Aaron Bouren, Karen Fennell, Me, Scott Smith |
I met Aaron Bouren at the Controversies in Childbirth conference, and I am still recovering. If you ever have the chance to meet this guy you will know what I’m talking about. Everything about Aaron is big – his six-foot-plus frame has to be huge to contain his passion, his ideals, his heart. He is throwing all of his power behind uninsured mothers, and he is a force to be reckoned with. His energy is infectious, and I left the conference feeling like I can truly help make changes for women and mothers in this country.
His latest fight is to make sure that pregnant women get the quality prenatal care they need and deserve. A HUGE number of women do not have insurance coverage. As I learned from Aaron, these women are from all walks of life; self-employed business women, women earning just barely too much in wages to qualify for Medicaid, and even women who have group health insurance coverage through their employer but can be denied medical coverage for the pregnancy due to archaic and unfair policies.
I was stunned when I learned that women have actually been told by hospitals and insurance providers that they should “abort it if you can’t afford it” when they contact them to ask for help. That is when I realized what was fueling Aaron’s fire and drive because I got fired up too. Through the Maternity Health Foundation, the Gift of Life Campaign aims to get 250 uninsured mothers the prenatal care they need by May 10th, 2009 (Mother’s Day).
I have already signed up and Adopted a Mom, and have pledged to raise $1000 so one of these women can be told on Mother’s Day that they matter, that their baby’s life and health matters, and they do not have to worry about the astronomical costs of prenatal care. If you want to join with me and help raise $1000 together, you can click the link below and contribute. I will present a check to The Maternity Health Foundation by May 10. Your donation is completely tax-deductible, and you will get a receipt from Maternity Health.
If we are a society that truly values life, then we need to create an environment in which life does not have a monetary value placed upon it; where a woman’s decision to keep her baby is not dependent on her financial situation; where prenatal care is not a luxury that some women can not afford.
If you do nothing else, please click this link and listen to one woman tell her story. I hope it inspires you to either Adopt A Mom yourself, become a pledge leader in your community, or join with me to help.