I really hope this organization is what it purports to be. Of course, as a strictly pro-choice agnostic, I’m going to be suspicious. If they genuinely mean it when they say “Join us and discover how to look at the issue through a lens of empathy and avoid political rhetoric”, then it could be a good thing.

Oh, I grabbed that quote from their website, which is https://www.prograce.org/

One side focuses mainly on the needs of the woman, the other focuses mainly on the needs of the child. Neither can provide a completely accurate representation of God’s heart, because He is equally concerned with the needs of both. And He calls us to work for the dignity and welfare of both.

Wow, you’re either ok with a woman’s choice or not. I know I am not ok with this both sides bullshit centrist approach, how can you expect women to talk to you about their struggles when you come at the issue only caring about what your god tells you to do, sorry, what some rando said your god cares about? Fuck that. If you are ok with a woman getting an abortion when she is financially screwed, in an abusive or unstable relationship, carrying an unviable fetus, carrying a fetus with abnormalities, about to die, has mental or physical disabilities themselves, fetus implanted in the fallopian tubes, raped, high-risk pregnancy, too young, doesn’t want to be a mother, or any other reason then you are pro-choice. Pregnancy comes with risk of dying and permanent side effects. No woman should be forced to go through a pregnancy she doesn’t want to do.

You cannot reconcile viewing this tissue as a life that needs to be “saved” with treating women like brood mares. Especially when churches peddle bullshit like: every day doctors kill fully formed babies at birth because the mom changed her mind or women get abortions every month as birth control. This is the bullshit I’ve heard from religious people and no amount of logic will shake whatever their dumb bishop told them.

I am assuming you are in the US, in that case there are little programs available to help a woman raise a child she does not want especially if it is a red state. Adoption is not an option when it’s your body being sacrificed so some loony can adopt a baby. They do little background checks on people who foster and adopt btw, the kid grows up being abused and with mental disorders like reactive attachment disorder, I’ve personally seen it happen multiple times. It is ok to let a teenager have an abortion so she can finish high school and go to college instead of dropping out and living the rest of her life in poverty with a father she was forced to marry that she doesn’t actually know that well or without a father to support her. Mothers may go through post partum depression, it can get really bad when untreated to the point where she doesn’t care about her baby anymore and would rather just kill her kids and then herself.

You either care or you don’t care about these women. If your god cared so much about abortion, then why isn’t in your bible? Where does it say that abortion is banned after 6 weeks? 12? 22? Or altogether? A 6 week ban is a de facto ban since obgyns don’t see women that early at all, it is often before a woman even knows. You trying to take a human rights issue and stuff your god into it is why there is a problem in the first place. Keep all gods out of it.

From the ProGrace website:

The Church being the community of grace and support Jesus intended us to be, can address the reasons of panic, isolation, and shame that cause so many people to think abortion is their only option.

What a frightening sentence to have to read.

There is no such thing as “ProGrace”–this “third option” is co-opting and trickery. The question of whether women should have full access to healthcare during pregnancy is a completely binary one. The answer is Yes or No.

You either recognize that abortion is healthcare and believe that safe access to this healthcare, from a variety of providers, for any of the many reasons a woman may need or want it, is a woman’s right, OR…you do not. Period. That’s the whole thing. Any vague “third choice” is marketing trickery meant to soften the face of something that should disgust us all.

Also from ProGrace:

Our Core Beliefs 1: God’s design for pregnancy is to intertwine a woman and a child. He has made it impossible for us to try to help one while bypassing the other, but instead calls us to work for the dignity and welfare of both of them.

That really sums it up, doesn’t it? “God’s design for pregnancy”–this isn’t a stance in healthcare conversations that should be given a moment of thought. It’s fiction.

If Christians would like to begin encouraging each other to stop being judgmental toward people who have had abortions, I think that would be great. But keep the whole thing in-house, make it about Christians talking to other Christians about how they can get their behavior in line with their supposed religious beliefs. Don’t make the whole thing about teaching Christians how to speak more empathetically to people who have had or are considering abortion for the purpose of being able to more successfully sell Jesus to those people. Because that’s what this whole thing is actually about.

If you really want to help pregnant women the way Jesus would have wanted you to, use some of that sweet, sweet untaxed money from your money piles to start a car service that ONLY gives free rides (chauffeur style with the tinted window between the driver and passenger if the passenger would like to have it up) to women and one or two support people to and from their abortions. No conversation, no strings attached. And pay for the abortions. And throw in a Starbucks card with like $25 on it. Show these women the heart of Christ with your actions, not with phony words meant to control their minds, and maybe after they have their abortion that act of no-strings-attached kindness will have made such and impact that they will seek out a “church community” themselves instead of having to be coerced and cajoled into one in a moment of true despair.

Seriously, this is your new campaign…“WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? He would drive you to your abortion and pay for it, too, cause he was just that kind of guy.”

EDIT: typo.

ProGrace which sets politics aside to focus on aiding the woman and meeting her needs directly both during and after her pregnancy regardless as to how she decides to proceed.

I mean, that sounds like pro-choice to me. Pro-choice is about letting the pregnant woman decide.

This is also crucial for the care of a woman with an unwanted pregnancy. If she’s been raped or does not feel like she will be able to support the baby, then the abortion is extremely important for her mental health.

Laws restricting choice often also restrict what procedures doctors are allowed to perform. It can and has already lead to situations where an abortion is considered medically necessary, or even the only logical step forward, because the fetus is already dead in the womb, but doctors still will not do it, because it could mean they get fined for it.

In my opinion, the logical path for straddling both sides is to leave the pregant woman’s choice 100% intact, but then make it easy for her to choose the pregnancy.
In other words, universal healthcare, a high-quality child care network, maternity leave, and assistance for getting the child adopted. Preventing unwanted pregnancies by providing contraceptives also helps a lot.
I feel like that’s also why this discussion hardly exists in developed nations outside of the US, because they have these things.