Letter from Archdiocese of San Antonio to Mayor Nirenberg on IUD distribution to teen women

September 22, 2017 SAFAFamily

Contributed by St. Anthony Family Association

Sept. 21, 2017

The Honorable Ron Nirenberg, Mayor
and Members of the San Antonio City Council

I write this letter today asking you to oppose accepting funding for the Teen Pregnancy initiative in the amount of $325,000.00 on your Council meeting agenda for today. This particular proposal, intended as a weapon to reduce teen pregnancy, supplies IUD devices to young teen women. IUD devices do not prevent pregnancy, they terminate a pregnancy once begun at the zygote or embryonic stage. In other words, a human being has already been conceived, and the IUD device is, in fact, an abortifacient ending a life already begun. The only one who wins in a situation like this the medical device company accepting tax payer dollars for their devices.

Teen pregnancy is a serious issue for our nation, and particularly for us in South Texas. The problem is not reducible to spending public dollars on bad contraception. This is a cultural and educational issue with deep roots and a long history. Furthermore, these types of programs generally target the poor and economically disadvantaged in a disproportionate way.

I offer the service of the Archdiocese in helping to stem the tide of teen pregnancy in the best ways that we can through moral education, support for stable family life, and taking the issue of teen pregnancy out of the shadows and addressing it with firm and clear determination.

The Archdiocese of San Antonio currently assists young teen women through our Catholic Charities agencies such as Seton Home, Guadalupe Home, and St. P.J.’s, as well as through crisis pregnancy counseling and financial support. Additionally, our Catholic Schools offer sex education in an age appropriate manner, involving parents in the educational process.

I urge you and all Council members to vote no on the contract for IUD distribution to teen women.

Very Rev. Lawrence J. Christian, V.G.
Vicar General
Archdiocese of San Antonio