DES MOINES, Iowa, April 21, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Iowa is following in the footsteps of states like Minnesota and Texas after Gov. Terry Branstad declared April to be ‘Abortion Recovery Month.’
Branstad is scheduled to make the declaration official at 2 p.m. central time today at the governor’s office in the State Capitol. He is expected to be joined by various representatives of pro-life organizations, crisis pregnancy centers, post-abortion healing outreach groups, and women who have recovered from their abortions.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and then-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty have made the declarations in previous years in their respective states.
“The pro-life community applauds Governor Branstad for recognizing the need to bring awareness to this emotional and traumatic subject that has affected so many men and women over the years,” said Steven N. Brody, Executive Director of Dubuque County Right to Life.
Brody said the governor’s proclamation “encourages and promotes healing opportunities and raises awareness of the aftermath of abortion experienced by individuals and families.”
“Many Iowa organizations offer support and recovery services to those who have had abortions or who have been impacted by abortion. These organizations promote policies that reinforce a culture of life and hope.”
He added that these recovery programs help hurt individuals heal through “counseling, support groups, encouragement and education.”
Some organizations providing help to individuals suffering in the aftermath of abortion are Abortion Recovery InterNational (ARIN), the National Helpline for Abortion Recovery, Operation Outcry and The Justice Foundation.
In 2005, Abortion Recovery InterNational (ARIN) established and promoted the idea of making April known as “Abortion Recovery Awareness Month.” The group states that the two key purposes of the month are to encourage and promote healing opportunities, and enlighten society about the aftermath of abortion on individuals and families.
Pro-abortion advocates have contested that the declarations are political in nature, and castigated then-Gov. Pawlenty in 2010 for making the declaration in Minnesota.
Brian McClung, Pawlenty’s spokesman, told LifeSiteNews.com at the time that the decision was consistent with the governor’s pro-life stance and record.
“Recovery programs can help individuals heal by providing counseling, support groups, encouragement, and education,” McClung told LSN in an e-mail interview. “While critics may say this is just ‘politics,’ women who have been helped by these programs would strongly disagree.”
Pro-life advocates point that even the U.S. Supreme Court has acknowledged that abortion causes “severe depression,” and “loss of esteem” in some women. The high court made the finding in the April 2007 Carhart v. Gonzalez decision that upheld a federal ban on partial-birth abortion. The Court referred to testimony of women hurt by abortion submitted in an amicus brief filed by The Justice Foundation on behalf of Sandra Cano, the former “Doe” of Doe v. Bolton (1973), and 180 other women.