Contact: Brandi Swindell, Founder/CEO, Stanton Healthcare, 208-867-1307

OPINION, Oct. 28, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Brandi Swindell, Founder/CEO of Stanton Healthcare:

Even though abortion can be controversial and divisive, most Americans from Hillary Clinton to President Obama agree that abortions should be rare. Sadly, Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the world, disagrees. Planned Parenthood performs over 330,000 abortions annually (915 a day) in America alone. 92 percent of all pregnant women who go to Planned Parenthood get an abortion, and for every 145 abortions performed, Planned Parenthood only makes one adoption referral.

It's important to recognize that Planned Parenthood and their supporters (like Idaho candidates Holli High Woodings and Deborah Silver) are extreme when it comes to the issue of abortion. 

Candidate Woodings has both given money to Planned Parenthood and received financial support from the abortion industry.  And Candidate Silver serves on the Board of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, helping oversee abortion clinics in three states including Idaho, Washington and Alaska. 

It's an understatement to say that Woodings and Sliver are radical in their advocacy for abortion by aligning themselves with Planned Parenthood. What is most troubling, as they run for public office, is that their support for abortion is contrary to what most Idahoans and Americans believe. 

In a recent national poll, 84 percent of Americans support significant abortion restrictions, including nearly 6 in 10 of those who identify as strongly pro-choice.  For example, 79 percent of pro-choice respondents believed there should be a 24-hour waiting period before having an abortion and 80 percent support parental notifications.  In a Gallup poll, pro-choice Americans are at a record low, while 50 percent of Americans identify themselves as pro-life.

Why are Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby running extremist pro-choice candidates in Idaho? The abortion rights movement is losing ground, and should be concerned. That's why abortion rights activists were thrilled to find their abortion rights cheerleader in Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, who fought against 20-week abortion regulations. However, Davis and the like have lost respect and supporters because of their radical pro-choice positions. Voters are rejecting these types of abortion candidates. 

People are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of an abortion, including women suffering from short-term and long-term physical and psychological problems. These women are speaking out in droves. 

Women deserve better and more options. Every woman should have access to quality health care and compassionate alternatives to abortion. Women like Melissa who states "With all the certainty I felt at that time that I had to terminate my pregnancy, there was a small part of me that simply wanted some hope. I found hope, and much more, from the staff and resources at Stanton Healthcare [a local life-affirming women's medical clinic]. The volunteers personally went out of their way to help me find the baby items I needed. And most of all, the staff and volunteers provided me with a sincere and loving support system that I desperately needed. Today, I have a happy and healthy 8-month-old baby who has changed things forever, and I cannot imagine my life without him."

Elected officials should support policies, programs, and centers that offer real assistance, compassionate care, and hope to women.  Our candidates need to align themselves with (and represent) the views of Idahoans and Americans on the issue of abortion.

Can a candidate really even call herself "pro-choice" when they only support "one choice" by partnering with the largest abortion provider in the world? The women and children of Idaho deserve better than abortion candidates like Holli High Woodings and Deborah Silver.  Their positions are divisive and extreme.

Elect people running for office with core beliefs that unite policy makers and the people of Idaho. Vote for candidates that uphold the dignity of all women and that support compassionate solutions.

And as women we should never forget the legacy of America's first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls in 1848. Early leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony advocated for justice and the rights of women while embracing motherhood. They fought for equality, working towards a brighter future for women, and advocated for our voice in the public arena.  As we continue the cause, let us be reminded of Mother Teresa's powerful words, "Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of its victims are women; half the babies and all the mothers."