Who Cares about Women: Planned Parenthood or Good Counsel?

January 22, 2015 marks the 42nd anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Ever since abortion was decriminalized, we’ve been hearing the stupid canard, “Abortion protesters only care about children before they’re born. They don’t give a d*** about women or their unwanted babies afterward.”  

So I thought it might be interesting to compare Planned Parenthood’s record of “helping” women and children in their clinics (now numbering 700 throughout the US) with the record of pro-life pregnancy help centers and shelters that started to spring up soon after the Roe decision. But there may be as many as 4,000 pregnancy resource centers throughout the US and roughly 500 homes/shelters for pregnant women, some of which also accommodate homeless women with infants. Lacking the time to compile all their statistics, instead I’ll highlight one exemplary organization — Good Counsel Homes — which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in March of this year. Let’s see how they match up.

Planned Parenthood’s Record of Helping Pregnant Women and Children (1970-2015)

Children killed:  6,600,000 (12 percent of estimated 57 million US abortion deaths)
Pregnant women given free shelter/meals for duration of pregnancy and up to one year after delivery:  ZERO
Infants and young children given free shelter/food with their moms for one year:  ZERO
Women given free GED tutoring and job training: ZERO

Good Counsel Homes’ Record of Helping Pregnant Women and Children (1985-2015)
Children killed:  ZERO
Children born thanks to their offering an alternative to abortion:  880
Pregnant women/mothers with young children given free shelter/meals for up to a year after delivery: over 1,000
Women given free GED tutoring and job training: over 1,000

But wait! There’s more! Good Counsel operates a 24/7 helpline (800/ 723-8331) that assists some 3,000 women/year. 

They operate what may be the only pro-life home (Daystar) for women with mental health issues, including addiction to drugs or alcohol.

New moms and those with young children are given life skills training so they can care for themselves and their children once they leave Good Counsel. It consists of "weekly classes on nutrition, post/prenatal  education, general parenting, chastity, spirituality, finances, job preparedness, and health and computer skills," according to a write-up on Good Counsel in a parish bulletin.

Moms are registered at nearby medical facilities.

Every home has trained staff  onsite, 24/7. Case Managers develop personalized plans for each mother and these are monitored at weekly sessions. Trained staff also meet with mothers to help them enroll in suitable educational programs meeting their interest and needs.

Good Counsel offers an “Exodus Program” which, co-founder Chris Bell, likens to having an older sister. For two years after leaving Good Counsel, mothers meet with their case manager twice per month. The case manager observes, listens, and gives advice, love and support.  The program continues to be a success: the two most recent Exodus mothers are working full time as a dental assistant in Philadelphia and as a Pharmaceutical Assistant.

They have an outreach to help single-parent families and, thirteen years ago, began a post-abortion ministry (Lumina/Hope and Healing After Abortion) that reaches out to those suffering as a result of abortion with the hope of bringing them God’s mercy and forgiveness.

As the 30th anniversary of Good Counsel is approaching, staff recalled that the traditional gift for a 30th anniversary is a pearl. In the Gospel of Matthew we are told, "…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”(Matt 13:45-46)

They see every human life as a pearl of great price in God’s eyes, having the infinite value equal to the Precious Blood of Jesus that was spilled for our redemption. As we join the March for Life on January 22nd, in Washington D.C. to memorialize those who have died, and the countless others injured by abortion, let us also remember Good Counsel and all of the other wonderful homes and programs that are helping women to deliver and raise their children.

In answer to the question posed by the March for Life “Why do we march?,” Good Counsel staff reply: “We march for ALL of our moms and their children, those who choose life and those who are suffering because of a past abortion, because they are all  pearls of great price!”