GODFREY - A local pastor is sharing his story in support of Vitality Women’s Clinic.
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Vitality Women’s Clinic is a faith-based, pro-life organization that provides free pregnancy and STI testing and ultrasounds. They do not refer for or perform abortions. They offer parenting classes and resources to pregnant individuals.
In a recent episode of “Our Daily Show!” with CJ Nasello, Vitality’s executive director Jackie Duty and local Pastor Steve Pace shared their pro-life message. Pace believes abortion is a way to “devalue life,” which, he argues, leads to other issues.
“It doesn't matter if it’s a baby in the womb or it’s an older person or it’s a person of a different race or a different socioeconomic class — when we begin to devalue life, and I think that’s what we’ve done, and I believe that’s why we have school shootings,” he said. “That’s why we have all the stuff that’s happening, because we’ve taken the value of life and we’ve devalued it. If we do that, it won’t be long before we’re the life that’s devalued.”
Pace shared that he was conceived as a result of sexual assault. His biological mother decided not to have an abortion, and Pace was ultimately adopted.
He argues that adoption can be a “positive” course of action to take after the “horrific” experience of rape or incest. He pointed to his own success as a servicemember and chaplain as proof of this.
“The only positive is to allow that child a chance to exist and become whatever they can become,” he said. “The trauma of the rape will never go away. It doesn’t matter if you abort or you keep it. That trauma is there. But there can be a positive. There can be something positive that comes out of something very, very hard and negative.”
Pace acknowledged that sexual assault is a difficult experience. But he believes that abortion is “another psychological trauma” for a person recovering from a sexual assault.
“When a woman is raped, it’s one of the most horrific things that could ever happen,” he said. “She will live with that for the rest of her life. It is horrible. But then if she goes in and she aborts that child, gets rid of that child, that’s another psychological trauma that’s in her life.”
Because of his own story, he believes abortions should not be performed even in cases of rape or incest. He encourages people to rethink this “argument.”
“It bothers me when that argument comes up because it invalidates who I am. It’s as though they’re saying, you don’t deserve to exist,” he said.
Vitality Women’s Clinic is hosting a Baby Bottle Campaign. Many churches, including Christway Church where Pace preaches, have baby bottles available for people to fill with their spare change and dollars. Other organizations can contact Vitality to receive their own bottles.
Duty’s goal is to raise $65,000 with this campaign. She noted that they have distributed over 2,400 bottles across the Riverbend region.
“It has been exciting. The engagement from the community this year just feels like everything is going to the next level,” she said. “We want to put this out throughout the community and just give everyone an opportunity to pour into the lives of all these women.”
For more information about Vitality Women’s Clinic, visit their official website.
This Featured Article is sponsored by Vitality Women’s Clinic. To get your business or organization featured on www.Riverbender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or abuse, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673), text HOPE to 64673 or visit RAINN.org/hotline.
