Among the radical pro-abortion bills that were passed in 2022, you might remember the $15 million given to the unaccountable non-profit organization Seeding Justice. The bill indicated that the money should be used “for advancing reproductive health equity.” Last month, Seeding Justice disbursed $5 million from the fund to “increase abortion access.”
Meanwhile, in Baker City, the only maternity center in a 44-mile radius is closing because it’s financially unsustainable.
Citing a decline in deliveries, St. Alphonsus announced in June that they would be closing the birth center in their Baker City hospital. Since then, officials at the state and federal levels have implored St. Alphonsus to keep the maternity ward open and are seeking ways to help.
Surely, they will explore many avenues to fund this crucial health service in Baker City. I’d like to suggest one option: Seeding Justice should disburse money from the reproductive health equity fund to support the birth center.
It’s clear from this year’s abortion omnibus bill, HB 2002, that access to “reproductive health care” in Eastern Oregon is a key priority to pro-abortion legislators. Supporting a maternity ward in Baker City is an impactful way to support reproductive health care in the rural regions of our state.
I predict that won’t happen. I’d love to be disproved, but I don’t think I will be. Here’s why:
St. Alphonsus won’t receive reproductive health equity funds because they don’t perform elective abortions.
Even though the plain meaning of “reproductive health care” obviously covers the services provided by the Baker City maternity center, the money was never intended to support women who want to give birth. When pro-abortion politicians say “reproductive health,” it’s simply doublespeak for “abortion.” Just look at what proponents said when they announced the so-called “reproductive health equity fund.” While paying lip service to “the full spectrum of reproductive health services,” Oregon House Speaker Rayfield’s office states that the $15 million will be used “to address immediate and urgent patient needs for abortion funds and practical support.”
Consequently, I don’t believe the birth center will see a penny from that fund. Seeding Justice gave the first payments to a list consisting largely of a who’s-who of activist abortion organizations. In Baker County, the St. Alphonsus maternity center delivers the vast majority of the babies—96% over the last five years. Money provided to their birth center would have a significant impact on a community that has few alternatives. But St. Alphonsus doesn’t fit the profile of organizations getting money from Seeding Justice who provide or support abortion, not live-births.
St. Alphonsus should keep the birth center open. It’s an important, life-saving institution in an area that lacks alternatives. Our government also needs to recognize that health care isn’t free for hospitals. If pro-abortion legislators and activists could get past their single-minded focus on abortion, perhaps they would make some decisions that actually help women.
