Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is attempting to close pregnancy crisis clinics throughout the state. The closure attempt is part of a long-standing battle Gottheimer has with the pro-life support clinics and their operations.
In the latest attempt to steer pregnant women away from pro-life options in New Jersey, Rep. Gottheimer has moved for the closure of all pregnancy crisis and counseling clinics. Gottheimer cites the closure as an effort to help women have access to abortion aftercare and abortion options throughout the state.
Gottheimer posted a press release regarding the proposed closures. His statement suggested the clinics are misleading to the women who use them.
“Women go to these healthcare hoax clinics thinking they will get real medical help, but instead, they are greeted by people with no medical background whose goal is to brainwash women with their ideological agenda. We need to do everything we can to shut down these brainwashing cult clinics. We need to stop the fake programming they’re pushing.”
The brainwashing Gottheimer refers to deals with the information women receive regarding abortions. His theory is that the information is misleading because they do not offer abortion as a prime option, and the clinics do not provide aftercare post-abortion if the woman chooses abortion as an option.
Gottheimer’s issue with the clinics, including Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center, is their lack of abortion care options. The key takeaway that Gottheimer is missing is that these centers are not for abortion services. These centers are to offer women other options and care about those options.
The pregnancy centers Gottheimer is focused on dealing with alternative options that allow women to keep their babies and supply what that baby needs. Many services deal with counseling, connecting the women with proper prenatal care, supplies for their pregnancy, and supplies following the delivery.
These services may not be available through other means in the women’s areas. The resource centers do discuss abortion, but with the mindset that women should know abortion can have lasting mental effects as well as the chance of physical effects.
It should be noted that these clinics are not simply saying no to abortion. They are giving the information and allowing the woman to choose which alternative she would like if she wants an alternative at all. This means the clinics are in fact providing pro-choice-based care, meaning they allow the woman to choose.
