{"id":246426,"date":"2021-06-08T11:43:49","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T16:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=246426"},"modified":"2021-06-14T18:46:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T23:46:03","slug":"colorado-state-ban-pregnancy-centers-pro-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/colorado-state-ban-pregnancy-centers-pro-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado State attacked pregnancy centers, and pro-life students fought back with facts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In April, Colorado State University’s student government passed<\/a> a resolution condemning pro-life pregnancy centers and what they have termed “misleading advertisements” from these centers on campus. Resolution 5008<\/a>, was mostly directed at Alpha Center, a Christian pregnancy center located close to the campus, according to Denver Catholic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alpha Center offers services such as STD testing, pregnancy tests, and limited ultrasounds to women free of charge. But the student government deemed the center’s advertising to be “misinformation” that caused “shame” among students. The resolution listed 57 pro-life centers in Colorado and singled out Alpha Center as being “cisnormative and heteronormative” and said it and all centers “prey on AFAB (assigned female at birth) individuals by advertising free STD and pregnancy testing, pre-abortion screenings and ultrasound services.” The student government said students need “comprehensive” care, which means that because pregnancy centers don’t commit abortions, they shouldn’t get to advertise their services.<\/p>\n

The resolution also states that “anonymous students” have reported “discomfort” because they didn’t know the pregnancy center would be “extremely gendered and non-inclusive” and it included a biased video by VICE that attacked pregnancy centers. It seems unusual, however, that a college student in the middle of a personal crisis facing an unplanned pregnancy would be focused on how the pregnancy center feels about transgender issues.<\/p>\n

The student government offered no legitimate proof that Alpha Center or any other pro-life center had used misleading advertisements on the CSU campus.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Pregnancy resource centers are the real superheroes, not Planned Parenthood<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“It just proves that they’re not actually ‘pro-choice,'” said Father Rocco Porter, pastor of St. Johnn XXIII Parish, which serves CSU’s students. “They don’t want people to have choices. They’re pro-abortion.”<\/p>\n

In response to the resolution, CSU Students for Life, led by president Laura Rencher, held a Zoom meeting on May 15 along with representatives from four pro-life pregnancy centers to dispel the myths about these centers. Marisol Health, Birthline of Loveland, Alpha Center, and Life Choices participated, each sharing\u00a0how it helps individuals, no matter their stated sexual orientation, marital status, religion, race, age, or any other factor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my mind, Resolution 5008 didn\u2019t provide a lot of evidence that local Colorado pregnancy help\u00a0centers\u00a0or Christian medical clinics provided misleading information aside from word-of-mouth claims and viral YouTube video cited by Vice,\u201d\u00a0Rencher said. \u201cI wanted to promote civil and mature conversation on several of the claims made during the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alpha Center offers sexual health services from two doctors. Their pre-abortion ultrasounds can determine if the person is actually pregnant or if the pregnancy is no longer viable, saving them from the trauma of deciding to abort as well as from going through an unnecessary abortion.<\/p>\n

Marisol Health is a medical center that provides pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, comprehensive OB\/GYN and prenatal care, fertility and infertility care, and no-cost or low-cost options for testing and treatment of STDs. It partners with Bella Health and Wellness, a comprehensive OB\/GYN in Englewood, which means they use qualified nurses and doctors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0want\u00a0everyone to know that when they come to\u00a0us\u00a0they are greeted right away with just support,\u201d\u00a0said Michelle Gallegos, community engagement specialist for Marisol Health\u2019s Lafayette clinic.<\/p>\n

Life Services offers abortion pill reversal, vital for clients who have taken the first of the two-dose abortion pill regimen and change their minds, as well as post-abortion support and parenting classes.<\/p>\n