by Chuck Weber
As a former journalist, the distortion of reality and truth-bending is difficult to witness.
This is especially true regarding secular news reports about the abortion industry and “Value Them Both,” the proposed state constitutional amendment for life set for a vote by Kansans this August.
As the “Value Them Both” campaign unfolds, language friendly to the abortion industry, assumptions and narratives are emerging.
News media assumption No. 1: Unlimited abortion is a good thing and the only sensible solution to a crisis pregnancy.
Recent articles in The Kansas City Star and elsewhere painted sympathetic pictures about women from outside of Kansas struggling to find an abortion due to restrictions in surrounding states. Abortion industry workers were even described as de facto social workers.
These carefully constructed narratives depict the Kansas abortion industry as the only practical champion of women in crisis. This is demonstrably false. Women facing a crisis pregnancy experience raw fear. They need and deserve authentic, compassionate advocates to walk with them. Pregnancy care centers help fill this need but are largely left out of the story.
Let’s be clear: Abortion industry employees are not de facto “social workers.” There are no abortion industry pregnancy resource centers providing life skill training, basic staples like food and diapers, or guidance to genuine social service resources. The primary job of abortion workers is to get pregnant women in line for an abortion.
News media assumption No. 2: Kansas becoming an abortion destination is a good thing.
After years of steady decline, the 2020 Kansas abortion rate jumped by almost 10%. Kansas abortion clinics now perform more than half of the state’s abortions on residents from surrounding states.
Kansans across the political and cultural spectrum find these developments startling and disturbing. Conversely, the abortion- industry-friendly news media sees Kansas as a laudable “sanctuary” and “safe haven” for the abortion industry.
Here’s some of what you rarely — if ever — see reported in the secular news media about abortion in Kansas and the “Value Them Both” amendment.
Unless Kansas voters approve “Value Them Both,” the abortion industry in Kansas will be free to operate with virtually no limits or regulations. Any abortion laws must be “presumed unconstitutional” by the courts.
Although passage of “Value Them Both” does not ban abortion, it allows the people of Kansas — through their duly elected representatives — to place limits on the abortion industry. Women and their babies need and deserve these protections. We must work for a culture where all life is precious and worthy of its fundamental dignity.
When reading secular news articles about abortion, be on guard for biased reporting to discern the truth. Go online to: www.ValueThemBoth.com for the facts or to schedule a “Value Them Both” presentation for your parish.
