from Talk to Action

The alarming erosion of any pretense of a wall between church and state here in Texas is evidenced by the state's diversion of $5 million in health care funds to evangelistic crisis pregnancy centers. Despite the standard restrictions on using public funds to proselytize, this lucrative contract is designed to funnel state money into both Protestant and Catholic CPCs, both of which have only two goals: stopping abortion and winning souls for Christ.

And now that movement is poised to go national.

The Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) is waiting in the wings with its 95-10 Initiative, a piece of omnibus legislation that, beneath a veneer of concern for women, provides federal funding for a nationwide campaign to herd women into CPCs, while imposing the so-called Woman's Right to Know laws that are shutting down access to abortion care from Minnesota to Mississippi upon every abortion-providing physician in the 50 states.

Federal Funding for Toll-Free Number/National Public Awareness Program
Enact an advertising campaign in each state to provide a toll free number that will direct a woman to organizations that provide support services for pregnant women who want to carry their children to term and/or direct women to adoption centers.
*Organizations that qualify for the referral from the toll-free hotline must be non-profit, tax exempt organizations that do not provide abortion referral services.

Women's Right to Know
Any women's health center or clinic that provides pregnancy counseling or abortion services must provide accurate information on abortion and the adverse side effects to a woman's health.
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Provide Ultrasound Equipment
Provide grants to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations for the purchase of ultrasound equipment to provide free examinations to pregnant women needing such services. This equipment will be operated by licensed professionals.

It has been my own observation that "women needing such services" are the ones who are induced by a CPC's offer of "abortion aid, assistance and advice" to walk in asking for help with an abortion – and that the addition of licensed professionals would be a marked improvement . . . but that is another story.

DFLA Executive Director Kristen Day makes clear that their goal is to eliminate all elective abortions in the country within 10 years after the passage of 95-10, and that government promotion and funding of CPCs is the most powerful weapon in their arsenal.

CareNet, a nationwide network of crisis pregnancy centers, has also endorsed the 95-10 initiative, with President Kurt Entsminger applauding the proposal's focus on pregnancy resource centers. Legislation arising from the initiative would require abortion centers to inform women of the adverse effects of abortion, and pregnancy counseling centers to provide adoption referral information.

The stated goal of cutting abortions by 95 percent is not an arbitrary aim born of ambition, Ms. Day said, as she stated that 5 percent of abortions are performed due to rape, incest, or maternal health concerns, and that eliminating those in a decade is not realistic.

The DLA (sic) Web site lists six Democratic congressmen and one senator as vocally supportive of the 95-10 initiative.
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Should the initiative hiccup at the federal level, DLA plans to promote it state by state, but Ms. Day is optimistic: “Six months ago Democrats wouldn’t even talk about abortion. Now we’re beginning to have a dialogue.�

The pilot program for state by state imposition of the 95-10 Initiative is about to be up and running in Florida – where, in 2004, the then-president of the state's chapter of DFLA, Valerie Mierzwa, called John Kerry the "Hitler of the Unborn." The Florida initiative will be propelled by a savvy operation that makes our CPC initiative here in Texas look like a home-grown outfit. The winner of Florida's $3 million contract is Care Net, a CPC powerhouse with over 800 affiliates in North America.

Florida State Grant Program to Reduce Abortion

STERLING, Va., Feb. 3 /Christian Wire Service/ -- Care Net announced Thursday an unprecedented development regarding the use of marketing and a unique 24-hour call center to help women facing unplanned pregnancies find alternatives to abortion. The State of Florida has allocated $2 million to fund a new program to promote alternatives to abortion and support the work of pregnancy centers throughout Florida. This new program will be administered by the Florida Pregnancy Care Network (FPCN). The Option Line call center, jointly owned and operated by Care Net and Heartbeat International, has been retained by the FPCN to serve as the official call center for this new state program. The Option Line (800-395-HELP) currently receives more than 10,000 calls, e-mails, and instant messages per month from women across North America who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. Now, it will be expanded to serve an even greater number of women in Florida and connect them with the help of a local pregnancy center.

Care Net President Kurt Entsminger praised the State of Florida and those involved in the initiative for its innovation and efficiency. “By utilizing the Option Line, this program will involve a call center that has proven effectiveness in meeting the task at hand: caring for women facing unplanned pregnancy, connecting them with local help, and ultimately, helping to reduce the number of abortions.� Research shows that seven out of ten women who contact the Option Line are considering abortion. After visiting pregnancy centers, most women will choose to carry their pregnancy to term. “Care Net is enthusiastic about this new program, which allows meaningful participation by faith-based organizations. We believe that if this program is tested over time, we will see a significant reduction in the number of abortions in the state of Florida.�

The FPCN will launch an advertising campaign modeled after Option Line marketing efforts. English and Spanish commercials as well as Internet ads will promote a newly-created Florida 1-800 number that will ring directly into the Option Line call center in Columbus, Ohio. All Florida pregnancy centers currently receiving phone calls through the Option Line will be immediately eligible to receive phone calls made to the new 1-800 number.
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The Florida program will also involve the reimbursement of qualified pregnancy centers for counseling services that abide by Florida’s faith-based initiative guidelines. The FPCN will allocate the state funds to those pregnancy centers that wish to participate and have been trained and approved by the FPCN.

In Kurt Entsminger, Jeb Bush's Florida has definitely picked a man who can spread a message.

An example of the way that paid search marketing can effectively stretch a ministry's advertising dollars is the work being done via Google AdWords and Yahoo! Search Marketing by Care Net, which runs a national crisis pregnancy hotline. Kurt Entsminger, the president of Care Net, shares that since the mid-90's Care Net had relied primarily upon billboards, television and Yellow Pages as the primary means of promoting its hotline. The cost per call from their marketing efforts ranged from $15 to $80. Care Net considered any campaign with a cost per call of less than $25 to be successful. Since the company adopted paid search marketing last year, they have seen their ppc-related cost per call drop to just $5.

Entsminger explains that the benefits of paid search advertising go beyond lowering marketing costs. "Not only is Internet advertising producing calls at much less expense, it is also proving most successful in reaching our target audience of women in crisis pregnancies."

No, never let it be said that Kurt Entsminger doesn't understand marketing. Last year Care Net announced a partnership with Interstate Batteries that has seen Care Net profit from expanding its national exposure through NASCAR-related sponsorship – and instead of paying for that endorsement in the customary manner, Care Net is receiving a large share of its co-sponsor's profits.

This fall, Interstate Batteries and Care Net have teamed up to launch "Charged for Life," a new fundraising campaign to help support the work of pregnancy centers across the U.S. and Canada. The strategic partnership was kicked off at the NASCAR race in Martinsville, Va. where the Interstate Batteries car featured Care Net's name and logo.
"Interstate Batteries is a great role model for companies seeking to make a difference in local communities," said Care Net President Kurt Entsminger.

Only last year, Entsminger expressed doubt about the ability of Care Net to take government money in Florida without compromising its "evangelistic goals."

Mr. Entsminger told WORLD that in the past Real Alternatives "has excluded evangelical centers all together." Mr. Bagatta said that's because until last summer federal guidelines prohibited the group from distributing funds to "centers that proselytize." Under new guidelines from the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, Mr. Bagatta said Real Alternatives would be able to include evangelistic care centers, as long as counselors separate pregnancy counseling from evangelism sessions.

Mr. Entsminger said he's pleased with the development and hopes the same thing could happen in Florida. "We're not asking the government to pay for our religious activities," he said. "But we do want to see programs that allow for maximum participation from all pregnancy care centers, including centers committed to evangelism."

Lt. Gov. Jennings said the Florida program would aim for maximum participation. When asked if the Bush administration would have any reservations about explicitly evangelistic centers, Ms. Jennings replied: "Are you kidding? Not this administration."

Yes, apparently that pesky legal division between church and state is longer a problem. And considering how heavy the Care Net catalogue is on Biblical materials and antiabortion propaganda, what a blessing that is for Care Net's volunteer "consultants," who can continue to "be the hands and feet of Jesus."

Several years ago, a CPC in Calgary operating under the Care Net umbrella was investigated for its dishonest practices, which included fear and guilt-inducing misinformation about abortion. A young woman featured in the Canadian W-5 program's televised exposé, fooled by deceptive advertising, went to the center seeking information and advice about how to obtain an abortion. She was told that having an abortion would put her at risk of future infertility, eating disorders, and self-mutilation, in addition to leaving her guilt-ridden for life and ruining her relationship with God.

Despite Care Net's slick and shiny PR campaigns, their fundamental message hasn't changed: abortion is dangerous, God hates it, and if you have an abortion, you WILL be sorry.

A number of Care Net-affiliated centers offer an online Post-Abortion Stress Test featuring over 40 indicative "symptoms" in three categories, ranging in severity from "disappointment" and "weight gain" all the way to frankly alarming signs of possible mental instability such as "fear of having a deformed child, fear of God's punishment, feeling the presence of the aborted child." Put a checkmark next to any one of these – even the mildest and most ambiguous -- click the button labeled "Take the test," and a pop-up window informs you that "You ... may have a mild form of post-abortion stress. Call us today at 1-800-595-5753 if you would like to speak in person with someone about post-abortion syndrome."

Yeah, girl, come on down.