Sanctity of Human Life

“Sanctity of human life.” That phrase can cause some people to cringe with uneasiness. The notion of the value of human life has certainly taken on a political edge where abortion is concerned. Politics is ripe with candidates who expound their beliefs on the matter, and though the Caring Pregnancy Center does not support, perform, or refer for abortion, this article is not a political essay. Rather it is an attempt to explain how the value God places on human life is the reason we do what we do. First, a little history lesson: On January 13, 1984, then President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation designating January 22, 1984, as the first ever Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. The date commemorated the eleventh anniversary of when the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand in all fifty states with the Roe v. Wade decision. According to the Guttmacher Institute (a pro-abortion, non-profit organization) there have been approximately fifty-eight million abortions in the United States since Roe v. Wade took effect in 1973. We continue to recognize the third Sunday in January every year as a day for Americans to focus on the value of each and every human life, remember the millions of lives lost, and celebrate the babies saved from abortion. This year’s Sanctity of Human Life Sunday will be held on January 17, 2016.

Pregnancy centers like the Caring Pregnancy Center are often criticized by the pro-abortion lobby as only being interested in the birth of babies versus the well-being of that child or its family after it has been born. However, in the true spirit of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, the Caring Pregnancy Center provides emotional, physical, spiritual, and material help to men and women during pregnancy and well after the birth of their baby on this day and every day. We believe that the lives of our clients are as sacred in the Lord’s eyes as those of their unborn children. The assistance we provide is to improve the life of the family unit as a whole, which in turn can improve the quality of life in our community.

As evidence of this, our parent organization, Care-Net, released a report showing the value of pregnancy centers to communities all around the country. In 2014 alone, the over 1100 Care-Net Centers offered over $56,826,000 in free services to families in need. That’s hundreds of thousands free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, free baby clothes, free diapers, free parenting classes, and many other services at no cost to the client. Yet, the most important commodity we offer for free is compassion, help, and hope. All of this is made possible by an army of over 30,000 volunteers and over 462,000 donors across the country.

On a more local level, the Caring Pregnancy Center’s impact on the communities of North Iowa is evident by the numbers. In 2015 alone, the Caring Pregnancy Center saw 1709 appointments while providing sixty-six pregnancy tests, fifty-four ultrasounds, 183 hours of classroom education, and 53,994 material items at absolutely no charge to our clients and those seeking emergency assistance. The casual reader of that statement may ask, “Yes, but at what cost to the amount of taxes that I pay every year?” The answer to that question is: None. The Caring Pregnancy Center does not and has never accepted government taxpayer money. We are able to keep our ministry going thanks to our very own small army of seven staff members, forty-one volunteers, and approximately 350 donors; and the tenet that the life of every child, every mother, and every family is sacred in the sight of God.

​ Does this network of centers, volunteers, and donors save lives? Absolutely. Guttmacher Institute statistics show that the rate of abortion has dropped consistently since Roe vs. Wade. However, there is still much work to be done. On this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday we at the Caring Pregnancy Center ask that you remember the lives lost to abortion, celebrate the babies saved, and pray for the mothers and fathers struggling with the uncertainty of an unplanned pregnancy. All life matters, both that of the born and the unborn. For in our Father’s eyes, all life is sacred.