Here is how A Hand of Hope Pregnancy Resource Center describes itself:

Hand of Hope Pregnancy Centers operates as Your Choice Pregnancy Clinic. Your Choice exists solely to truly offer women and men who are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy a real choice in their decision making process.

Hear more about who we are from our Founder and Executive Director, Tonya Baker Nelson here.

We seek to meet a physical need first through the following free services:

  • physician-quality pregnancy testing
  • limited ultrasounds
  • counseling and Life Skills classes
  • post-abortion support
  • Bible studies
  • STD testing

With the expectant parents’ permission, we provide accurate and essential information regarding the physical, emotional and spiritual consequences of abortion, while encouraging exploration of other options such as parenting and adoption for both mother and father.

Here is how local media describe it:

• “A pregnancy resource center” — TimeWarner Cable News

• “a Christian Pregnancy Resource Center” — Raleigh Public Record

• “A pro-life women’s clinic” — WNCN

• “Anti-abortion group” — The News & Observer and WRAL

The N&O and WRAL’s deliberate mischaracterization not only gives the organization a politically charged, editorial designation, it also completely obfuscates the nature of the clinic.

In news stories. Because it seeks to move next door to, in the words of WRAL, “A Preferred Women’s Health Center, which offers abortions.”

When there’s a McDonald’s next to a Burger King, or Target next to Wal-Mart, or Pep Boys next to AutoZone, it’s choice and market competition. When there are two women’s health centers next to each other, it’s either fully pro-choice or you’re reading a media service that doesn’t trust you to think about it “properly.”

Nevertheless, describing A Hand of Hope Pregnancy Resource Center as “Anti-Abortion Group” is like describing the N&O and WRAL as “Anti-Radio Groups.”

After all, if a charitable clinic being a women’s resource center that provides free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, STD testing, counseling, classes in life skills, and support but not abortion can be twisted into “anti-abortion” and just a “group,” then providing reporting, editorializing, upside-down economic analysis, and other standard media services in print but not radio must be “anti-radio” and just a “group.”