To: Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Regarding: SB 501 SD 1
Statement submitted by: Barbara Ferrero, Concerned Women for America of Hawaii State Director
Date submitted: February 22, 2017
As the State Director for Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Hawaii, I join with my members here in Hawaii in opposing SB 501 SD 1.
Below are some of the concerns we have about forcing crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) across our state to provide information regarding an abortion option known as “reproductive health services.”
These CPCs are typically volunteer-run, donation-based, life-embracing charities that will now be forced to promote abortion or pay bundles out of their shallow budgets if they don’t comply. What’s more, this legislation forces those with deeply-held convictions against promoting abortion to violate their conscience, and often their religious freedoms guaranteed by our U.S. Constitution. Please help us make sure that doesn’t happen.
For the pro-abortion crowd who profess a “war on women” is taking place, we don’t disagree —but for a different reason. In fact, we submit that the pro-abortion lobby is part of the problem causing this war on women. Trying to take away precious resources and care from a woman in distress who is facing an unplanned pregnancy is the very definition of harm. Abortion not only ends the life of the unborn child, but also may hold serious and devastating physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological consequences for the mother.
If the pro-abortion crowd is truly “pro-choice,” why not support pregnancy care centers that give women other options? One venue should not be forced to support the other. Women are more than capable of making their own choice.
CWA of Hawaii is asking you to vote “NO” on this anti-religious liberty and anti-choice legislation.