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Another “objective” story about the opening of a woman-helping center

Jul 6, 2012

By Dave Andrusko

It would be amusing if it weren’t so revealing. The headline in the story from the [Duluth, Minnesota] News Tribune is fine and unbiased: “Pro-life clinic to open near abortion provider in downtown Duluth.” The subhead, not so: “Pro-life advocates are taking to a new level their opposition to the abortions performed at the Women’s Health Center in downtown Duluth.”

But, to be fair to the headline writer, the subhead is borrowed from the story written by Candace Renalls. The story does have a few morsels from the unpaid director of the Women’s Care Center (“anti-abortion clinic”) which, when built, will be located “kitty-corner from the Building for Women, where the only abortions in northern Minnesota are performed, at the Women’s Health Center,” according to Renalls.

But for the most part the story could have been written by a staff writer for NARAL. It’s riddled with the usual combination of conspiracy and condescension,  the object of which is to demonstrate that ignorant/ill-trained pro-life volunteers have only real goal: to “confuse” women.

Angie Wambach, who will serve as the clinic’s unpaid director, tells Renalls they hope to open by the end of the year.

“She said the clinic will offer free services, including counseling, pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, prenatal education, and parenting classes and self-sufficiency training for new parents and women facing unplanned pregnancies,” Renalls writes. “They also will provide cribs, car seats, diapers and other baby items through a Crib Club program.”

Wambach tells her, “We exist to help young moms and families,” adding, “Our goal is to have healthy babies and healthy moms and healthy families.”

But Renalls has learned, in her best Woodward/Bernstein imitation, that “fundraising letters for the project, signed by Wambach, also talk about encouraging ‘abortion-minded women’ to have their babies.” Worse yet, one letter “dated Dec. 14, 2010,” ominously advises “Please know that any gift —of any amount — will be carefully used to help young women choose life for their babies.”

So why a clinic at that site? According to Renalls a December 2010 fundraising letter “noted that the number of women choosing abortion in St. Louis County has gone up 4 percent while numbers had declined in surrounding counties.” Wambach’s letter says, “For this reason, we are opening a new pregnancy resource center in the heart of our city immediately proximate to the Women’s Health Center (abortion clinic).”

Cribs, car sets, diapers, and help in becoming self-sustaining! Giving women reason for hope when the only “solution” the abortion clinic offers to kill their baby.

Where will it all end?

Oh, well, such is life when dealing with the objective, mainstream media.