Pro-Abortionists Donating to Planned Parenthood in the Name of Pence

The contentious nature of the 2016 political season exposed a division so wide as to have literally split our nation in two. Even the Catholic population has displayed an appalling chasm of difference. That so many Catholics have increasingly found it acceptable to fervently support champions of abortion is heart-rending. The hearty support of candidate Clinton by abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, made her position on abortion well known. While it is understandable for the people who make up the Body of Christ to disagree about how to address certain issues - be they immigration, just war, or care of the poor – a divide encompassing the most fundamental right, life, is incomprehensible. After all, abortion is intrinsically evil and never an acceptable action.

The hard-fought election has passed, a president-elect has been chosen, and yet we struggle with appallingly diverse feelings and opinions. Never in my lifetime have I seen political division escalate to such a frenzy after the votes have been counted and an election has been decided. Yet those who voted for Hillary Clinton, a staunch fan of abortion up until the minute of birth and beyond, refuse to let go of their vitriol. Riots are devastating cities and lives across our nation. Calls of “not my president” are heard in all corners of America.

Worship at the Table of Planned Parenthood

As horrifying as this glaring lack of unity is, what troubles most of those of a conservative bent is the activities of Planned Parenthood – the abortion giant that is not only responsible for the majority of abortions but also the sale of unborn baby parts.

A dear friend of mine is mourning the lack of civility, even humanity, this morning as some of her close friends gleefully publish stories that Planned Parenthood Confirms It Has Received 20,000 Donations in Mike Pence’s Name Since the Election. In response to these donations, Pence will receive a disingenuous thank you certificate for each one. As a US Senator, Pence initiated a bill to defund Planned Parenthood in 2007 and continues that goal to this day. His persistence and pro-life successes have raised the hackles of pro-abortion advocates over the years, which explains this effort to embarrass him.

The age old question, "why?", garners no acceptable answer. My friend ponders further, “Do they NOT get what Planned Parenthood is?” In the past, heart to heart conversations with these individuals about abortion and Planned Parenthood seemed to resonate with her friends. Yet they are now willfully blind to the harsh reality that is abortion. It can be understandable that some women do find themselves in dire straits, dire enough to consider choosing death for their unborn child. Nevertheless, it is simply unconscionable to consider abortion as being something to celebrate. A donation in the name of Vice President-elect, Mike Pence, appears to be a soulless tactic that at the same time encourages the intrinsic evil of abortion and runs counter to his pro-life public life.

Respect for Life Largely Decided the Election for Many

One of the main reasons many voted for Donald Trump had to do with his promise to defund PP and to appoint justices who held a constitutionalist position. Newly elected US House Speaker, Paul Ryan, has recently reiterated the intent of this governing body to defund Planned Parenthood - an effort that fell to an Obama veto. This may well spur the death of the contrived ‘right’ to abortion in the future. The despondency felt about our tax dollars funding this killer of our progeny is palatable. Any hope of cutting our ties, albeit unwilling ties, resonates as a source of progress to those who are weary of the Culture of Death.

So why are those dissatisfied with the election outcome resorting to funding abortion? Why are people who on the surface appear to be godly, becoming cheer leaders for death?

Satan wants to shake us to our very core. His use of our close friends is but one tactic he employs to shake our foundation to its core. These individuals are doing the work of the evil one. In their unrequited distress at having experienced an unexpected political loss, their minds are distraught and their consciences distorted. In the words of Jesus, "They know not what they do"

Our only recourse is to remain strong in Truth, charitable in demeanor, and to turn to Our Lord Jesus Christ in sincere and fervent prayer. Our work is not finished. As we have in the past, we must boldly witness to the evil that is abortion. Our friends and neighbors need to be lovingly educated about God as the author of Life. We must stand by them all in prayer and have faith that our witness, with grace from the Holy Spirit, will pierce their hearts and souls.

Never Forget That Every Little Effort Counts

Recently, my friend, Kelly, posted a Facebook invitation of sorts to one hundred of her closest, local friends. She knew we were all active in the pro-life movement in some way or another and felt called to ask us to write a Letter to the Editor of our local newspaper. Many of us had written in the past. Some still do, while others (like me) have been discouraged with too many rejections and a feeling Like a Voice Crying out in the Wilderness.

Her Facebook post garnered a lively discussion that went on at length. We vented our frustrations and common concerns but, in the long run, many decided to accept the challenge and try again. The topic of our discussion was the Supreme Court ruling against a Texas law that protects women by requiring abortion clinics to follow basic sanitary guidelines, as is mandatory for other medical facilities as well as providing doctors with admitting privileges in case of a post-abortion emergency.

In the past, my letters to said hometown newspaper have hovered between pleading, sermon-like, and dripping with sarcasm. Having finally found my gentler side – at least when publicly pleading the case for protection of women and their unborn babies – my most recent attempts had toned down considerably. In this instance I decided to go one step further. I would take a more neutral tone and rely on common ground. The letter I submitted follows:

Sanitary Conditions and Properly Licensed Doctors Should Be a Woman’s Right

No matter where one stands on the issue of abortion, basic medical precautions should represent common ground – the well-being and safety of women. Laws providing for sanitary conditions and the necessity of doctors licensed to provide emergency medical treatment should be a basic right of any patient. While we see this ideal reflected in myriad laws throughout our country, from immediate care clinics to physician’s offices, the abortion industry has somehow evaded these basic necessities.   

That anyone, who purports to have the rights of women in mind, would fiercely battle against such basic healthcare is as alarming as it is duplicitous. Yet that is exactly what just happened in the great state of Texas. A state law that protects women’s health by requiring both clinic sanitation and admitting privileges for the doctors who perform surgical abortions, was struck down by the US Supreme Court. 

Federal usurping of the sovereignty of state law is treading on dangerous ground and flies in the face of how our government properly functions. Unfortunately, the pawns in this injustice are the women who are exposed to unregulated, unsanitary conditions and doctors who are not licensed to care for them should a post-surgical emergency arise. Sanitary clinic conditions and properly licensed doctors should be any woman’s right – no matter the surgical procedure.
Birgit Jones

After turning to my daughter for a second opinion, I submitted my letter online. Imagine my surprise when the following response acknowledged my submission.

Welcome back. Haven't heard from you in a long while.
Thanks for writing. We will publish your letter as soon as possible.
SB

Isn’t life funny? We have so many preconceived ideas that deter us from doing things. Maybe we think we will be rejected or that our little effort won’t make any difference. Yet God teaches us in these small ways. By proving that it’s the effort that counts, and not the result we demand, we are reminded that we should continue to try – try to live life according to His Will and His example. Through our small works we are even called to become saints!

As our little group proceeds with our plan to inundate the local newspaper with letters of concern for this unjust SCOTUS ruling, I’d like to invite you to do the same. Don’t worry about the reception you may receive from your local paper. Simply make this little effort and ask your like-minded friends to join you.

Even if just one heart is touched – maybe even from an editorial staff member reading your thoughts – you have accomplished a great thing. You have put yourself out to scrutiny in an effort to proclaim the Gospel!

In what way can your little efforts make a difference? Share your thoughts and inspire us to join you.

Update: Several of us have now submitted our letters and mine was published today. I will be sharing some of the others as they go live.

When 'I'm Pro-life Except' Really Happens…

A B O R T I O N:

The rationalizations are many…

“Why have a baby born into a family who does not want ‘it’?”

“What about school/career?”

“Should we really force a woman to bear a child against her will?”

“What if the baby is deformed or not mentally ‘normal’?”

“Maybe the woman just can’t afford a child right now!”

“It’s not my place to make such an intimate decision for someone else.”

“I’m personally opposed to abortion, but…”

I’ve heard them all. As someone who was in high school when the infamous Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton decisions were being discussed and then handed down, I have been transfixed by the topic for years.  The research that was required  for my first Social Studies debate on the topic, caught fire in my heart and soul and has been a burning flame of conviction ever since.  An otherwise timid public speaker, I could rattle off facts and arguments with fluid ease when pro-life issues were involved. Some of the rationalizations were very simple to dispute with Developmental Charts and Biological Facts. Others would tweak at the heart and seem difficult to counter – but were they?

“What about the rape/incest exception?”

Aha! Yep, that one makes folks a bit more squeamish. Would you really expect a woman to carry her attacker’s child? Well, in a word, ‘yes’! After all, why punish a child for his father’s crime? Wouldn’t that just create another victim? That child has committed no crime, has been convicted by no jury, and is given a death sentence through no fault of his own. But, but, but…

“Wouldn’t the woman’s life come to a screeching halt,
with no chance of a future?”

In a nutshell, no! What makes me so sure about my answer? Well, my ‘ace in the hole’ response comes from a very personal story…

Sometime in the 70’s I found myself the recipient of unwanted advances by a neighborhood boy – I was barely 14 years old. Weeks later I would reluctantly tell my mother the facts of that encounter and she would surmise that my persistent bout of nausea wasn’t the flu after all. She would fall to the floor with the shock of it all and I would be forced to let go of the denial that had kept me halfway sane. The ensuing months were a blur and yet time stood still. My early high school career came to a screeching halt and was substituted with a ‘homebound’ teacher and an algebra tutor. Time, however, marched on and adjustments were made. This wasn’t an era of ‘baby mommas’ and ‘baby daddies’, this was a more sheltered time and after a while we began to attend Mass in a neighboring town.

Then early summer hit and with it ‘the time’. I remember the kind-faced nurse with the gold watch who held my hand – no visitors in the labor/delivery area were allowed then. She kept me somewhat calm by talking about mundane things – like my nice tan. The hours ticked by and the pain increased. There was a recurring little stream of tears at the corner of my eyes but I never called out. I just looked at that gold watch on the nurse’s arm.

Then there he was – a blue eyed bundle of around 7 pounds. They laid him in my lap and I timidly poked at him – counted the fingers and toes, because that’s what I’d heard you did, and then quickly bundled him up again. I felt more fear than joy – more spent than at peace. I don’t remember much more of the hospital stay but I do remember the early days of being back at home. My jeans fit again quickly and I hesitantly went outside for a walk on the sidewalk in front of our house. I looked ‘normal’ again but couldn’t quite get the idea of what had happened to make sense in my 14-year-old brain. The sun was still shining but somehow it didn’t sink its warmth into my skin.

Inside the house were my sisters and that little wooden cradle with ‘him’ in it. My parents had stepped up in support of us and decided to adopt the child and raise him as my brother. We were a family of firm Catholic faith and there could be no other option. They would add this child of mine to their brood even though my mother was 4 months pregnant at the time of his birth. He would soon have a little brother! The adoption papers were drawn up and there was no fuss or disagreement – after all I was still a minor. This plan was for the best – for all of us. Sacrifices were made in families every day – for the good of all – especially the smallest, weakest members. This was our Catholic faith in action!

Another Baby In the Family

The blue-eyed angel grew a full head of blonde hair and five months later his dark-eyed, black-haired ‘twin’ would become his sidekick. He always knew that I was ‘special’ and that he was adopted, even before he knew what that meant, because my parents wanted him to know the truth from the beginning.  ‘The Boys’, as we called them, would grow up together as brothers with a bond that grew stronger and matured with adulthood. Our little family of 7 lived an idyllic life in our small town and acceptance was regained from most. The whispers would always be there but we all grew accustomed to them and we circled the wagons around our family and our Catholic faith.

Back to 'Normal'

I returned to high school and met a young man during the summer of my sixteenth year. He was someone my mother trusted and the first one I dated. We became quite the pair and were soon ‘going’ steady. Another reminder of that time would come when we parked in a quiet meadow and I told him my story. He had heard the murmurs but I needed to tell him myself – that it wasn’t quite the way it was portrayed in some circles. To my surprise and joy he accepted my tale with a loving calm! He was not in tune with the naysayers, his heart was his own – and mine!

We married the Thanksgiving weekend of my senior year, with the blessing of our parish priest. Our high school courtship had remained a chaste one – by our mutual agreement. After our wedding we approached my parents and asked if we could adopt the little one – now three years old – ourselves. My mother’s answer was an unequivocal ‘NO’!  She explained that he was now her baby and she simply could not give him up. We did, however, have ‘The Boys’ over quite a bit. They were our ‘practice kids’ in those early years.

That fall, after having graduated from high school, I began my college life. Although my scholarships were rescinded when I married, I gained 24 credit hours by taking the CLEP test. I remained on track to graduate on time. In what seemed like no time at all I found myself in my senior year of college – and I was also pregnant with our first child! Our son was born before I walked the stage to receive my diploma.

Life Marches On

Since that time many things have happened. After graduation with a BA in Art my various jobs have included Art Teacher, Office Manager and Catholic Book Store Manager as well as a Field Representative for a pro-life US Congressman. In the pro-life realm I have been an Executive Director of Right to Life of Owensboro (twice), served as Newsletter Editor and Board Member of several pro-life groups,. My life has been full and fulfilling. I tell you these things, not to brag about my credentials, but to enforce the point that your life is never over – no matter what cards you are dealt.

During our 36 years of marriage, my husband and I have had three children and married off two of them. We have welcomed 5 grandchildren – gifts from their happy marriages. The two children born to my ‘special brother’ and his wife, round out our total of seven grandchildren. They are all 7 years old and younger. I am Godmother to all seven of these angels and we are quite the tight-knit bunch. Life prevailed and has come full circle. Contrary to being ‘ruined’, I can honestly say that my 54 years on this earth have truly been blessed!

The Rest of the Story

When he was sixteen years old, I went for a drive with my ‘special’ brother. As we sat in an empty church parking lot, I filled him in on the grim details of his origin. I had, of course, gotten ‘our’ mother’s blessing. He had a right to know but it needed to be the right time for him. We talked and exchanged thoughts of Our Story. Our relationship had remained strong throughout the years and that would never change. We just needed to ebb and flow in our own time.

+   +  +

NOTE: This story and the addendum below were first shared in 2012

Fast-forward to a few days ago we discussed my idea of publicly telling Our Story . Of course the folks in our hometown know some version or another of the story and a few people currently in our lives know the details as well. I’ve also shared Our Story with frightened, pregnant girls and their mothers. I’ve shared it with intimate friends and fellow pro-life warriors. But it’s not mine alone to publicly tell. However, we are comfortable with each other and I knew he would honestly tell me how he felt. His answer was as straightforward as he, himself, is. He said, ‘’It’s Our Story and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Tell it like it is.’’

~

We are quite the pair – praise God!

The Quandry of Trump's Abortion Exceptions

At an open-air town hall of sorts, broadcast by the Today Show, Donald Trump came out strongly in favor of abortion exceptions – rape, incest, and life of the mother. That he did this so publicly, yet many are unaware, strikes me as odd – until I remember that the Trump machine is ‘yuge’. Even previously (somewhat) conservative information outlets are running defense on anything that would show their ‘savior’ in his true light. Fox News, the Drudge Report, and even Breitbart are in the tank, as the adage goes.

The irrefutable proof of his pro-life weakness, however, is in Donald Trump the candidate’s own words and prior positions. Give a listen to the video included in this article (at the ten minute mark). If that isn’t enough, give a read to Brent Bozell: An Open Letter to Conservative Friends Supporting Donald Trump. Those who are still in denial after that are on their own and don’t want to know the truth.

Elsewhere I have written about how Trump, ‘absolutely’ wants the Republican Party Platform to include rape, incest, and life of the mother exceptions. When compelled to confirm his abortion exceptions, Trump responded, “Absolutely, for the three exceptions.” 

A Danger to Those Conceived In Rape

As true pro-life advocates have always maintained, this line of thinking is dangerous for the personhood of people conceived in rape. That someone in the public eye would voice such an opinion is problematic but especially when the person is running for President of the United States.

A Questionable ‘Savior’

I’ve been in a quandary, trying to understand how otherwise orthodox, believing Christians can be so enamored by someone whose beliefs are in such conflict with their own professed ones. When I finally found someone to answer this question the response left me speechless. “He’s the savior of the United States, sent from God.”

What the what??

Yes, you read that correctly. Upon further questioning and a reminder that we already have a Savior and He’s coming back, the second response further floored me. “God uses sinners to do great deeds all the time.” 

Divergent Party Platforms

I give up! That type of spiritual blindness cannot be argued against. But just in case some of those who are still discerning have an open mind, I’d like to reiterate a few points. For example, take a look at the divergent directions of both parties concerning human life:

National Democratic Committee Platform

· Strongly and unequivocally support Roe v. Wade
· Invest in stem cell and other medical research
· Pursue embryonic stem cell research
· Support right to choose even if mother cannot pay
· Choice is a fundamental, constitutional right

National Republican Party Platform

· Support human life amendment; oppose abortion funding
· Promote adoption & abstinence, not abortion clinic referrals
· Human Life Amendment to the Constitution
· Ban abortion with Constitutional amendment
· Alternatives like adoption, instead of punitive action

There is a vast difference in the approach to the sanctity of life between the two parties. The solidification of these opposing positions, one a Culture of Death the other a Culture of Life, have been hard fought. It is up to pro-life citizens to defend the progress made. 

Hard Won Ground, Worth Defending

The Republican Party developed the platform it now has by winning many hard-fought battles against the Culture of Death. People like Rebecca Kiessling, a lawyer and pro-life advocate, are still manning the battle stations – one person, one politician at a time. She has a personal story that demands her public actions. Kiessling, herself, is one of the 1% - those conceived in rape.

Those innocent victims, who along with their victim moms are struggling to deal with the violent hand that has been dealt, seem out of sight and out of mind. But when you stand and look such a person in the eye, it’s much more difficult to tell them that they should have been aborted.

Weak Representation Equals Weak Laws

Weak representation of the unborn begets weak laws. When politicians, or society, indicate that an entire class of people is less worthy of life the Culture of Death wins. With a foot in the door, they can further claim that the value of life is relative – dependent on certain criteria. In essence, we are then admitting that there may just be some instances where abortion is justified. Yet, if we choose that position, we are also saying that someone other than God can decide human value. Who is equipped to make that decision? What will the criteria be? What if someone else doesn’t agree?

The Pandora’s Box this opens, weakens the pro-life stance and allows other qualifications in. We already see how some measure the worth of human life. Commodification of embryos, aborted baby parts, and even human eggs is a thriving ‘business’. Others abort according to gender, genetic deviations, and budgetary concerns. How cheap we’ve allowed life to become!

Electing politicians who don’t stand solidly in the ranks of those who are 100% pro-life only endangers more lives. It undermines hard-fought boundaries and feeds into a relativism that is morally bankrupt. Don’t fall for the deception. Having a’ pro-life except’ outlook isn’t pro-life at all. It’s pro-choice with fewer choices. When you fool yourself into this line of thinking, you are administering the death penalty on humans who have a God-given right to life - as do we all.



"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" ~Mark 8:36

Please, Don’t Believe the Abortion Hype

Catholic (?) University of Notre Dame recently hosted pro-abortion Wendy Davis, famous for her urinary catheter-wearing filibuster of a Texas prolife law. Her address relied “on the well-worn argument of pro-abortion activists" - contraception and abortion are necessary for women to succeed. Davis' speech “Rising Up: From Single Mother to Harvard Law, How Every Woman Stands to Make a Difference”, revolved around the talking points of the Culture of Death.

My own experience, however, offers a completely different perspective:

Living the Prolife Except Experience

As a young teen of fourteen, my life was forever changed in a brutally eye-opening experience. The cute boy down the street had a violent side and I was his naïve young victim. A few weeks later it dawned on my mother that a persistent stomach bug was not the real diagnosis. When thoroughly questioned I acquiesced and shared what had happened. This incident would, indeed, change our lives forever.

As my adolescent, willow-like body blossomed with this unexpected new life, our family attended Mass elsewhere – away from prying eyes. The 1970’s were not like current times, with relaxed moral views and blasé reactions. Unwed motherhood was taboo and our family, Catholic and prolife, hunkered down to await the new arrival. It was decided that the child would be adopted by my parents and become a special sibling to us.

Life Moves On

After our new addition arrived we continued our small town American life. Returning to school was unnerving but college was in my future, so the prerequisite grades were maintained. Aside from a few hushed whispers, our tiny community continued on without much ado. At my parents’ stipulated timeframe, my dating life began promptly at sixteen.

Remarkably I met a young man who won approval from my parents almost immediately. We dated throughout high school and married during my senior year. My husband and I tried unsuccessfully to persuade my parents to allow us to adopt my brother (son) but the mother-child connection was too strong. My mother simply couldn’t give up the three-year-old son she now called her own.

College-bound after completion of high school, four years later found me as a married college graduate with a one-year-old son. Life had successfully and beautifully moved on. The scholarship I had been denied (because I was married), the teen birth, and youthful marriage had not marred my future. If anything, these life circumstances had enhanced my ability to cope with responsibility and the unexpected. The graces flowing from our sacramental marriage allowed us to weather any storm and remain committed in love.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

As unhindered as my education was, my career was equally flourishing. The prolife experience of my youth strengthened the drive to become a prolife advocate. The BA acquired enhanced creative endeavors toward that goal. Tempered by the fire of punitive experience, my organizational skills were finely honed as well. Life lessons had prepared me for numerous employment experiences including: Executive Director of prolife groups, art teacher, and Field Representative for a prolife U.S. Congressman.

Career Choice

In the end, my strong affinity for a traditional family won out. My preeminent career move was achieved. Stay at home mother became the most rewarding career choice for me. First, as the mother of three children attending Catholic schools and then as a home educator. Now that my own children are grown and parents in their own right, I continue to relish home life by having grandchildren around me as much as possible. The life I have lived, the life I am living was not hindered in any way. In some ways the experiences I endured prepared me for who I want to be today.

There were myriad options along the way – but the choices were mine to make. In the end, an early pregnancy did not prevent the achievement of becoming who I chose to be. I became exactly who I was meant to be: A woman with many choices, armed with strength and faith and endless possibilities.

Don’t Believe the Abortion Hype

The telling of my experiences is in no way intended as a long list of self-congratulatory achievements. On the contrary, my hope is to inspire those who are thrust into similar circumstances. Never forget that Planned Parenthood and their ilk exist as money making businesses whose success depends on taking the lives of helpless unborn babies by seducing their mothers by abortion promoting hype. Wendy Davis may be a successful woman by some measure, but her success was not dependent on aborting her unborn child.

As with people who grow up in poverty, broken homes, and abuse, success is dependent on a strong will and faith in the human person who was created by an almighty God. He has endowed all people, from conception, with a right to life and an undeniable ability to achieve. To use an unexpected pregnancy as an excuse not to achieve is a morally bankrupt denial of the human will.

Abortion Hurts Women

In my prolife work, I have been privileged to know many women who pulled themselves up out of their post-abortion desolation. Without fail, their regret is profound but their conviction for life is greater. Many of these women unselfishly relive the most painful experience in their lives in an effort to help others. They speak and write and volunteer in their vocation as pro-life advocates. Their pain is unspeakable and lingering guilt drives them to a profoundly selfless love of others. Although forgiven, a passionate resolve to bring something positive out of past flawed choices makes them insightful ambassadors for life.

Let us all do as much as we can to promote a Culture of Life. We no longer live in a time of scientific ignorance – even secular science confirms life begins at fertilization. Likewise, our faith in God confirms that all people are conceived as equals – each life is important, no matter its origin. Educate yourself, speak out, and pray to end abortion.

5 Reasons Why Abortion is Still Legal and What We Should Do About It

Forty-two years later the ill-conceived legal right to abortion still targets the most innocent members of our society. Despite fervent prayer, educational efforts, transformative heart-softening pleas, and untold numbers of legal attempts, the beast of abortion lives on.

To be noted in our quest for human dignity for all, is the heavy price paid by society. The cancer that is the Culture of Death, hides in the cavernous, dank recesses of the netherworld. Its tentacles reaching ever further into the very fiber of a guileless society, so empowered by selfish greed, it no longer has an identifiable conscience.

Instead of repeating the abortion advocate's mantra of ‘it’s not really a life’, we now hear them say, ‘it’s a life and I don’t care’.

So what brought us here, to the edge of the precipice? Was it simply the natural progression of a world doomed to fall into the abyss of cataclysm or is there an identifiable culprit? A look at the historical fall into the Culture of Death might help us delve into the unvarnished truth.

Ignoring Humanae Vitae

When Pope Paul VI admonished the faithful in his historic encyclical, Humanae Vitae, he made some dire predictions. The faithful, already in the throes of upheaval due to abuses of the Second Vatican Council, largely chose to ignore his ominous warnings. Unlike the internet resources we enjoy today, the faithful of that era depended almost solely on word of mouth – some of which came from those who wished to project their own, personal desires for reform onto the true meaning of the council.

Due in part to poor catechesis or selectively abridged reporting, the family in the pew soon found themselves disobeying Church teaching – either by naiveté or willful dissent. An entire generation largely missed the enormous impact this would later have on society as a whole – until it was too late.

Allowing Contraception

In ignoring both Church teachings in general and Humanae Vitae in particular, a path of destruction for marriage and family was chosen. It might even be said that contraception was fatal to the Church in that respect. Although the full impact took years, even decades to show, the die was cast. In weakening the nuclear family – the foundation of a healthy society – culture had nowhere to go but down. The moral fiber of individual citizens was soon to follow.

Instead of maintaining the core belief that contraception was immoral, many clerics advanced the notion that sometimes contraception was acceptable. It was a matter of envisioning an end game without acknowledging the illicit path taken.

Up until the Lambeth Conference of 1930 all of the faithful, Catholic and Protestant alike, adhered to the dogma that contraception was sinful – always. As the Protestant churches began following an easier, albeit sinful path, the Catholic Church became the sole follower of this aspect of natural law. Unfortunately, many in the Church began to follow the path to disobedience.

Facilitating Promiscuity

As the natural result and purpose of physical intimacy was overridden, great temptation set in. No longer accountable for the natural repercussions of sexuality, promiscuity became an easy trap. When the consequence of pregnancy could easily be circumvented, marriages and well as single relationships began to devolve and suffer. The nuclear family continued to pay the price – as did society as a whole. Increased divorce, rampant cohabitation, weakening of respect for women, rudderless children, same sex 'marriage' and a focus on selfish sexuality all came to pass.

Science Gone Mad

With rampant promiscuity now a norm for a large portion of society, the masses sought even less accountability. Should contraception fail, a failsafe was called for. Abortion came into play, first in the form of doctors doing the unimaginable in dank clinics or rooms under the cover of night, then legalized as a phantom right to privacy after the inception of Roe vs. Wade.

IVF, cloning, surrogacy, and embryonic research soon followed. If the preborn child was an inconvenience to so many, why not use the body that had been cast aside for some imaginary good? That the end never justifies an immoral means was not considered.

As the value of the human species became more and more debatable, their use as a commodity became the next logical step. Soon inhuman experiments were advocated – vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines, rats implanted with human organs, and finally the sale of unborn baby parts to the highest bidder by abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

Accepting Abortion Exceptions

The commercialization of the human being soon created varying classes of persons – some worth more than others. If a wanted child was worthy of limitless cost, the unwanted child was not – simply on the merit of desire or lack thereof. That the only difference between the two was the ambiguous opinion of someone, with no right to make the distinction, fell to the wayside. Value was determined by the desire of the beholder – not by the Author of Life.

Still, the prolife movement didn’t stand idly by. Marches, prayer vigils, and educational efforts abounded. Yet, there was a chink in the armor of the prolife warriors – exceptions. In their fervor to advance prolife legislation, a system of classes for the unborn was accepted. “If we can’t save them all, at least we can save most of them”, became the rationale. The majority didn’t anticipate the unforeseen consequence of this line of thought. By casting some unborn children as expendable, the security of the whole of their number became endangered.

In the eyes of Almighty God, the Author of Life, each person is immeasurably valuable. There are no favorites. There is no one human who is more beloved than another. Opening the gate to that type of distinction has held us back for all of these years. For, in admitting by our openness to exceptions, we weakened the whole of our argument. If one life is worth saving while due to the circumstances of conception, another is not, we are on shaky ground.

What Can We Learn From Our Mistakes?

Inasmuch as human history has tragically proven that deviating from the narrow path brings chaos, it would be wise to adhere to the hard truths. Abortion is wrong, period. Each and every individual has a birthright, granted by an Almighty God. No mere human has the right to proclaim otherwise. Shortcuts or partially adhered to commands from our God stem from a lukewarm faith. It is ours to bring respect for all life back into the forefront. Fervent prayer, unshakable proclamation of the Gospel, the holy witness of the domestic Church (family), and adherence to the natural law will be our weapons. In order to maintain the respect for every life, we must put on the armor of God and follow the entire Truth – no matter the price!

Hearts from Aborted Babies Grown in Rats

No, you didn't read this incorrectly. Functioning hearts and kidneys from aborted babies are being transplanted into rats. Mad scientists are loose all over the world. Even though some purport to have humanitarian goals, their methods are morally bankrupt.

The end game, they claim, is to grow viable organs for transplant - from unborn human babies, to animals, and then back to human recipients.

That organ failure is a death knell for many cannot be denied. Heart disease and kidney failure claim tens of thousands of lives each year. Yet, even this sad statistic doesn't excuse experimentation on babies - sometimes without their mothers' knowledge - whose lives have been taken before birth.

We've heard it said, and rightly so, that 'the end doesn't justify the means'. How true! Rationalizing that these babies are unwanted and it would be wasteful to simply throw their little, tortured bodies away, doesn't excuse this morbid experimentation. In fact, it threatens to produce an even more active marketing of their parts.

Deriving something arguably good from an act as heinous as abortion, doesn't justify the abortion. Nor does it justify the lack of respect for the human remains of these littlest victims.

These revelations also beg the question: Are the babies really dead before this procedure is begun? For more information, please read Ganogen’s Aborted Human Fetal Kidneys and Hearts Living in Rats and Some Ethical Questions. 

It would seem that, whether you consider yourself prolife or pro-abortion (pro-choice), this information would be deeply troubling, to say the least!

Unquestionably, this is not a pleasant subject. Your friends and family might even complain about your sharing of these horrific scientific experiments. Yet, if we Catholic Christians don't speak up, don't share, who will? As we've already observed, the media won't...

Where are the Prolife Heroes?

Gruesome videos have come to light. They prove that the unconscionable acts of Planned Parenthood (PP) go far beyond limits the public perceived – only the straightforward killing of babies by abortion. PP isn’t just killing babies and harvesting their parts; they are birthing intact babies for ‘better’ experimental specimens. Why isn’t the American public more aware? Many, maybe the majority, still don’t know the facts. Perhaps that explains the lack of mass public outrage.

The News Matters

If you are in the prolife trenches you may be asking yourself, how can this be? Regrettably there’s a simple answer: because those who make the news don’t want us to know. That the main stream media tilts drastically to the left is irrefutable, but another heart-rending fact is that they aren’t in the news business alone. Our legislators, church leaders, and celebrity personalities have the power to make news as well.

Yet we don’t see much commentary going on. There are no mainstream press releases or press conferences on the subject. Our legislators and presidential candidates are strangely silent, unless they are asked a direct question. When they do give a pittance, their responses are buried in the hysterical pages of pro-abortion publications, where we hear a screed by delusional pro-abortion activists. They concentrate on reporting imagined threats (by prolifers) to end ‘women’s’ rights.

Animals over Humans

Contrast this media blackout to the killing of Cecil – a single African lion. We’ve all heard, ad nauseam, about Cecil, his mates, and his offspring as well as the male lion who will most likely take his place in the pride. Each story is accompanied by photos of a picture perfect specimen of lionhood, his ferocious, flesh-eating nature carefully concealed. After all, he’s just a big, fuzzy, powerful cat, right?

The puzzlement of the affected African people is also carefully concealed. They ask, “What’s the big deal about one lion? Don’t the Americans know that another lion gone is one less threat to our very lives?” It seems they recognize the twisted sense of primacy.

Don’t misunderstand; I’m not arguing for big game hunting, just wondering at the skewed sense of value – one lion over tens of millions of babies.

The same tactic is used for the animal cruelty infomercials that accost us with pitifully staged pet cats and dogs, accompanied by cloying music – all to raise our shame and tug at our hearts. Again, as a lover and owner of pets, I’m not arguing against the obligation we have for their humane care. I do, however, fail to understand the priorities displayed.

The news cycle and commercials are further filled with diatribes from celebrated actors, the rich and famous, and other adulation seekers. There are murmurings of pity and outrage for myriad causes – all except the demise of our littlest brethren – all for the sake of unethical research, product taste testing, and cosmetics. Their fate is not popular. It doesn’t raise the ire of the masses, nor does it inspire repeated marches on cities and outraged interviews.

Even when an effort is made and a half million people attend the annual March for Life in Washington D. C., the public must make the effort to watch the incredible outpouring of support for the unborn on the Catholic cable channel, EWTN. Not a peep is made from news agencies – only silence.

Where are the Pictures?

A picture is worth 1,000 words. We can all agree to that proven public relations fact. Photos

humanize. They give a tangible subject to visualize with empathy and care. That’s why those who deal in garnering sympathy for Cecil or puppy mill products show us the most poignant photos they can find. The human baby, however, receives no such visual aid. They remain as unknown entities, hidden in the darkness of the womb, who have no way to protect themselves and too few heroes.

Where are the heroes for the babies? If our legislators and candidates are truly prolife, why don’t they use their coverage to expose the evil perpetuated by Planned Parenthood and in scientific laboratories all over our country and the world? Why doesn’t every church, cleric, and lay person publish announcements, write letters, and share truth in their words?

Good Things Have Happened

Some developments have given us hope. Prolife advocates across the country have worked tenaciously to keep the prolife momentum going.

• Catholic Stand has published Selling Baby Body Parts: What a Difference a Video Makes, which gives updates of states defunding Planned Parenthood, criminal investigations, and other positive results of the videos exposing the pure evil of Planned Parenthood.

• Colorado State University has halted doing business with StemExpress, over their use of tissue from aborted fetuses.

• Indiana governor, Mike Pence, has signed a bill mandating that aborted babies are either buried or cremated.

• Dr. Stacy Trasancos PhD has also written a powerful piece that gives us insight into the sordid world of fetal experimentation. She exposed that, even before Roe vs. Wade, infant formula companies were already experimenting on living fetuses who were then killed and dissected.

We are the Heroes for the Unborn

As we become painfully aware that the powers that be are distressingly unwilling to take a stand and awaken the public to the truth, it becomes our job. We, the people, are the ones who must take up the gauntlet and battle mightily for the babies. God has given us the ability to inform and persuade. With prayerful consideration we can become the heroes for the unborn by sharing information, praying, and encouraging others to do the same. We must also hold accountable all those who have the public soapbox at their disposal. The power of God’s people lies with their faithful adherence to His Word – His call to go out and do for the least.


"And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? And I said: Lo, here am I, send me." Isaiah 6:8

What a Difference a Video Makes - Did It Bring Good Prolife News?

We've seen the videos of current Planned Parenthood employees brokering aborted baby body parts. The shock and outrage have been palatable. But, unlike reports relying on words, the visual proof is undeniable to anyone with a modicum of honesty. Yet, the platitudes, excuses, and denials continue. What is different, however, is how the news has finally broken through the carefully crafted barricades of media, politicians, and pro-abortion organizations. The conversation is staring everyone in the face now - and simply won't go away.

In Selling Baby Body Parts: What a Difference a Video Makes, you will find some good news for a change. The Megelian depravity has been brought out to the light and state legislators are responding.

Click here to read the details.

Which states have ended Planned Parenthood funding and which state has launched a successful criminal investigation? Are the tables turning?

Is there anything we can do to maintain the momentum?

Please keep yourself apprised of what is going on. The end of the Culture of Death could be within our grasp. If we prayerfully consider sharing information with family and friends, we CAN make a difference. The battle is mighty and our enemy strong - strengthened by the blood of innocents and those who profit from their demise.

Onward Christian soldiers! Our time has come!

Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. 

    1 Corinthians 3:13

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 8 - For Laity

We, the people in the pew, need to be the voice for the voiceless. They have no voice but ours. The time to stand idly by and do nothing is over. Only through prayers of petition, prolife advocacy, and evangelization will the travesty of abortion and other evidence of the Culture of Death be defeated. We must all resolve to be part of the solutions. This is how to show the true charity and love of neighbor called for by the command of Jesus!

Daily prayer: Pope Saint John Paul II's Prayer to our Lady.

O Mary

bright dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living,

to you do we entrust the cause

Look down, O Mother,

upon the vast numbers

of babies not allowed to be born,

of the poor whose lives are made difficult,

of men and women

who are victims of brutal violence,

of the elderly and the sick killed

by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son

may proclaim the Gospel of Life

with honesty and love

to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace

to accept that Gospel

as a gift ever new,

the joy of celebrating it with gratitude

throughout their lives

and the courage to bear witness to it

resolutely, in order to build,

together with all people of good will,

the civilisation of truth and love,

to the praise and glory of God,

the Creator and lover of life.

Day 8: March 23 - For a stronger witness from the laity.

We need to begin with the renewal of a culture of life within Christian communities themselves. Too often it happens that believers, even those who take an active part in the life of the Church, end up by separating their Christian faith from its ethical requirements concerning life, and thus fall into moral subjectivism and certain objectionable ways of acting. With great openness and courage, we need to question how widespread is the culture of life today among individual Christians, families, groups and communities in our Dioceses. EV 95.

Heavenly Father, the communion which should exist through Your gift of the Eucharist has been broken by the widespread use of contraception among Your flock and by their wholesale disregard for the teachings of Your Church. Please raise up courageous families and single people who are prepared to forgo wordily acclaim and to suffer for the sake of Your Holy Church. Please console them in their times of discouragement, and make them always aware of Your Presence, as they endeavor to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth.

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Evangelium Vitae Meditations:

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 1 - Contraception

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 2 - Abortion

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 3 - Euthanasia of the Elderly and Disabled

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 4 - Commodification of Unborn Children and Mothers

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 5 - Sex Industry

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 6 - Legislators

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 7 - ClergyEvangelium Vitae Novena Day 8 - Laity

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 9 - Chastity

Evangelium Vitae Novena 20th Anniversary - Closing Prayer

Evangelium Vitae Novena 20th Anniversary - Closing Prayer

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 7 - For Clergy

As the laity, we look to our shepherds for guidance. Preaching counter to the popular culture, however, is a monumental task. Our good priests and bishops are constantly under attack from the devil, as they bring the Word of Jesus to us. Today we pray that they be given the strength of true leaders, under the armor of God and the protection of Saint Michael the Archangel - for we are truly in a battle for souls.

Daily prayer: Pope Saint John Paul II's Prayer to our Lady.

O Mary

bright dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living,

to you do we entrust the cause

Look down, O Mother,

upon the vast numbers

of babies not allowed to be born,

of the poor whose lives are made difficult,

of men and women

who are victims of brutal violence,

of the elderly and the sick killed

by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son

may proclaim the Gospel of Life

with honesty and love

to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace

to accept that Gospel

as a gift ever new,

the joy of celebrating it with gratitude

throughout their lives

and the courage to bear witness to it

resolutely, in order to build,

together with all people of good will,

the civilisation of truth and love,

to the praise and glory of God,

the Creator and lover of life.

Day 7: March 22 - For a stronger witness from the clergy.

We need to make sure that in theological faculties, seminaries and Catholic institutions sound doctrine is taught, explained and more fully investigated. May Paul's exhortation strike a chord in all theologians, pastors, teachers, and in all those responsible for catechesis and the formation of consciences. Aware of their specific role, may they never be so grievously irresponsible as to betray the truth and their own mission by proposing personal ideas contrary to the Gospel of life as faithfully presented and interpreted by the Magesterium. EV 82.

Heavenly Father, Your message of the Gospel of life has been misinterpreted and diluted, ignored and ridiculed, devalued and denied by many within the Church. Please sharpen the consciences of Your shepherds; remind them of their great responsibility to transmit Your truths to the faithful. And create in them a loud voice that cries out above the clamour of the world, "Choose life and reject the culture of death!"

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Evangelium Vitae Meditations:

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 1 - Contraception

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 1 - Contraception

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 2 - Abortion

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 3 - Euthanasia of the Elderly and Disabled

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 4 - Commodification of Unborn Children and Mothers

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 5 - Sex Industry

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 6 - Legislators

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 7 - ClergyEvangelium Vitae Novena Day 8 - Laity

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 9 - Chastity

Evangelium Vitae Novena 20th Anniversary - Closing Prayer