By Bud Shaver,
Albuquerque, New Mexico- On June 24, 2023, Abortion Free New Mexico spokeswoman, Tara Shaver spoke with KOB 4 about New Mexico Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham’s new abortion hotline. It is being called the “NM Reproductive Health Hotline ” and is linked to the New Mexico Department of Health’s (NMDOH) Abortion and Reproductive Health section which explicitly affirms that,
“Abortion is legal and accessible in New Mexico.”
Abortion Free New Mexico had it’s suspicions about the real purpose of this new initiative and Tara Shaver stated to KOB 4 during her interview the following,
“I can certainly appreciate that, you know, the governor is trying to make an effort to provide resources for women,’ said Shaver.
’The pro-life community is so vibrant, and we have so much to offer. However, local abortion facilities, the Department of Health, even public schools are not willing to share our information about the resources that are available. So I feel like this hotline is probably going to serve one purpose, and that’s to promote abortion and birth control.’”
In order to confirm exactly what this hotline offers Abortion Free New Mexico conducted its own investigation by calling the hotline.
Here is the 22 minute recorded conversation in its entirety:
The representative that answered the call confirmed that she was with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and when the investigative caller tells her that she is 8 weeks pregnant and calling for resources, the NMDOH representative immediately assumes that the caller wants an abortion.
When the investigative caller says she’s not sure if she wants an abortion or to keep the baby and asks if there are pregnancy resources, the NMDOH representative gives her phone numbers for pro-abortion groups, “All Options” and “ReproCare”. The representative then circles back and gives the caller all of the Albuquerque abortion centers names, addresses and phone numbers.
The investigative caller then asks about other resources like maternity homes and housing during the pregnancy. The investigator is told to call the New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (NMRCRC) for housing information. However, upon calling the NMRCRC a recording instructs women to visit their website and fill out their Abortion Fund Application.
The first thing you see on their website emphatically states,
“UNLESS YOU ARE SEEKING ASSISTANCE OBTAINING AN ABORTION, PLEASE DO NOT CALL OUR PATIENT HELPLINE.”
It’s unclear why the NMDOH would refer to this organization for housing as their stated mission is to ONLY help women seeking abortions by providing,
Plane tickets, meals, ground transportation, and clinic fees fully paid.”
During the investigation, the caller also asked about prenatal care and parenting classes and was told that all hospitals provide those instead of referring to life affirming organizations like CareNet that provide free parenting classes outside of a hospital setting.
“It is misleading and downright dishonest for the Governor to state that the NM Reproductive Health Hotline is comprehensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. During the investigation conducted by Abortion Free New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Health representative had to research housing on the spot and only referred to domestic violence shelters and a radical group that ONLY helps women obtain abortions.
The investigative caller kept clarifying and asking whether or not the hotline had any actual reproductive health resources but was always referred to another extreme pro-abortion entity. Women calling this hotline are absolutely not given all of the comprehensive resources available to them in New Mexico, this hotline is primarily referring them to groups with an extreme pro-abortion bias.
Pro-life groups in New Mexico like the local maternity home, Casa De Mariposa located in Albuquerque and CareNet which offers statewide parenting classes, pregnancy tests as well as items for both and mom and baby, and even Options Beyond Adoption are blatantly excluded,” stated Tara Shaver, spokeswoman for Abortion Free New Mexico.
It’s truly a sad reality that the New New Mexico Department of Health is actively promoting abortions and as a result, the number of abortions have more than doubled as the KOB 4 report mentioned above revealed,
“there were over 11,000 reported abortions statewide in 2022. Of those, over 6,000 were from out-of-state patients.”
The KOB 4 news coverage continued,
”[Tara] Shaver says she doesn’t want women to travel to New Mexico.
‘It’s a disservice to them. Because, you know, women deserve so much better than abortion. Women deserve to know, again, other options that are available to them,’ Shaver said.”
New Mexico pro-life organizations have so much to offer women with unplanned pregnancies.
In fact, Abortion Free New Mexico recently announced, Life Fund: Emergent Financial Support During Pregnancy.
- Learn more here.
