I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts. - Abraham Lincoln
A couple ‘90s-era bands played at Fenway last night, and I had the chance to enjoy many of my old favorites by Hootie & the Blowfish and Barenaked Ladies. For those unfamiliar, lyrics to their hit songs are not as risqué as their name suggests. Probably the latter’s most well-known tune: “If I had $1000000.” In this toe-tapping, goofy, yet heartfelt, song, the guys harmonize and banter about how they’d buy various items for the one they love, including a house, furniture, a reliable car, Kraft dinner and a green dress (“But not a real green dress, that's cruel”).
With one million dollars, who among us wouldn’t spend by prioritizing the well-being of those we care about? We’d ensure those who depend on us had the basic necessities – shelter, transportation, food, clothing. Who wouldn’t use one million dollars to love?
Governor Healey and her administration, that’s who.
On June 10, if you recall, Healey’s staff launched another attack on Massachusetts’ pregnancy resource centers (PRCs). This time, the governor’s weapon of choice is a statewide, million-dollar, multi-platform ad campaign made up of lies. More concerning is that the taxes you and I pay are funding this effort. The most disturbing reality is that our state leaders, charged with protecting their constituents, decided instead to target our most vulnerable women through the campaign.
Each year in Massachusetts, pregnancy resource centers, like those within the Pregnancy Care Alliance (PCAll), offer cost-free, life-affirming support to thousands of women experiencing unexpected pregnancies, women who do not want abortion but who may feel coerced into having one. Some PRCs are licensed medical clinics and provide health services to pregnant women (but not “abortion care,” that’s cruel).
The state would prefer that these women, desperate for genuine support during what may be the darkest time in their lives, simply become paying customers at abortion clinics. Despite marching to a constant drumbeat of “choice,” which PRCs have provided for the last four decades, our politicians are partnering with the non-profit Reproductive Equity Now to do all they can to drive PRCs into extinction; after all, eliminating choice ensures higher profits for those who remain.
By any measure, the last two weeks should have my team and me feeling discouraged, outspent and tempted to accept a reality we’d rather not acknowledge: imminent defeat.
Like President Lincoln, though, I firmly believe in our people. I believe in you, and those with whom you will share this email. We must know and speak the truth about PRCs and bring the facts to our friends. The governor’s million-dollar, anti-woman effort is outlandish enough to have caught widespread attention from the national media, who eagerly sought interviews with our PCAll spokeswomen. They are doing a fantastic job conveying the truth! I don't think it's an exaggeration to state that all eyes are on Massachusetts, our governor and the probable outcome of her anti-PRC campaign, should it succeed: abandoned women.
On Monday, we will celebrate the second anniversary of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health, the Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022. In arriving at their decision, justices depended on truth to meet a half-century-long national crisis. If asked for a word to describe the post-Roe landscape, I’d reflexively respond “volatile.” Yet, as I step back and survey what we have accomplished in two years here, it wouldn’t be an accurate word choice.
“Metamorphic” is better. Miriam Webster defines this as something “changed into a more compact form by the action of pressure, heat, and water.” Throughout the past 24 months, what had been a disparate set of allies evolved into one of the strongest and most effective pro-life coalitions our state has ever known. The Massachusetts Citizens for Life Board of Directors approved the formation of PCAll, a pregnancy care center network, in November 2022. Since then, unyielding to pressure and the state’s heated rhetoric, an organization led by women, for women, emerged as a precious gem.
The awareness that PCAll has brought to residents statewide: priceless. Support from you and many others will continue to ensure its value. Such support and participation – literally standing beside us next week at the State House Celebration of Life Day – is my humble ask today. Find reasonable parking options here.
On Beacon Hill, you’ll hear PRC clients describe their positive experiences inside these community treasures. Then, you can accompany women as they deliver petitions that demand a retreat from undermining PRCs. Please sign and share our petition today, if you have not yet done so!
How great it would be to sing about how we lovingly served women in need, if we had a million dollars! Governor Healey and Reproductive Equity Now could have had the rights to that song. They chose to belt out their off-key abortion rights song instead.
Thank you for recognizing the value and inherent dignity of both women and their children. I look forward to providing updates about how your support improves – even saves – their lives.
I hope to see you at the State House, in the Great Hall, on Tuesday morning.
Myrna