Report: Puerto Rico to close only pregnancy center, keep abortion centers open during pandemic

In response to Puerto Rico’s COVID-19 precautions, the island’s only pro-life pregnancy center, Cree Women’s Care, is reportedly being shut down as “non-essential,” while the island’s abortion facilities remain open for business.

By decree of Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced, Puerto Rico has enacted sweeping restrictions to limit all non-essential services and activities in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) threat. Despite the fact that abortion is never medically necessary, and that even abortion activists consider abortions to be elective outpatient procedures, the state’s abortion facilities are continuing to operate under the lockdown. Cree Women’s Care and its support services for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies, however, have been ordered to close down, according to a statement provided to Live Action by Joseph Pardo, Co-founder of Cree Women’s Care and Toda la Vida. 

“Our pregnancy center does not qualify as ‘essential’ but for some reason the abortion clinic, which is an elective procedure, remains open making thousands of dollars killing children,” Mr. Pardo said. Cree Women’s Care offers free pregnancy testing, counseling, education, and supplies to expectant parents in need.

READ: Massachusetts puts profit over public safety, allowing abortions to continue during pandemic

The governor’s decree, which expands on her March 12th State of Emergency declaration, restricts public use of roads from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm to certain emergent uses to include medical appointments, approved work, assisting the vulnerable to obtain medical attention, and visiting financial institutions. From a health perspective, allowed uses of public roads include “medical appointments, attending hospitals, laboratories or medical service centers, hospitals.” 

Abortion is not a health care service. It is the deliberate killing of a human being in the womb. Abortion procedures also carry risks of complications, and there may be additional risks for patients requiring hospitalization, especially when hospitals are already starting to be overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, abortion in Puerto Rico is legal at any point in pregnancy. Since the risks of abortion increase as pregnancy progresses, women seeking late-term abortions could face additional problems if they require hospitalization.

Abortion Procedures: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Trimesters

But Puerto Rico isn’t alone in valuing abortion above safety and attempting to rebrand it as an essential service. As Live Action News recently reported, the Governor of Massachusetts has also deemed abortion an “essential” service in the state and specifically excluded it from being listed as a “nonessential,” elective procedure. 

Toda la Vida

@TodalaVidaPR

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Las clínicas de aborto deberían estar cerradas. El aborto NO es servicio esencial. @wandavazquezg #noalaborto #covid19 #quedateencasa #protege #todalavidapr

2:32 PM · Mar 18, 2020

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Puerto Rican pro-life group Toda la Vida, which is affiliated with Cree Women’s Care, has started a social media campaign to shine a spotlight on the situation: “The abortion clinics should be closed. Abortion is NOT an essential service,” reads one of the group’s tweets (pictured above). Providing an email address for pregnant women in need to contact, Toda la Vida later declared, “We are here to serve you even in this situation.” 

Toda la Vida

@TodalaVidaPR

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Estamos para servirte aún en esta situación #todalavidapr #covid19 #QuedateEnCasa

5:03 PM · Mar 18, 2020

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Editor’s Note: This post may be updated as further information becomes available.

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