Minnesota Tax Dollars at Work

I love stories about fetus fetishists' claims to have saved the baybeez. But the FFs in Minnesota may have bitten off more than they can chew.

A group is crediting a state-funded program 'that encourages women to carry their pregnancy to term' with a drop in abortions of 0.6% in 2007.

First -- WTF? A state-funded program? Here's how it is described:

Positive Alternatives awards grants to 37 groups, many of which are religion-based. The Highland LifeCare Center, Inc., in St. Paul, for example, tells pregnant women, “Having an abortion may affect more than just your body and your mind — it may have an impact on your relationship with God. What is God’s desire for you in this situation? How does God see your unborn child? These are important questions to consider.”

Oh. Right. Several USian states fund fake pregnancy centres, aka 'crisis pregnancy centres'.

The program costs $4.75 million every two years.

Well, gosh darn it, that's taxpayer money well spent then, isn't it? And how timely to be releasing this info today on Teabagging Day. (*chortle* no, I'm not getting into that).

Hold on, what's that?

“[The] statement … is disingenuous at best and is probably due to a decrease in unintended pregnancies,” said Linnea House, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota.

She points out that a 0.6% drop actually represents just 23 fewer abortions in 2007. Then she does the math.

“Their numbers show that this is an investment of $206,521 per woman,” said House. “By comparison, an investment in family planning programs, programs the MCCL has consistently fought against, helps nearly 50,000 women and every dollar invested will save the state at least $5 in return.”

In other words, funding fundies to try to guilt-trip women out of having abortions is another 'ideological boondoggle of historic proportions', just like funding abstinence-only sex ed.

I hope Minnesota Teabaggers hear about this one.