When Your Conscience and Thrifting Collide

    Yesterday I was deeply sadden and surprised to find out that a "faith based" thrift store that I have shopped at over the years proudly stated on their Facebook page that they financially support the local Planned Parenthood in the town where they are located.  My heart dropped and I decided to do some checking to see if this Planned Parenthood offered any kind of prenatal care or if they, in my mind, did the unthinkable and ended a child's life.

   I went to the local PP website and found that they do not offer prenatal care or mammograms (as are commonly claimed "services" used by groups who support PP) but they do perform abortions in house or will refer you to another provider who will if it's something like an ectopic pregnancy.  To their credit, they do offer Pap tests, cervical cancer screening, STD testing and treatment, birth control and a few other services.  While some may argue that this is a good cause, I cannot support it and wonder how a faith based thrift store located in a church can either.  We do have a wonderful place called WISH Medical that is faith based and offers all of the things above except abortion services.  They will give you all the facts, do an ultrasound so you understand what is going on if you find yourself pregnant and then offer options like support if you choose to become a parent, adoption support if you are not ready to be a parent but want your baby to have a chance at a good life and have your baby placed in a loving home. If choose to abort, they will advise you of the physical and emotional risks to you but remain compassionate and non judgemental.  They also offer support for those who have had abortions and are suffering from the guilt and shame of having done so.  One of my friends, who has sadly gone down that road herself in the past and knows first hand all the shame, guilt and pain associated with it, is one of their counselors for that particular program and is very compassionate, loving and helps women heal from those experiences.  I honestly cannot fathom why this faith based thrift store would support PP and not WISH Medical given that WISH supports women and their babies not only with medical treatment and prenatal care, but also helps provide them with parenting classes, cribs, clothing for their baby and other support services.

   I will tell you that I went to bed with a very heavy heart and even though I was exhausted, I tossed and turned for hours.  I had made the decision as soon as I gathered all the facts to NOT shop at that thrift store again.  It breaks my heart to know that every time I even drive by PP, I know that a baby's life may be being ending right then.  My heart also aches for those women who make that choice and later come to realize the truth of what they have done.  I myself have had 2 unplanned pregnancies, one sadly ended in a miscarriage (this was when I was 20 and my husband and I were not yet married) and the second is when I got pregnant with our twins while on two forms of birth control, both of which failed. I never once considered abortion and neither did my husband. We both value life and knew that even before we were married, that we would have and love our child.  We have offered to take in pregnant teen moms and family members and support them through their pregnancies and if they chose not to keep their babies, adopt, raise and love their children as our own, even when we had a 22 month old and newborn twins ourselves.  Sadly all those people made the choice, whether it be from pressure from other family members or to "not be bothered with a child", to end that child's life.   I also am so thankful that I am still here and that abortion was not legal when my mother got pregnant with me but I also have survivor's guilt for another precious child who was not as lucky.  I know for a fact that IF abortion had been legal when I was conceived, that I would not be here today and that has left a huge scar on my heart.  As a parent myself, I cannot even imagine not having my amazing children, each is a gift from God.  Our twins' pregnancy may not have been planned by us, but God knew what He was doing when He blessed us with them and we are so humbled and grateful for his wisdom in giving us all three of our sons.

   I honestly feel like I was deceived by this particular thrift store by their claim of being a Christian faith based nonprofit that helps women and children.  How is helping to fund the killing of innocent children in any way "helping" them?   I will no longer shop there and I will also be letting my family and friends know where the profits of this store are going.