Archive for the ‘abortion’ tag
The Esther Call – A Call to Life
By Kelly Clinger, 04/10/2012
Pro-life advocate and musician Kelly Clinger
Sometimes I look around and wonder how I got here. How is it that a girl who sings a little and decided to talk about her abortions became surrounded by people she’s looked up to and admired because of their passion for Jesus and their bold stance for LIFE? This week I found myself praying next to them…standing on a platform with them…singing at a keyboard beside them…having conversations with them like we’ve been friends for years. It felt like the safest place I’ve ever been.
In the midst of those I’ve looked up to are also many I met for the first time…but our hearts to save the unborn and help the broken knit us together like old friends. The diversity of this group was truly beautiful. Women and men were present from every tribe, tongue, people & nation it seemed, and yet the sense of unity was tangible…heaven on earth, perhaps. I was so encouraged by this and thought many churches should take note of it.
There were so many seemingly small interactions and conversations during the Esther Call that were answers to prayers I’ve prayed. I had the chance to tell Laura Hackett how her set in the Prayer Room the day the birth Mom changed her mind helped to get me through the pain and disappointment. I got to tell many of the Back to Life walkers how proud I am of them and how much I missed being able to walk with them. I listened to encouraging, dynamic stories of forgiveness and restoration. I prayed and declared LIFE with a room full of voices who refuse to be silenced. It was the most tremendous sound I’ve ever heard and the most invigorating feeling I’ve ever felt.
Your 10 Year Old Should Have Access to Contraception and Abortion
by Nathan A. Cherry, 04/03/2012
Do parents have a say in the sexual development of their kids?
The question of rights seems to be all the rage these days. Who has what rights? One thing that generally binds most of these discussions is the conversation always refers to the “rights” of adults. Whether work-place freedom of religion rights, campus religious groups rights, reproductive rights, or who can marry who “rights,” they all discuss the rights of adults capable of making informed, intelligent decisions.
One thing that does not permeate these discussions – though we should all prepare for it – is the discussion of when these rights begin. Until now the idea that these rights begin before adulthood was not much discussed or considered. After all, a minor child living in his/her parent’s home is bound under the authority of their parents; this is appropriate and right. The idea of extending certain rights to minor children that violate parental rights is a dangerous argument that will inevitably lead to dark places.
It’s no surprise then, that the UN and Planned Parenthood are now advocating for “sexual and reproductive health and rights” for minor children as young as 10 years old.
The very statement is mind-boggling, the practical application of it is far worse. The UN is well-known for usurping parental rights and seeking to make every person a ward of some state or government. And we all know Planned Parenthood could care less about parents’ rights; they have advocated tirelessly for the usurping parental rights in abortion laws, ultra-sound laws, rape laws, and contraception laws.
Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the UN recently said:
“Young people, as much as all people, share the human right to health, including sexual and reproductive health.”
While he does not further clarify “young” in his statement, there is little room for doubt that he speaks of minor children. As Lifenews.com recently reported:
Do Most WV Parents Want Schools Teaching Sex-Ed?
By Tom Stark, 03/31/12
According to a recent poll by Public Policy Polling, the oft-quoted source for much of the polling data touted by the secular left in supporting their agenda, some 58% of parents in Kanawha County, WV, have a desire to see their children receive sex education in their schools. So states a March 21, 2012, article by Whitney Burdette at State Journal.
One must first question the sample representation:
- Did the sampling of parents represent all parents of school-aged children, parents of public school children only or some combination thereof?
This, alone, could make these results very misleading – a trait that is not without precedent with Public Policy Polling.
Significantly, the survey further determined that a quarter of those contacted didn’t even know whether sex education was offered at their children’s school. Further breakdowns were given that provide even more concerns about just how uninformed a huge segment of the parenting public really is in our state’s capitol city. Only half knew for sure that sex education was being taught in their kids’ schools.
The article quotes Kira Miskimmin, public affairs coordinator for Planned Parenthood Health Systems West Virginia, as stating that while some people see sex education as controversial,
”…the medical and science-based sex education curriculum is informative and helps teens make better decisions about their sex lives.”
Yes, the same PP that brought us the web site that lets kids tell the world where you had sex with a condom, the same PP that has helped bring the Girl Scouts out of the “dark ages” of teaching chastity, morality, and personal integrity to our young girls by infiltrating it with programs aimed at encouraging homosexual experimentation, masturbation, and other sexual activity among participants, and the same PP that continues to lead the nation in total elective abortions performed. Yes, they are behind the effort to promote sex education in our public school systems and are apparently directly involved.
You Want to Make a Difference? How About Doing Nothing to Support These Groups!
by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/30/2012
We can be wise about who we give our money to!
It’s unfortunate that some people think they can’t make a difference in the fight to defend life. I would heartily disagree. Sometimes it’s as easy as being selective with where you spend your hard earned money. While the debate rages over whether citizens should be forced to fund abortion through federal tax grants, something we all wish we had more control over, we do have control over which businesses, companies, and retailers we choose to patron.
Consider the work of Life Decisions International (LDI) and their ongoing list, appropriately called ‘The Boycott List,” which seeks to let pro-life people know exactly which companies are donating money and partnering with Planned Parenthood.
LDI Director of Communication Kenneth Garvey wants to dispel the notion that ordinary citizens can’t change corporate behavior. He recently told Lifenews.com:
“As a direct result of the commitment, action and prayers of pro-family people, at least 282 corporations have stopped funding Planned Parenthood…This should serve as a testament to those who think it impossible to change corporate behavior.”
So who made “The Boycott List,” for willingly helping Planned Parenthood kill innocent children through their corporate donations? Some new additions to the list include:
You Won’t Soon Forget This Abortion Law
by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/29/2012
I can’t help but smile and whisper an “amen” to a recent email sent by a legislator to a disgruntled citizen. I wish I could say this happened in West Virginia, but it didn’t. This comes straight from a state that is blazing new trails in the fight against abortion and seeing success: Arizona. And if they can pull off this bold, audacious idea I just might be inclined to move there; not really, I’m not much of a West Coast kind of guy.
Nonetheless this is something every defender of life should be ready to support and eagerly seek to implement in their own state.
Rep. Terri Proud received opinion from one her constituents on HB 2036 which seeks to ban most abortions after 20 weeks; a move many state legislatures are making in defending life (I can’t help but wonder why West Virginia is so loathe to strengthen life laws). The constituent opposed the measure and wanted to make sure her representative knew of her opinion. But she never expected to receive an email from her Rep. Terri Proud and she certainly had no idea that it would suggest something so radical and audacious.
But, according to Azcentral.com Rep. Proud shared a strong opinion on HB 2036 in the following email;
“Personally I’d like to make a law that mandates a woman watch an abortion being performed prior to having a “surgical procedure”. If it’s not a life it shouldn’t matter, if it doesn’t harm a woman then she shouldn’t care, and don’t we want more transparency and education in the medical profession anyway? We demand it everywhere else…Until the dead child can tell me that she/he does not feel any pain – I have no intentions of clearing the conscience of the living – I will be voting YES.”
Now that is a response worth cheering for.
Rep. Proud makes some very interesting statements that bear discussion. I’m sure Planned Parenthood doesn’t want people thinking like Rep. Proud and surely doesn’t want open dialogue on the topic, but let’s do it anyway.
Obama Says It’s Okay to Use Baby Brains in Research
by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/23/2012
Funding embryonic stem cell research is the same as throwing money away
Remember when Obama got all loud and proud about his healthcare overhaul, affectionately known as Obamacare, saying that it would allow citizens to keep their current insurance plan if they liked it, keep their current provider, keep their doctors, and most of all, no abortion coverage whatsoever.
Yeah, that was all a lie.
What we now know is that you can’t keep your current plan (unless of course you want to pay exorbitant monthly premiums). And you cannot keep your current coverage and doctors (especially since many doctors plan to retire and leave medical practice altogether as result of this bad bill). And by the way, every single US citizen will be forced to fund abortion through your insurance plan; regardless of your moral or religious objections.
Alliance Defense Fund president Alan Sears, writing at Lifenews.com explains what this means for us all:
“[T]he Obama administration has now made it clear that the individual mandate in ObamaCare will contain a charge—an “abortion premium mandate”—to forcibly collect monies from millions of Americans who participate in state-administered ‘insurance exchanges’ to pay for elective abortions. And nothing in the final rule that the Department of Health and Human Services issued March 12 concerning the establishment of exchanges required by ObamaCare alters that in the least.”
This is what happens when, as Nancy Pelosi said, we pass the bill in order to find out what it says. The fact that many lawmakers didn’t even bother to read this bill before it was passed is sickening enough. The fact that we have been sold a bill of goods, no pun intended, and lied to once again by this administration is unacceptable. Obama continues his attacks on religious freedom and conscience protections as he ignores the American people on the issue of life and tax-payer funded abortion. He seems to, without remorse, plow forward ignoring the opposition of a majority of Americans on this issue (no wonder his poll numbers are tanking).
Another Obama Slap: Colleges and Universities Forced Under HHS Mandate
by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/22/2012
The White House and a liberal media would have us believe that most Americans agree with the recent HHS insurance mandate that demands every employer – even those with a religious or moral objection – pay for contraception, abortifacients, and sterilization. The pro-abortion groups want us to believe this is about women’s health care, when in fact it is about religious freedom. Even Vice President Joe Biden understands that this is about religious freedom, as I have previously written.
But now a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows that Americans do not agree with the new mandate; especially when it comes to religious employers. Citizenlink.com reports the following breakdown of the poll:
“According to the poll of 1,000 respondents, 51 percent said employers should be able to opt out of providing that kind of health insurance — and 57 percent said religious employers especially should be exempt. Only 40 percent said they agree with the mandate for most employers, and that number dropped to 36 percent when asked about religious employers — a 21-point margin of support for religious freedom rights.”
Click here to watch a short video report on the recent poll.
With the president’s approval rating dropping to an all-time low of 37% this week and a wildly unpopular insurance mandate hanging over his head (among other wildly unpopular policy issues, such as failed energy policies, massive debt, no economic growth, high unemployment, and refusing to drill domestically for oil in order to reduce American’s cost at the pump) you would think President Obama would consider rescinding this mandate. You would be wrong.
Abby Johnson Brings Lawsuit Against Planned Parenthood for Fraud
by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/16/2012
I have a feeling that Planned Parenthood really doesn’t like Abby Johnson. When you see her in pictures or hear her in interviews you get the sense that she is a sweet, caring, very likable individual. But to Planned Parenthood she must be the bane of their existence. In case you have been out of touch for a while and don’t know why anyone would dislike Abby Johnson – or are not sure who Abby Johnson is, here’s a quick recap.
At one time Ms. Johnson was the facility director at a Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood clinic. As the director of the clinic Johnson learned just how deceptive and criminal Planned Parenthood really was. Then, after seeing an abortion take place first hand Johnson quit her job and became one of the pro-life movement’s most vocal proponents.
This video interview with Johnson reveals the graphic details of what she saw that caused her to quit her job and join the pro-life movement. It is difficult to hear, but her story is not unique as many thousands of women are now part of the pro-life movement as a result of their experiences with abortion.
After leaving Planned Parenthood Johnson wrote a best-selling book, “unPlanned,” that told her story of abortion and also shares details of what it is like to work for Planned Parenthood.
Fast forward to the present and we find Abby Johnson causing more headaches for Planned Parenthood. As if sharing their dirty little secrets wasn’t enough, Johnson is now waging a legal battle with the nation’s largest abortion business as she claims they filed thousands of fraudulent claims worth nearly $6 million dollars.
According to a story by LifeNews.com the recently unsealed lawsuit filed in 2009 by the ADF on behalf of Johnson says:
“The lawsuit says Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, ‘filed at least 87,075 false, fraudulent, or ineligible claims with the Texas Women’s Health Program. As a result, Planned Parenthood wrongfully received and retained reimbursements totaling more than $5.7 million.’…The suit alleges that Planned Parenthood knowingly committed Medicaid fraud from 2007 to 2009 by improperly seeking reimbursements from the Texas Women’s Health Program for products and services not reimbursable by that program.”
Pastors and Church Leaders – we need to talk!
by Kelly Clinger, 03/14/2012
What would you do if a woman in your church got a devastating prenatal diagnosis and was told to have an abortion?
How would you handle it if your daughter or the daughter of someone in your church came to you with an unexpected pregnancy?
Do you address the one in the three women in your congregation who have had at least one abortion?
What can you do to help the mother who has chosen LIFE provide the support she will need to raise her child when/if everyone else abandons her?
To many of us who fight for the unborn, choosing LIFE seems very simple and black and white. If I had been courageous enough not to have an abortion, my family would have supported me in any way I needed it. They would have loved me and my baby and moved heaven and earth for all of us to have a good life. As far as I know, the children in my womb had no health issues and were no threat to my health. No doctor recommended that I have an abortion because my child would be ‘disabled’.
But not everyone is so lucky. In fact, I would say that I am an exception. When I talk to women headed into clinics to have abortions and even to many post-abortive women, their words sound like a record on repeat.
Are YOU going to help pay for this baby?
My Mom said I have to move out if I keep my baby, and I have nowhere to go.
The doctor said my baby can’t live outside of the womb.
My baby doesn’t have a heartbeat.
My Mom’s boyfriend got me pregnant. What am I supposed to do?
Abortion After a Child is Born the Next Big Thing?
by Tom Stark, 03/10/2012
Will it become legal to abort children after they are born?
Much has been made about the point at which a human fetus “becomes a person.” For many of us, this has never been in dispute. All anyone with any sense about them has to do is contemplate the miracle of two individual cells coming together and spontaneously beginning to divide at such a rate that within days a human heartbeat can be detected and blood is circulating within that tiny body nurtured in the perfect environment of a woman’s womb. Once that has truly been examined, there can be no doubt that human life begins at the point those two cells begin functioning with, in effect, a will of its own – conception.
If this concept were only accepted by our society as a whole rather than only about seventy percent of it, there would be no Roe v. Wade issue, there would be no abortion on demand, and there would certainly be no people like those about whom I will write in the following paragraphs:
A recent article on The Blaze website identified two so-called ethicists. Alberto Giubilini with Monash University in Melbourne and Francesca Minerva at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne who write that in “circumstances occur[ing] after birth such that they would have justified abortion, what we call after-birth abortion should be permissible.”
Has this world deteriorated to the point that we are now searching for ethical ways to justify killing the child God gives us because he/she is not perfect but young enough that their life is not worthy of sustaining? By any other name, this is simply infanticide. Apparently, in an effort to appear more socially acceptable, these writers, expounding on how ethical this practice can be, chose to euphemize this killing of newborn infants as “after-birth abortion” as if that makes it more palatable.
