This weekend, my family attended church in Illinois while visiting my in-laws to celebrate my wife's birthday. At the time, I was feeling rather uncharitable, particularly when a young girl stepped up to deliver a portion of the homily.
"What," I arrogantly thought to myself, "can a nine-year-old girl possibly teach ME about the faith?"
I was quickly humbled by this young lady. Indeed, she had plenty to teach me.
She discussed how every other weekend, she helps look after very young children in the church. She particularly described the challenges she's faced in helping take care of a girl with Down Syndrome.
"I have learned how to be patient and to be caring," she said while emphasizing how important it is for her to share her time and energy with this cognitively disabled girl. "She is my friend."
In the United States, approximately 90 percent of children with Down Syndrome are killed before they see the light of day--their lives considered unworthy of society's care and compassion. This right to put these children to death is fought for by doctors, lawyers, and many other folks with advanced degrees. But here, a little child stood before the crowded church and gave a stirring witness to what love is and how it is done.
Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has said, “In giving His Body, Christ teaches the meaning of love: I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion teaches the opposite of love: I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself.”
It's unlikely that the young girl speaking at church this weekend has ever heard those words. It's undeniable that she lives them. In giving of herself, she enriched her new friend's life as well as her own.
My wife Laura is fond of saying that if kids ran the world, abortion would be unthinkable. "You can't hurt a baby!" they would cry. "Why would you hurt a baby?"
May our nation be so blessed as to see the world through the eyes of a child.
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." --Matthew 18:3
Week in Review
Bill in Congress would eliminate all restrictions on abortion
Woman chooses life for Down Syndrome baby
Pro-Life doctors and pharmacists under attack
40 Days for Life helps Planned Parenthood employee exit abortion industry
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Pray for America Part 2
Recently, we critiqued the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill supported by many prominent members of Congress and a nominee for the presidency. The bill would eliminate all restrictions on abortion.
As we mentioned then, we do this not to promote a political party or ideology, but because some politicians are taking drastic measures to kill pre-born children any way possible.
Sadly, some politicians won't even stop at killing only pre-born children. Today, we will take a look at a video regarding another law: the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. While as many as 500 babies a year survive late term abortions, the abortionists have been known to abandon or murder the surviving children outside the womb.
This act was signed into law at a federal level; however, the Democrat Party's nominee for president infamously opposed it numerous times at the state level.
VIEWER DISCRETION is advised when watching this video. It includes disturbing images.
As we mentioned then, we do this not to promote a political party or ideology, but because some politicians are taking drastic measures to kill pre-born children any way possible.
Sadly, some politicians won't even stop at killing only pre-born children. Today, we will take a look at a video regarding another law: the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. While as many as 500 babies a year survive late term abortions, the abortionists have been known to abandon or murder the surviving children outside the womb.
This act was signed into law at a federal level; however, the Democrat Party's nominee for president infamously opposed it numerous times at the state level.
VIEWER DISCRETION is advised when watching this video. It includes disturbing images.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Spiritual Warfare: Battling the Prince of Darkness at Planned Parenthood
The Bible is filled with many incredible stories of battles between good and evil. Moses and Pharaoh. David and Goliath. Jesus and Satan in the desert. Angels and demons. These mystical stories of the supernatural world interacting with the natural world are central to the Christian faith, and many of us grew up learning them as children.
Yet in our very secular age, I’m often tempted to believe that the supernatural is reserved for different times and far-off places. While I have no problem accepting that miracles occurred in Egypt and Israel thousands of years ago, how willing am I to acknowledge the same sort of spiritual warfare occurs both in the modern world and in my own life?
Standing outside of Planned Parenthood this past week, it became clear to me: Not only does the supernatural war between good and evil continue in the modern world, but we in 40 Days for Life play a central role in it.
For example, some of you have reported that in the last couple weeks the animosity from the pro-abortion crowd has intensified. Lately, we’ve seen more insults and more middle fingers. And if you had the opportunity to attend the midpoint prayer service Thursday night, you might have noticed a troubled individual who appeared to come out of nowhere, spewing vitriol and hate. Continuing to shout at us, she disappeared into the night as mysteriously as she appeared. Just hours later, another woman drove by the vigil site, delivering a similarly incoherent stream of insults.
These women were so frenzied and unhinged, that I became acutely aware that this anger was not merely human in origin. Forty Days for Life is working, my friends, and Satan is mad. In Madison and across the continent, our lives and souls are being saved. Wounds are being healed. Faith is being strengthened.
As a result, the enemy is unleashing the fury of Hell in the hopes that we might get discouraged, and his steady stream of infant sacrifice may resume unhindered.
The devil’s attacks may force us to our knees, but that’s exactly where the victory is to be won. Like God’s holy men and women in the Sacred Scripture, we will rely on the grace of God to stand strong in the midst of our evil oppressors in this fallen world. We will not back down. We will not be deterred. We will note accept the slaughter of the next generation.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” –Matthew 5:10
Week in Review
40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service draws enthusiastic crowd
Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life visits 40 Days for Life
Human Life International Father Thomas Euteneuer headlines Pro-Life Wisconsin’s Annual Auction Dinner
New poll shows more than 9 in 10 Americans want restrictions on abortion
First half of 40 Days for Life saves a confirmed 268 babies nationwide
Yet in our very secular age, I’m often tempted to believe that the supernatural is reserved for different times and far-off places. While I have no problem accepting that miracles occurred in Egypt and Israel thousands of years ago, how willing am I to acknowledge the same sort of spiritual warfare occurs both in the modern world and in my own life?
Standing outside of Planned Parenthood this past week, it became clear to me: Not only does the supernatural war between good and evil continue in the modern world, but we in 40 Days for Life play a central role in it.
For example, some of you have reported that in the last couple weeks the animosity from the pro-abortion crowd has intensified. Lately, we’ve seen more insults and more middle fingers. And if you had the opportunity to attend the midpoint prayer service Thursday night, you might have noticed a troubled individual who appeared to come out of nowhere, spewing vitriol and hate. Continuing to shout at us, she disappeared into the night as mysteriously as she appeared. Just hours later, another woman drove by the vigil site, delivering a similarly incoherent stream of insults.
These women were so frenzied and unhinged, that I became acutely aware that this anger was not merely human in origin. Forty Days for Life is working, my friends, and Satan is mad. In Madison and across the continent, our lives and souls are being saved. Wounds are being healed. Faith is being strengthened.
As a result, the enemy is unleashing the fury of Hell in the hopes that we might get discouraged, and his steady stream of infant sacrifice may resume unhindered.
The devil’s attacks may force us to our knees, but that’s exactly where the victory is to be won. Like God’s holy men and women in the Sacred Scripture, we will rely on the grace of God to stand strong in the midst of our evil oppressors in this fallen world. We will not back down. We will not be deterred. We will note accept the slaughter of the next generation.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” –Matthew 5:10
Week in Review
40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service draws enthusiastic crowd
Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life visits 40 Days for Life
Human Life International Father Thomas Euteneuer headlines Pro-Life Wisconsin’s Annual Auction Dinner
New poll shows more than 9 in 10 Americans want restrictions on abortion
First half of 40 Days for Life saves a confirmed 268 babies nationwide
Father John Corapi on the culture of death
Father John Corapi has an excellent reflection of our nation's culture of death. Below is an excerpt.
The clock is ticking. Midnight is approaching. Time is running out for our nation, a nation that once was great, and could be great again if enough of us wake up and renounce this curse of a death wish. Will God turn his friends over to His enemies as He has done multiple times in the past? Will radical Islam overrun us? Will the planet cook? Will one too many natural disasters grind us into dust? Will we collapse economically? All of the above? Perhaps these are all merely effects of the underlying cause—a death wish that chokes the life out of us.
In the end, it is likely that President Lincoln had it right: "Intoxicated with unbroked success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us." Thus forgetting that we are one nation under God, we become a nation gone under (President Ronald Reagan).And indeed, "If destruction be our lot, we ourselves will be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
May God grant us the grace to awake from this deadly moral slumber, renounce the death wish, and live like truly free men and women--in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Pray for America
Dear Friends,
The purpose and aim of 40 Days for Life is to pray for an end to abortion and other violence toward God's beautiful gift of life. While we are explicitly not an organization that deals with politics, sadly, the political realm cannot be overlooked. This is particularly true when civil authorities attempt to infringe on natural law and the right to life for all human beings. As Jesus told us, render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.
As prayer warriors for the poorest of the poor, there is a bill in the United States Congress right now that you need to know about. The Freedom of Choice Act is sponsored by numerous high-profile legislators, and Presidential Nominee Barack Obama has pledged that it is the first bill he will sign into law if elected president.
In short, the bill would wipe away any legal restrictions on abortion. Any restrictions whatsoever. While a 17-year old still needs a signed permission slip to participate on a class field trip to a museum, the Freedom of Choice Act would allow 12-year-olds to receive abortions, without parental consent. The absurdity and depravity of this potential law is beyond words. The nation desperately needs your continued prayers.
We have dug up the text of this legislation for your information. Red text is our comment.
The Freedom of Choice Act
To prohibit, consistent with Roe v. Wade, the interference by the government with a woman's right to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy, and for other purposes. Note the subtle language used here: "Bear a child or terminate a pregnancy." The sponsors clearly recognize that a child is the victim of abortion here. However, when this child is unwanted it's a "pregnancy" that is terminated. It's a blatant bit of verbal engineering.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Freedom of Choice Act'. Father John Corapi has an excellent commentary on the use of the word "choice." He notes that it's the only time we don't finish the sentence. For example, we have the choice to go to a movie or get a dog. But the pro-abortion crowd won't elaborate on the type of choice they are promoting because it's clearly evil.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States was founded on the principles of individual liberty, personal privacy, and equality. Such principles ensure that each individual is free to make the most intimate decisions free from governmental interference and discrimination. We have always been under the impression that the United State was founded on the principles of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It goes without saying that all of these rights depend on the right to life.
(2) A woman's decision to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy is one of the most intimate decisions an individual ever faces. As such, reproductive health decisions are best made by the woman, in consultation with her medical provider or loved ones, without governmental interference. We've got another bit of rhetorical engineering with the use of the phrase "reproductive health." There is nothing reproductive nor healthy about killing a pre-born child. When a woman becomes pregnant, it means the reproductive system IS working. This bill treats pregnancy as a disease.
(3) In 1965, in Griswold v. Connecticut (381 U.S. 479), and in 1973, in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113) and Doe v. Bolton (410 U.S. 179), the Supreme Court recognized the right to privacy protected by the Constitution and that such right encompassed the right of every woman to weigh the personal, moral, and religious considerations involved in deciding whether to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy. Despite these court decisions, the so-called right to privacy does not exist anywhere in the Constitution. Would we as a society be willing to allow any other atrocities as long as they were conducted in private?
(4) The Roe v. Wade decision carefully balanced the rights of women to make important reproductive (Again, there is nothing reproductive about abortion.) decisions with the state's interest in potential life. (Are pre-born babies only potential lives? Let's see. They possess a beating heart, brainwaves, an entirely unique set of 46 chromosomes worth of DNA. They carry out each and every life process recognized by biologists. Scientifically and medically, a pre-born child is a life. The use of the word potential is dishonest.) Under Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy is absolute only prior to fetal viability, with the state permitted to ban abortion after fetal viability except when necessary to protect the life or health of a woman. Note that "health of the mother" has been used to cover nearly any excuse for an abortion, such as financial health.
(5) These decisions have protected the health and lives of women in the United States. Prior to the Roe v. Wade decision, an estimated 1,200,000 women each year were forced (Forced?! In addition to being untrue, this is an insult to women who actually are forced to undergo abortion by oppressive governments.) to resort to illegal abortions, despite the known hazards that included unsanitary conditions, incompetent treatment, infection, hemorrhage, disfiguration, and death. This number was announced by form abortionist Dr. Bernard Nathanson. Nathanson has since joined the pro-life movement and admitted that he fabricated this number. The real number of illegal abortions was less than 10 percent of this figure.
(6) According to one estimate, prior to 1973, as many as 5,000 women died each year in the United States as a result of having an illegal abortion. Another fabricated number. According to Dr. Nathanson, the real number was approximately 200-250.
(7) In countries where abortion remains illegal, the risk of complications and maternal mortality is high. According to the World Health Organization, of the approximately 600,000 pregnancy-related deaths occurring annually around the world, 80,000 are associated with unsafe abortions. The World Health Organization sadly continues to impose a radical pro-abortion campaign on the Third World.
(8) The Roe v. Wade decision expanded the opportunities for women to participate equally in society. In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (505 U.S. 833), the Supreme Court observed that, `[t]he ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.'. Unbelievable. Feminists should be outraged at any suggestion that women can only achieve equality by destroying what makes them feminine: their fertility.
(9) Even though the Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed a constitutional right to choose whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy, threats to that right remain, including possible reversal or further erosion by the Supreme Court of the right, and legislative and administrative policies at all levels of government that make abortion more difficult and dangerous to obtain.
(10) 87 percent of the counties in the United States have no abortion provider. Thanks be to God!
(11) Legal barriers to the full range of reproductive services endanger the health and lives of women.
(12) Women should have meaningful access to reproductive health services to prevent unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the need for abortions. Study after study confirms that increased use of birth control leads to more abortions.
(13) To ensure that a woman's right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy is available to all women in the United States, Federal protection for that right is necessary. Basically, the government will impose abortion upon us whether we like it or not.
(14) Although Congress may not create constitutional rights without amending the Constitution, Congress may, where authorized by its enumerated powers and not prohibited by the Constitution, enact legislation to create and secure statutory rights in areas of legitimate national concern.
(15) Congress has the affirmative power under section 8 of article I of the Constitution and section 5 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution to enact legislation to facilitate interstate commerce and to prevent State interference with interstate commerce, liberty, or equal protection of the laws.
(16) Federal protection of a woman's right to choose to prevent or terminate a pregnancy falls within this affirmative power of Congress, in part, because--
(A) many women cross State lines to obtain abortions and many more would be forced (Again the use of the word "force" is insulting.) to do so absent a constitutional right or Federal protection;
(B) reproductive health clinics are commercial actors that regularly purchase medicine, medical equipment, and other necessary supplies from out-of-State suppliers; and
(C) reproductive health clinics employ doctors, nurses, and other personnel who travel across State lines in order to provide reproductive health services to patients.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Government- The term `government' includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, or official (or other individual acting under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State.
(2) State- The term `State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory or possession of the United States.
(3) Viability- The term `viability' means that stage of pregnancy when, in the best medical judgment of the attending physician based on the particular medical facts of the case before the physician, there is a reasonable likelihood of the sustained survival of the fetus outside of the woman. Of course, as medicine improves, viability becomes earlier and earlier. This proves that viability as an absolutely arbitrary guideline. If a fetus is a human being after viability, do medical advances really change when human life begins?
SEC. 4. INTERFERENCE WITH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROHIBITED.
(a) Statement of Policy- It is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Again, we hear about choice and choosing. When our politicians talk about choice, we must ask "Is this what you mean?"
(b) Prohibition of Interference- A government may not--
(1) deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose--
(A) to bear a child;
(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or
(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or
(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. In other words, a government official making a pro-life speech could be vulnerable to a lawsuit for "discriminating" against the universal right to abortion.
(c) Civil Action- An individual aggrieved by a violation of this section may obtain appropriate relief (including relief against a government) in a civil action.
Let's consider the sort of laws that would be wiped off the books.
SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which the provision is held to be unconstitutional, shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 6. RETROACTIVE EFFECT.
This Act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
The purpose and aim of 40 Days for Life is to pray for an end to abortion and other violence toward God's beautiful gift of life. While we are explicitly not an organization that deals with politics, sadly, the political realm cannot be overlooked. This is particularly true when civil authorities attempt to infringe on natural law and the right to life for all human beings. As Jesus told us, render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.
As prayer warriors for the poorest of the poor, there is a bill in the United States Congress right now that you need to know about. The Freedom of Choice Act is sponsored by numerous high-profile legislators, and Presidential Nominee Barack Obama has pledged that it is the first bill he will sign into law if elected president.
In short, the bill would wipe away any legal restrictions on abortion. Any restrictions whatsoever. While a 17-year old still needs a signed permission slip to participate on a class field trip to a museum, the Freedom of Choice Act would allow 12-year-olds to receive abortions, without parental consent. The absurdity and depravity of this potential law is beyond words. The nation desperately needs your continued prayers.
We have dug up the text of this legislation for your information. Red text is our comment.
The Freedom of Choice Act
To prohibit, consistent with Roe v. Wade, the interference by the government with a woman's right to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy, and for other purposes. Note the subtle language used here: "Bear a child or terminate a pregnancy." The sponsors clearly recognize that a child is the victim of abortion here. However, when this child is unwanted it's a "pregnancy" that is terminated. It's a blatant bit of verbal engineering.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Freedom of Choice Act'. Father John Corapi has an excellent commentary on the use of the word "choice." He notes that it's the only time we don't finish the sentence. For example, we have the choice to go to a movie or get a dog. But the pro-abortion crowd won't elaborate on the type of choice they are promoting because it's clearly evil.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States was founded on the principles of individual liberty, personal privacy, and equality. Such principles ensure that each individual is free to make the most intimate decisions free from governmental interference and discrimination. We have always been under the impression that the United State was founded on the principles of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It goes without saying that all of these rights depend on the right to life.
(2) A woman's decision to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy is one of the most intimate decisions an individual ever faces. As such, reproductive health decisions are best made by the woman, in consultation with her medical provider or loved ones, without governmental interference. We've got another bit of rhetorical engineering with the use of the phrase "reproductive health." There is nothing reproductive nor healthy about killing a pre-born child. When a woman becomes pregnant, it means the reproductive system IS working. This bill treats pregnancy as a disease.
(3) In 1965, in Griswold v. Connecticut (381 U.S. 479), and in 1973, in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113) and Doe v. Bolton (410 U.S. 179), the Supreme Court recognized the right to privacy protected by the Constitution and that such right encompassed the right of every woman to weigh the personal, moral, and religious considerations involved in deciding whether to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy. Despite these court decisions, the so-called right to privacy does not exist anywhere in the Constitution. Would we as a society be willing to allow any other atrocities as long as they were conducted in private?
(4) The Roe v. Wade decision carefully balanced the rights of women to make important reproductive (Again, there is nothing reproductive about abortion.) decisions with the state's interest in potential life. (Are pre-born babies only potential lives? Let's see. They possess a beating heart, brainwaves, an entirely unique set of 46 chromosomes worth of DNA. They carry out each and every life process recognized by biologists. Scientifically and medically, a pre-born child is a life. The use of the word potential is dishonest.) Under Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy is absolute only prior to fetal viability, with the state permitted to ban abortion after fetal viability except when necessary to protect the life or health of a woman. Note that "health of the mother" has been used to cover nearly any excuse for an abortion, such as financial health.
(5) These decisions have protected the health and lives of women in the United States. Prior to the Roe v. Wade decision, an estimated 1,200,000 women each year were forced (Forced?! In addition to being untrue, this is an insult to women who actually are forced to undergo abortion by oppressive governments.) to resort to illegal abortions, despite the known hazards that included unsanitary conditions, incompetent treatment, infection, hemorrhage, disfiguration, and death. This number was announced by form abortionist Dr. Bernard Nathanson. Nathanson has since joined the pro-life movement and admitted that he fabricated this number. The real number of illegal abortions was less than 10 percent of this figure.
(6) According to one estimate, prior to 1973, as many as 5,000 women died each year in the United States as a result of having an illegal abortion. Another fabricated number. According to Dr. Nathanson, the real number was approximately 200-250.
(7) In countries where abortion remains illegal, the risk of complications and maternal mortality is high. According to the World Health Organization, of the approximately 600,000 pregnancy-related deaths occurring annually around the world, 80,000 are associated with unsafe abortions. The World Health Organization sadly continues to impose a radical pro-abortion campaign on the Third World.
(8) The Roe v. Wade decision expanded the opportunities for women to participate equally in society. In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (505 U.S. 833), the Supreme Court observed that, `[t]he ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.'. Unbelievable. Feminists should be outraged at any suggestion that women can only achieve equality by destroying what makes them feminine: their fertility.
(9) Even though the Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed a constitutional right to choose whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy, threats to that right remain, including possible reversal or further erosion by the Supreme Court of the right, and legislative and administrative policies at all levels of government that make abortion more difficult and dangerous to obtain.
(10) 87 percent of the counties in the United States have no abortion provider. Thanks be to God!
(11) Legal barriers to the full range of reproductive services endanger the health and lives of women.
(12) Women should have meaningful access to reproductive health services to prevent unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the need for abortions. Study after study confirms that increased use of birth control leads to more abortions.
(13) To ensure that a woman's right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy is available to all women in the United States, Federal protection for that right is necessary. Basically, the government will impose abortion upon us whether we like it or not.
(14) Although Congress may not create constitutional rights without amending the Constitution, Congress may, where authorized by its enumerated powers and not prohibited by the Constitution, enact legislation to create and secure statutory rights in areas of legitimate national concern.
(15) Congress has the affirmative power under section 8 of article I of the Constitution and section 5 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution to enact legislation to facilitate interstate commerce and to prevent State interference with interstate commerce, liberty, or equal protection of the laws.
(16) Federal protection of a woman's right to choose to prevent or terminate a pregnancy falls within this affirmative power of Congress, in part, because--
(A) many women cross State lines to obtain abortions and many more would be forced (Again the use of the word "force" is insulting.) to do so absent a constitutional right or Federal protection;
(B) reproductive health clinics are commercial actors that regularly purchase medicine, medical equipment, and other necessary supplies from out-of-State suppliers; and
(C) reproductive health clinics employ doctors, nurses, and other personnel who travel across State lines in order to provide reproductive health services to patients.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Government- The term `government' includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, or official (or other individual acting under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State.
(2) State- The term `State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory or possession of the United States.
(3) Viability- The term `viability' means that stage of pregnancy when, in the best medical judgment of the attending physician based on the particular medical facts of the case before the physician, there is a reasonable likelihood of the sustained survival of the fetus outside of the woman. Of course, as medicine improves, viability becomes earlier and earlier. This proves that viability as an absolutely arbitrary guideline. If a fetus is a human being after viability, do medical advances really change when human life begins?
SEC. 4. INTERFERENCE WITH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROHIBITED.
(a) Statement of Policy- It is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Again, we hear about choice and choosing. When our politicians talk about choice, we must ask "Is this what you mean?"
(b) Prohibition of Interference- A government may not--
(1) deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose--
(A) to bear a child;
(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or
(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or
(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. In other words, a government official making a pro-life speech could be vulnerable to a lawsuit for "discriminating" against the universal right to abortion.
(c) Civil Action- An individual aggrieved by a violation of this section may obtain appropriate relief (including relief against a government) in a civil action.
Let's consider the sort of laws that would be wiped off the books.
- Parental consent. Children could receive abortions without their parents consent. If you are a parent, this should send chills up your spine.
- Waiting periods. Abortion waiting period laws require patients to be provided with a certain number of days before they can procure an abortion. If the sponsors of this law were really concerned with choice, wouldn't they want to afford women the necessary time to choose correctly?
- Conscience clauses. Pro-life doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other medical professionals would not be allowed to refrain from participating in abortions. Pro-life hospitals would be required to offer them. Why don't these individuals and institutions get "freedom of choice."
- Partial-birth abortion ban. Yes, this grisly procedure in which a living baby is delivered breech up to the head before being stabbed to death would be once again legally protected.
- The Hyde Amendment. Currently, the Medicaid is not allowed to cover abortions. This would change as your tax dollars would immediately be funnelled to kill the preborn.
- Laws requiring that abortion patients receive information on fetal development. Again, why doesn't the pro-abortion movement want women to be able to make an informed choice?
- Doctor-0nly laws. Most states require licensed doctors to perform abortions. The Freedom of Choice Act would not require an abortion provider to have a medical license.
SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which the provision is held to be unconstitutional, shall not be affected thereby.
SEC. 6. RETROACTIVE EFFECT.
This Act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Fr. Jim Heyd visits 40 Days for Life Madison, Milwaukee
Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life led 40 Days for Life Madison in prayer at the East Side Planned Parenthood on Saturday, October 18.
At 1:00, Father Heyd led vigil attendees in saying the Rosary. He then celebrated the Saturday evening Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Father Heyd also celebrated four Sunday morning Masses at St. Peter's before heading to the 40 Days for Life Milwaukee vigil.
At 1:00, Father Heyd led vigil attendees in saying the Rosary. He then celebrated the Saturday evening Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Father Heyd also celebrated four Sunday morning Masses at St. Peter's before heading to the 40 Days for Life Milwaukee vigil.
40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Services draws enthusiastic crowd
Pastors Keith M. Doyle and Ross Martin of Cornerstone Church in Waterloo, WI led 40 Days for Life Madison in prayer and song during the group's midpoint prayer service held on Thursday, October 16.
With the last rays of sunlight cast shadows in front of Planned Parenthood, Tom Lang welcomed the crowd of more than 30 Christians gathered to pray for an end to abortion. Martin then led the group in singing "Amazing Grace." Following another spirited hymn, Doyle offered an inspiring reflection on Psalm 139.
Lang provided closing remarks on the vitality and importance of the pro-life movement, and Martin complied as the crowd requested him to lead it in additional praise and worship songs.
Prayer service attendees were slow to disperse. Nearly a dozen remained praying in front of the abortion center several hours after the event ended.
An excerpt from Psalm 139
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.
I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!
Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.
With the last rays of sunlight cast shadows in front of Planned Parenthood, Tom Lang welcomed the crowd of more than 30 Christians gathered to pray for an end to abortion. Martin then led the group in singing "Amazing Grace." Following another spirited hymn, Doyle offered an inspiring reflection on Psalm 139.
Lang provided closing remarks on the vitality and importance of the pro-life movement, and Martin complied as the crowd requested him to lead it in additional praise and worship songs.
Prayer service attendees were slow to disperse. Nearly a dozen remained praying in front of the abortion center several hours after the event ended.
An excerpt from Psalm 139
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.
I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!
Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
40 Days for Life welcomes Father Jim Heyd October 18 and 19
We are pleased to announce that Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life will be joining 40 Days for Life Madison this weekend. Father Heyd has been an ordained Catholic priest since 1989 and is a long-time pro-life advocate.
Father Heyd will lead the 40 Days for Life Madison prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood on Madison's East side at noon on Saturday, October 18. He will then celebrate the 5:30 Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church here in Madison.
Father Heyd will return to St. Peter's on Sunday, October 19 to celebrate Mass at 7:30, 9:00, 11:00 and 1:00 (Spanish Mass). He will then head East and lead the 40 Days for Life Milwaukee prayer vigil at Affiliated Medical Services. For directions, click here.
Father Heyd will return to St. Peter's on Sunday, October 19 to celebrate Mass at 7:30, 9:00, 11:00 and 1:00 (Spanish Mass). He will then head East and lead the 40 Days for Life Milwaukee prayer vigil at Affiliated Medical Services. For directions, click here.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Shocking Poll: Americans overwhelmingly favor restrictions on abortion
If you believe the pro-abortion lobbyists, politicians and members of the media, the pro-life movement is composed only of extremists and radicals.
Not so, according to a new poll from PR Newswire. The poll asked respondents to state which of six statements came closest to describing their opinion on abortion.
Not so, according to a new poll from PR Newswire. The poll asked respondents to state which of six statements came closest to describing their opinion on abortion.
- 8% of US residents chose option 1, that abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy.
- 8% chose option 2, that abortion should be allowed only during the first 6 months of pregnancy.
- 24% chose option 3, that abortion should be allowed only during the first 3 months of pregnancy;-- 32% chose option 4, that abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.
- 15% chose option 5, that abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother.
- 13% chose option 6, that abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance.
Into the Silence
Last week we shared a story of a vigil participant who was blessed to help empower a young, single mother to keep her preborn child. We also relayed another blessed moment in which a woman drove by and exclaimed, “God bless your efforts. We saved a baby today!”
We’ve been so excited to hear your stories. Please continue to send them in. From saved babies, to Spirit-inspired conversations, to post-abortive parents seeking healing, your prayerful presence has truly yielded incredible tangible results.
But some of you might be wondering, “Why haven’t I had a similar experience? Why are my prayers answered with silence?”
Maybe you’ve received nothing but scorn for your efforts. Maybe you stand watch on Sunday afternoons or late nights when the abortion center is closed. Maybe you watch with a broken heart as women enter Planned Parenthood and end their children’s lives.
In the face of such trials we might ask ourselves why we even bother showing up. After all, what good can come from the silence of the cold, dark night? What is the point of subjecting oneself to ridicule from folks whose hearts are filled with hate? How can anybody stand strong while an innocent person is put to death just yards away? These are difficult questions.
Strangely, my favorite time to pray outside Planned Parenthood is the dead of the night. With a pitch black sky and empty streets, the so-called clinic is enveloped in darkness and silence. God seems very distant. As I pray, the silence only grows. I contemplate the evil that occurs in the building before me and wonder why a merciful God does not deliver the preborn from their executioners. My frustration builds, and I’m reminded of the doubts that plagued Mother Teresa, a fellow advocate for preborn babies.
“Where is my faith?” she asked. “Even deep down there is nothing but emptiness and darkness….I am told God lives in me, and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.”
Indeed, the darkness that emanates from the abortion facility, permeating the night, nearly swallows my faith and hope as well.
And then I remember. We have a Savior who 2,000 years ago endured the same heart-wrenching sorrow while His prayers from the Cross, much like ours, were answered with silence.
But that silence was not the last word. When all hope seemed lost, Jesus Christ literally and figuratively shook the foundations of the Earth by rising from the grave.
Similarly, when our efforts seem futile, let us remember that our Savior went before us to show us the way. The victory has been in hand for nearly two millennia. Our task is to serve as tools of His grace. Nothing more, nothing less.
So let us continue to answer Jesus’s call. Can we not keep watch with Him for one hour?
Thank you all for your wonderful work. Your sacrifices continue to inspire us. May God bless you abundantly.
Week in Review
40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service to be held October 16
Bishop Morlino celebrates Respect Life Sunday
Wisconsin State Journal publishes 40 Days for Life letter to the editor
Renowned Pro-Life Sociologist Bradford Wilcox to speak in Madison October 23, 24
114 babies nationwide confirmed saved from abortion by 40 Days for Life
We’ve been so excited to hear your stories. Please continue to send them in. From saved babies, to Spirit-inspired conversations, to post-abortive parents seeking healing, your prayerful presence has truly yielded incredible tangible results.
But some of you might be wondering, “Why haven’t I had a similar experience? Why are my prayers answered with silence?”
Maybe you’ve received nothing but scorn for your efforts. Maybe you stand watch on Sunday afternoons or late nights when the abortion center is closed. Maybe you watch with a broken heart as women enter Planned Parenthood and end their children’s lives.
In the face of such trials we might ask ourselves why we even bother showing up. After all, what good can come from the silence of the cold, dark night? What is the point of subjecting oneself to ridicule from folks whose hearts are filled with hate? How can anybody stand strong while an innocent person is put to death just yards away? These are difficult questions.
Strangely, my favorite time to pray outside Planned Parenthood is the dead of the night. With a pitch black sky and empty streets, the so-called clinic is enveloped in darkness and silence. God seems very distant. As I pray, the silence only grows. I contemplate the evil that occurs in the building before me and wonder why a merciful God does not deliver the preborn from their executioners. My frustration builds, and I’m reminded of the doubts that plagued Mother Teresa, a fellow advocate for preborn babies.
“Where is my faith?” she asked. “Even deep down there is nothing but emptiness and darkness….I am told God lives in me, and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.”
Indeed, the darkness that emanates from the abortion facility, permeating the night, nearly swallows my faith and hope as well.
And then I remember. We have a Savior who 2,000 years ago endured the same heart-wrenching sorrow while His prayers from the Cross, much like ours, were answered with silence.
But that silence was not the last word. When all hope seemed lost, Jesus Christ literally and figuratively shook the foundations of the Earth by rising from the grave.
Similarly, when our efforts seem futile, let us remember that our Savior went before us to show us the way. The victory has been in hand for nearly two millennia. Our task is to serve as tools of His grace. Nothing more, nothing less.
So let us continue to answer Jesus’s call. Can we not keep watch with Him for one hour?
Thank you all for your wonderful work. Your sacrifices continue to inspire us. May God bless you abundantly.
Week in Review
40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service to be held October 16
Bishop Morlino celebrates Respect Life Sunday
Wisconsin State Journal publishes 40 Days for Life letter to the editor
Renowned Pro-Life Sociologist Bradford Wilcox to speak in Madison October 23, 24
114 babies nationwide confirmed saved from abortion by 40 Days for Life
Monday, October 13, 2008
Queen for a Day
Each year, 90 percent of babies with Down Syndrome lose their lives to abortion.
This rate should shock and trouble us all. Though we'd like to believe that eliminating disabled individuals from the population is a historical relic that went out of fashion many decades ago, the evidence tragically suggests otherwise.
However, today, we're delighted to share with you an encouraging story from the Dallas Morning News. Hope you have a box of tissues on hand.
This rate should shock and trouble us all. Though we'd like to believe that eliminating disabled individuals from the population is a historical relic that went out of fashion many decades ago, the evidence tragically suggests otherwise.
However, today, we're delighted to share with you an encouraging story from the Dallas Morning News. Hope you have a box of tissues on hand.
Never has the selection of a homecoming queen sent so many tears falling so freely.
Kristin Pass, an 18-year-old senior with Down syndrome, became Aledo High School's homecoming queen Friday to a joyous standing ovation and the flutter of a thousand tissues on a remarkable night for an amazing young woman.
Her grandfather, Dr. David Campbell of Corsicana, escorted her onto the field and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as Kristin joined eight other young women in the Homecoming Court to await the results of the vote, cast by the 360-plus members of Aledo High's senior class.
Then came the announcement ... and pandemonium."Oh my gosh! I was sitting in the student section and everyone stood up, crying and cheering for Kristin," said longtime friend and fellow senior Meaghan Geary, 17, who first met Kristin in the third grade. "It was great!"
Carolyn Pass stood at the edge of the football field, taking pictures of her daughter and friends' daughters in the court, when the stadium erupted.
"It's just something you can't even imagine," she said. "And afterward, everyone was just running down to her, congratulating her. And the other girls in the court, they're all just beautiful girls, inside and out."
Ms. Pass said she spoke later with a friend. "She said the only mistake anyone made was not handing out crying towels."
The vote may have been a surprise, but no one who knows Kristin doubts her popularity, her mother said.
"Kristin has a lot of friends – she likes everyone. It doesn't matter if you're tall or short, pretty, not pretty, smart, not smart – she likes everybody. She has great friends. And Aledo is a great community."
"She's just the neatest kid in the whole wide world," added her aunt, Chari Hust of Houston, "and everybody sees that."
Clay Gilmer, who works in the stadium press box, running the scoreboard and clock, said people pushed toward the windows as the young women were introduced. "They were all pulling for Kristin," Mr. Gilmer said.
When she won, he was thrilled. "This has been such a special time, a special week for Kristin," he said. "And I was really taken by the maturity and the love shown by her
friends, her peers, her classmates."That makes this a double blessing." Kristin pronounced the evening "exciting" and "awesome."
She was so thrilled, her mother said, that she took her crown to bed with her. "She's real proud of it," her friend Meaghan added.
Kristin and her family, including sister Kendall, now a freshman, moved to Aledo when Kristin was in the third grade. She was embraced by the people in town through good times and bad, including the death of her dad, J.T., two years ago.
"We've always had great experiences here," her mom said. "We've been blessed, and I think Kristin brings a lot of blessings to the people she knows."
Her selection as homecoming queen was a wonderful surprise. But Meaghan seemed to have an inkling that it could happen.
"Everyone loves Kristin," she said, "and I didn't know for sure, but in class everyone was like, 'Who are you voting for?' and everybody was like, 'Vote for Kristin, she's so good.' "
Kristin doesn't care what's on the outside, Meaghan said. She's friends with everyone, and everyone admires that.
"She's the person we all want to be," Meaghan said.
Great news from the national campaign
Each morning we receive an update from the national 40 Days for Life campaign. Some days it includes success stories. Other days it outlines challenges. This morning's email was so encouraging that we wanted to share it with you. These stories truly demonstrate the great deeds God is doing. Let us not forget how privileged we are to be instruments of His peace.
The enthusiasm about 40 Days for Life is contagious,and it's had a profound effect during the first half of this fall's historic campaign.
The number of "turnarounds" --women who arrived for abortions but left the clinic without going through with it -- has jumped dramatically in the last week, reaching record levels....
"We know we have saved a 17-year-old who was at first determined to abort her 5-month-old baby," Barbara in Fayetteville, Arkansas said. This young woman could not get an abortion at this point in her pregnancy in Fayetteville, so she was going to make the three-hour drive to Little Rock, home of Arkansas' only other abortion center. "She turned around one block before she reached the abortion facility! We are now are planning her baby shower."
It isn't just mothers and babies receiving positive attention during 40 Days for Life -- it's also the people who work at the abortion centers.
At the 40 Days for Life vigil in Toledo, Ohio, Ann reports that four clinic employees put up yard signs on the building's lawn and taped posters in the facility's windows -- as a result of the prayer vigil going on outside. "This was disconcerting at first,"she said, "but then you come to realize that their consciences are at work. This is a good thing!"
"It seems as if the workers are looking a little grimmer as they enter the building in the morning,"said Jean, speaking of the staff at the Planned Parenthood in Burlington, Vermont. "The ones that do smile are few and far between, and they almost seem to have fake smiles on their faces."
They also can't find anyone to do abortions! Planned Parenthood has gone so far as to run want ads in the local paper, looking for someone to assist with abortions, starting immediately.
"Imagine that!" said Jean. "It seems as though they have lost two employees -- one might be the abortionist herself. Today is the normal day for abortions, but it looked as if there were none preformed."
Patsy in Orange County, California also notes the difference 40 Days for Life can make for people in the abortion industry. "One of the Planned Parenthood employees came out, encouraged our prayer warriors and asked them to display a sign the women can see with a number where they can get help," she said. That's incredible!
If you find such a person, please continue to offer encouragement and Christ's love. It pays off!
"I learned this morning that one of the abortion center nurses quit," said Jenny in Louisville, Kentucky. "Mary, one of our counselors, kept telling this worker that she would help her find another job. Last Saturday was the nurse's last day in the abortion center. Praise God!"
Sunday, October 12, 2008
40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service to be Held October 16
Forty Days for Life Madison will hold a prayer service on Thursday, October 16 at 6:00 pm outside of the East Side Planned Parenthood to mark the halfway point of its 40-day vigil to end abortion. Pastors Keith M. Doyle and Ross Martin of Cornerstone Church in Waterloo, WI are set to lead the group in prayer and reflect on Psalm 131.
Over the last 20 days, Madison-area Christians have maintained a peaceful presence outside of Planned Parenthood, praying and fasting. During that time, nearly a thousand one-hour shifts have been filled as at least two people have stood watch around the clock. Forty Days for Life Madison Co-Director Laura Karlen said the midpoint prayer service is an occasion to rejuvenate the already passionate pro-lifers.
“The prayer service is an opportunity to unite Dane County’s diverse pro-life community,” Karlen said. “Men and women, young and old, Protestants and Catholics all come together to pray that soon abortion and all forms of violence will be no more.”
In addition to praying and fasting, vigil participants have helped empower women to choose life by offering support and referring them to local organizations that provide housing, prenatal care, and other material assistance to those facing crisis pregnancies. Furthermore, a number of men who have been affected by abortion have also approached vigil participants to receive counseling information for post-abortive men and women.
For more information on 40 Days for Life, visit 40daysforlife.com/Madison. To volunteer, call Amy Hying at 608-698-3877 or Steve Karlen at 608-445-2063.
Over the last 20 days, Madison-area Christians have maintained a peaceful presence outside of Planned Parenthood, praying and fasting. During that time, nearly a thousand one-hour shifts have been filled as at least two people have stood watch around the clock. Forty Days for Life Madison Co-Director Laura Karlen said the midpoint prayer service is an occasion to rejuvenate the already passionate pro-lifers.
“The prayer service is an opportunity to unite Dane County’s diverse pro-life community,” Karlen said. “Men and women, young and old, Protestants and Catholics all come together to pray that soon abortion and all forms of violence will be no more.”
In addition to praying and fasting, vigil participants have helped empower women to choose life by offering support and referring them to local organizations that provide housing, prenatal care, and other material assistance to those facing crisis pregnancies. Furthermore, a number of men who have been affected by abortion have also approached vigil participants to receive counseling information for post-abortive men and women.
For more information on 40 Days for Life, visit 40daysforlife.com/Madison. To volunteer, call Amy Hying at 608-698-3877 or Steve Karlen at 608-445-2063.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Bishop Morlino celebrates Respect Life Sunday
Bishop Robert Morlino celebrated Respect Life Sunday Mass as St. Patrick's Catholic Church Sunday. The Mass commemorated lives lost to violence, particularly those lost to abortion over the last 35 years.
In his homily at the Mass on October 5, Bishop Robert C. Morlino first examined the Gospel reading for the day, the parable in which the tenants of a vineyard kill the master’s son, sent to them to collect the produce, and its metaphor for God, the church, and society.
“The people who killed the master of the vineyard’s son turned against him in the end,” the bishop said. “What greater rejection could there be than they would kill your son?
“Killing always involves the rejection of the master of the vineyard,” he said.
Wisconsin State Journal publishes 40 Days for Life letter
The following letter to the editor appeared in the October 6 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal:
I commend the 40 Days for Life volunteers outside of Planned Parenthood on Madison's East Side for taking up a peaceful fight to try to put an end to abortion.
It can be hard for people to keep doing something they think is right, even if people yell at them and despise them, especially when it seems that much of the surrounding community disagrees with them. But even a small group fighting for what's right is a group to be dealt with. May they continue to have success in their fight.
Why haven't we seen much media attention on their efforts to save the unborn?-- Adam Morse
Great work, Adam. Thanks for spreading the word.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Why We Do What We Do
I guess you could say I've always been a bit of a dreamer. Growing up, I'd sometimes daydream about what it might be like to save a life and be a hero. From a doctor successfully performing an emergency surgery to firefighters rushing up the stairs of the crumbling World Trade Center, what must it be like to know that your actions kept a human being alive?
My friends, this question is one we no longer have to ask ourselves. Over the last week, we received two separate reports from our prayer warriors that babies have been saved right here in Madison.
On Thursday, a middle-aged woman drove by the vigil site. As she passed, she honked the horn and proclaimed, "God Bless your efforts, we saved a baby today!" We don't have any more information about this particular encounter, but we ask you to please keep the mother and baby in your prayers.
Then, this morning, another one of you sent us this incredibly touching exchange about two women who entered Planned Parenthood before stopping to talk:
They had lots of questions. What was I doing? Why was I doing it? God provided all the answers....Maria* (20 years old) said "I'm pregnant". She and her sister don't have jobs, are not citizens and have to find a new place to live in one week. I [referred them to] CareNet, and they agreed to go there to get help. So I treated them to lunch and drove them to CareNet. I told Maria to please come by next week and let me know how she is doing. She also wanted my phone number and said that I'm her mom now.
*Name changed for the sake of privacy.
What a beautiful testimony! So we thank and praise God for these two lives that have been spared death. And two more lives that have been spared the emotional and physical scars that come with abortion. And countless more lives that will be touched somehow, some way because two mothers made the heroic decision to bring a child into the world in a difficult situation.
We also thank all of you. For each hour you spent outside the abortion center, for your fasting, for your willingness to pray from home in solidarity we thank you. While you could undoubtedly be pursuing activities more fun, more profitable, or more convenient to your busy schedules, you chose to act as tools of God's grace.
Sometimes this struggle for life seems a bit abstract. In the face of 3,000 abortions every day, it might be easy to lose sight of the human face of this issue. But this week, we continue with the knowledge that the world will be irreversibly changed by two women's choice of life. Two children will be born. And, God willing, they will go to kindergarten, sit on Santa's lap, bring friends home from school, and all the other things little boys and girls do. Perhaps they will play Little League, perform in the high school musical, go to college, get married and raise children of their own.
And without your efforts, none of this might have happened. Well done.
God Bless you, and please continue to pray for these women and all women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies.
Week in Review
Pro-Life Memorial Day is today
40 Days for Life Sioux City recounts a touching story
Planned Parenthood caught covering up statutory rape
Pending legislation would eliminate all abortion restrictions
A look back at Bishop Robert Morlino's 2007 Respect Life Sunday statement
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)