Good morning, Governor Healey. I write today to respectfully ask that you veto a line item in the supplemental budget. For some reason, our legislators believe it is necessary to tell the public about the “dangers” of crisis pregnancy centers. They have approved $1 million for this, which appears to be the same taxpayer-funded smear campaign the legislators introduced last year and that Governor Baker ultimately vetoed. He did so because even he – a self-described supporter of abortion rights – recognized that women would suffer without pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) to provide real choice, serving them when they’re most in need.

PRCs have been under direct attack in this state since last summer. My colleagues and I knew that attempts to damage their reputations and prevent them from serving women would continue. That’s why we recently formed the Pregnancy Care Alliance (PCALL). Together, our members will work not only to broaden our care and free services to women across Massachusetts, but we plan to launch our own public awareness campaigns, so residents here know the truth about what PRCs do.

We are only about one month old, with more members joining, but I invite you to learn more about PCALL and facts about PRCs at pregnancycarealliance.com. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, where I serve as president, is PCALL’s sponsor organization. If your schedule permits, PRC directors and I would be happy to talk with you about how women are helped, not harmed, inside these community resources.

In the coming weeks, we will share video testimonials from women across the state. You'll hear from the women who've been helped by PRCs and who are frustrated by current, seemingly senseless, efforts to hinder their operation.

All of us, leaders, legislators and PRCs alike, want to help women. We share that common goal. Harming organizations that help women is not the way to achieve it.

PRCs are not villains. They exist for no other reason than to offer support to women, and men, in what might be the darkest time of their lives – compassionate support and factual information about all of their options that they will not receive inside an abortion clinic or pharmacy.

Thank you for reading and for considering my request, on behalf of our PRCs and those who support them. Thank you, too, for exercising your line item veto authority as your predecessor opted to do -- because he knew it was the right thing to do, the right way to lead.

Respectfully,
Myrna Maloney Flynn
President, MCFL