 women each week. They are also operating with a state-of-the-art mobile clinic, Leatherby said.
Tweet This: One pregnancy center director couldn’t believe how misinformed Elizabeth Warren is on what pregnancy centers actually do for women.
While some pregnancy centers across the United States have been vandalized and threatened by groups such as “Jane’s Revenge,” Sacramento Life has managed to stay under the radar of such attacks. Out of an abundance of caution, the center boosted security measures.
“Fortunately, we have faced very little physical backlash to the clinic,” Leatherby said. “We have hired security guards, put up barbed wire and cameras to protect ourselves.”
But, like other pregnancy help centers, Sacramento Life has faced cyber assaults.
“We have had some online attacks on our Facebook, Yelp, and Google accounts,” she said. “We had over 50 BOT reviews that were very negative, but fortunately those have been cleared up.”
“We have had some phone calls from people that were harsh and interrogative,” she added, “but nothing we can’t handle with grace and kindness.”
Leatherby and her staff are not letting vicious attacks by word or deed keep them off course from their mission.
There is a community of support that has existed, both prior and following the opinion piece.
“The outpouring of support from our donors has been wonderful,” she said,
“Knowing that our government, state, and community seem to be against us weighs heavy on us,” said Leatherby. “We know we are doing good work, and our patients love us and our grateful. That is what keeps us going during this hostile time.”
