Once while I was standing with a sign that read “abortion kills children” a man drove by screaming “free speech A@$ Hole”. I wonder if he understood that I was practicing free speech and also fighting for the rights of pre-born children to have the right to live long enough to practice their free speech? Just another example of pro-abortion logic or lack thereof. Abolish Abortion
Category Archives: abortion
Update on the Priests for Life Situation
First of all, I encourage you to check out this video of me speaking at the German March for Life this past week in Berlin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KhCr_qGRTA
Secondly, for those who have been following the controversy currently surrounding the Priests for Life family of ministries, I encourage everyone to keep in mind that there are two sides to every story, and that it is always best to hold off on passing judgment until all the facts of a case, from both sides, have been brought to light. Several statements have been released in an effort to respond to much of the misinformation which has been circulated recently by various media outlets, so I welcome anyone interested in learning more to take a few moments to read the following articles:
Diocese of Amarillo Issues Clarification Affirming Fr. Frank Pavone’s Good Standing and Character
Independent Auditors Issue Unqualified Audit Opinion for Priests for Life
http://www.priestsforlife.org/audit.htm
Message from the Pastoral Team of Priests for Life/Gospel of Life Ministries
http://www.priestsforlife.org/update/pastoral-team-message.pdf
Bishop Roger Gries: Please Continue to Support Priests for Life
Abby Johnson: Father Pavone Saves Babies, Helped Heal Me
Fr. Frank Pavone has been a staple in my house for many years…even during my Planned Parenthood years. Every week I would record and watch “Defending Life.” I enjoyed watching him, even if I disagreed. I loved how outspoken he was and how he didn’t seem to live in the gray…you know, everything seemed black and white for him…right and wrong was clear.
I remember watching him during the Terri Schiavo tragedy. I was drawn to his gentle spirit. I had seen two sides to him…or was it? One side was so unabashedly, unapologetically and passionately against abortion. The other was a man who had an incredibly compassionate heart and a kind spirit…this was the man who was helping a family grieve the loss of their daughter. But now, I see they are the same. Fr. Frank is for life…all life. His compassion for life fuels his passion.
A few years later, I looked out my office window and couldn’t believe it. Was that really Fr. Frank Pavone standing and praying outside MY abortion clinic?? I looked harder, but couldn’t get a clear view because of our iron fence. I ran to the front of the building so I could look at the security camera. I zoomed in and there he was…the priest I had been watching for many years. He had been streaming into my home week after week, all while I was working at an abortion clinic. I had two employees who were Catholic. They recognized him as well. I had an unshakable desire to sprint outside and introduce myself. After all, I felt like I knew him. I felt a connection to him, as strange as that may sound.
I asked my co-workers if they thought it would be inappropriate to go outside to meet him. They gave me a bewildered look and said, “NO! You run an abortion clinic! He doesn’t want to meet you!” I figured they were right. I went back to my office and watched him pray outside of my clinic. When he left, I felt like I had missed an opportunity that I would always regret.
Even though I didn’t get to meet him that day, our meeting came later…after I had resigned from Planned Parenthood. I remember meeting him for the first time and immediately feeling a sense of peace. He was not a rock star, he was a healer. He was not a celebrity, he was a servant. He wanted to help me heal…I needed it.
Fr. Frank is the reason I am where I am today…emotionally and spiritually. He has given me guidance and direction that I couldn’t find from anyone else. I am not a particularly emotional person. The first time I heard Fr. Frank speak at an event about clinic workers, I wept. How could he see inside my heart? How did he know my thoughts? Because this is his life. He isn’t just in this for the children; he is in this for people like me, too…the wounded, the broken, the angry, the scarred.
I look at how abortion has crept into our Christian culture and see thousands of clergy who are scared to defend our unborn children. And then I see Fr. Frank. He is a man who is always ready to speak the truth. A man who is always ready to stand up for what is right. He is a man of courage. I am proud to stand by him during this time of trial.
“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17
This article originally appeared at LifeNews.com.
The Human Cost of ‘Selective Reduction’
By Janet Morana
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Thirty years ago, I was in the ninth month of my second pregnancy when I received what was a very unsettling referral for a sonogram, which was not nearly as routine in those days. My eyes never once left the technician’s face as she studied the monitor. You can imagine my doubled apprehension as she left the room without offering me the small mercy of that nonchalant, “everything-is-normal-and-on-track” smile. When the OB-GYN followed her back into the room moments later, I really needed him to compensate for the technician’s serious breach of sonogram etiquette. Instead, he informed me that I was pregnant with twins. I left that appointment just as frightened as every other woman who has ever received the same news. At the time, I already had a 23-month-old daughter; my financial resources, while not as limited as those of many new mothers, were light years away from reassuring; and my mental preparations had been for one baby, not two. As the news began to sink in over the following few days, however, my fear got some competition from a growing awareness of my personal strength. I was still terrified, naturally, but on some level I made a decision to battle that fear, to refuse to let it take me without a fight. I remember throwing open the phone book (the Google of the ’80s), and aggressively tracking down the contact information for the local Twins & Multiples club. In “The Two Minus One Pregnancy” article in The New York Times Magazine (Aug. 14), Ruth Padawer interviews women who, after becoming pregnant with twins using fertility drugs and procedures, decide to undergo a selective reduction. The women describe with illuminating candor their fears of the challenges of birthing two newborns at once; of not being the best mother they can be to all of their children, including those already born; of being spread too thin. And so they abort one of the twins. The story begins:
The women’s honesty allows no confusion about what’s making their decision for them: fear. It’s scary to be carrying twins; scarier to think about the labor that will bring these twins into the world; scarier still to contemplate “Now what?” Without these Orwellian choices open to mothers of this generation, we answered the question “Now what?” one sleepless night at a time. So when I brought my twin girls home back in 1980, I took it one day at a time. Scratch that, I took it one action at a time. I made that nightly pilgrimage to the nursery with tired eyes and tired feet. Constant feedings and changings, yes, but accompanied all the while by the twins’ mutual gazes, touches, and gurgling “twin talk.” Exhausting days and nights, but ones that I would never trade away. I still look with personal pride on the technique I developed to feed the twins with two pillows — my home-grown version of Boppies. There were fun trips to the Mall to share my joys and accomplishments with the countless strangers who would smile and approach the twins and their beaming older sister. There were joyful milestones of birthday parties, school events, sports, and dancing lessons. My burdens grew easier with time, too, as the twins grew up entertaining and supporting each other, sharing experiences that only twins can share. And I got some unique life training that I could later bring to my career life: No onelearns how to multitask with efficiency like a parent of twins. Maybe our lives would have been easier had I “reduced” my pregnancy, but we would have missed the crazy magic of those early years. I can’t put myself in the shoes of a woman who decided for a selective reduction, but I can imagine that her decision stays with her always, perhaps evoking one emotion one day, another the next. Decisions made out of personal powerlessness and lack of support are the decisions that no one wants to make. And they’re the decisions that refuse to let you rest, the puzzles that you try to solve and resolve for the rest of your life. These decisions born of fear and powerlessness will probably always exist in one form or another, but does that mean we should all simply raise the white flag on this issue? That physicians should abandon their vow “to do no harm” because twins cost more money to raise? I propose that all of us — the medical profession as well as society at large — make a collective decision to fight the fear. Let’s not abandon these women in the cynical belief that there’s not enough support for all of them. Janey Morana – Originally post in the National Review Online
— Janet Morana is the executive director of Priests for Life, co-founder of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, and co-host of The Catholic View for Women on EWTN. |
One Heart Changed, One Life Saved and New Faith Found – European Mission Trip Update #2
Dear Pro-life Friend
God is moving here in Europe, we are seeing lives changed and Christ glorified in amazing ways. I spent the weekend in Scotland at the 4th Annual Youth Pro-life Conference put on by SPUC Scotland.
Every year I am blown away by the opportunities God gives me at this conference and that did not change this year. After my first of three talks a young girl approached me and told me her heart had changed about abortion. She said that she had just been sitting in the talks bored but during my talk she was captivated and is now pro-life.
Pro-life Youth outside the Scotland Youth Conference
On Saturday night after the Celtic dancing a large group of us went to the kitchen for a cup of tea. I began to share with the group and pour my heart out to them; it was definitely one of those Holy Spirit moments. As we all left to go to bed a young man came to me and thanked me for sharing. He told me that for the first time in his life he wanted to live a life of faith; he had never took it seriously before. I was so excited and he actually thanked me at least two more times the next day.
I left the conference on Sunday night to fly to Belgium to begin the of pro-life youth training we are doing here this week. I was surprised to get a message from Joe the Scotland conference director so soon; but was blown away when I read it. A girl at the conference was pregnant and changed her mind about abortion after listening to our talks.
Bryan Kemper and Hannah from Survivors at University of Gent
I am entering this week in Belgium on a spiritual high and have already been so blessed here. Last night we had a great talk and training session with youth in Brussels. Our team consists of myself, Eric Scheidler of The Pro-life Action League and three missionaries from Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust from California.
Today we went to Gent to lead the first ever pro-life demonstration in front of the University of Gent. When classes let out it was non-stop conversation and ministry as the students were very open to discussion.
Hannah talking to socialists
I was shocked to hear some of the answers I got from students, some of which were downright scary. One student told me it was ok to kill two year olds because they don’t have a memory. Another student told me that because in Texas everyone just carries around a gun that we cannot possibly be pro-life.
It was obvious to me that the students had such a twisted view of life in the United States as one told me that it was extremely hard for Americans to find fruit and vegetables and that is why we are so fat because they are just not available. This was one of his arguments for socialized medicine and welfare.
Jeroen Noel from Belgium passing out literature
Later in the evening we had another evening of talks before heading back to our host home for a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow morning we head back to Brussels where we will have a red life tape Silent Siege at the European Parliament building.
Charles from Survivors and Eric from Pro-life Action League
We will also be doing a few more university outreaches this week as we prepare for the big March for Life on Sunday. Please keep our team in prayer as we boldly shine the Light of Jesus and the message of Christ with out ministry partners from Belgium.
For Christ I stand,
Bryan Kemper
PS: Have you made a donation for March yet? Please consider supporting the important life saving work we are doing at Stand True, none of this is possible without your support.
Donate online here or at StandTrue.com, or send a check to:
Stand True
PO Box 890
Troy, OH 45373
When the Pro-Abortion Movement Runs out of Arguments…
On Friday, LifeNews.com reported on an unidentified person who threw a “Molotov cocktail” at an elderly woman at pro-life prayer event.
“A homemade incendiary device was thrown at one of the participants of the 40 Days for Life pro-life prayer vigil at an abortion business in Kalispell, Montana on Thursday night.
The woman walked on the public sidewalk near the abortion business when an unidentified person threw the device — akin to a “Molotov cocktail” — in her direction. The woman did not see either the firebomb nor the assailant it exploded on the sidewalk behind her, making a loud popping noise like a big firecracker as it burst into flame. Fortunately, the woman was not hurt in the incident.
After she regained her composure, the victim called Karen Trierweiler, coordinator of the 40 Days prayer vigils in Kalispell at the All Family Health Care abortion center, over to her.”
From what I can see in the photo LifeNews.com provided, this particular bomb was made using a plastic bottle. Thus we can be pretty sure that the aggressor did not intend to kill any pro-life activists, but rather intended to harm them (fire bombs are designed to set things on fire), and scare them.
In my time in the pro-live movement, I have very often come across the “argumentum ad ignorantiam” – the argument from ignorance. Often I am confronted with an argument which relies almost completely on verbal abuse. However there is another form of argument: “argumentum ad baculum” – an appeal to force. Baculum is Latin for cudgel. Why are proponents of abortion so quick to resort to verbal and physical abuse? The answer is, quite simply, that they are frustrated, and ultimately unable to combat our consistent presentation of truth and science.
You’ll remember we discussed the propensity of abortion’s proponents to use embarrassingly childish and ignorant arguments in my March 16 post, “A Consistent Pro-Abortion Position Must Accept Infanticide“.
But wait, you say – I thought it was pro-lifers who were the violent ones… I’ll hand it over to AbortionViolence.com who aptly brings a bit of desperately needed perspective to the issue of violence in the abortion debate.
“We’ve heard endless stories in the mainline media about “anti-choice violence” and an “organized campaign of terror and intimidation against reproductive health centers.”
But where does the real violence lie when it comes to the abortion issue?
Pro-life groups have emphasized the violence that goes on inside the abortion mills—but what about the violence that pro-abortionists commit against born human beings?
The pro-life movement is unquestionably the most peaceful social movement of all time.
We have all heard about the seven murders committed by self-identified anti-abortionists during the time period 1994-1998. But to put this into perspective, according to the United States government, more janitors, bartenders, secretaries, hairdressers and cosmetologists have been killed on the job than abortionists.
The most violent social movement of all time is so-called “pro-choice.” Not only have “pro-choicer’s” killed tens of millions of innocent preborn babies in the name of convenience, they have murdered hundreds of men, women and children.”
Read more at AbortionViolence.com.
Watch this video [Warning: Language]. This is a woman who has suffered from an abortion, if ever I’ve seen one. Why does she resort to verbal and physical abuse? Why is she so distraught and angry? It is because abortion is the ultimate violence being carried out in the name of choice, every day in the United States. Every day in the U.S.A., 4,000 absolutely innocent and helpless pre-born human-beings are torn limb from limb. And every day in the U.S.A., 4,000 women are lied to – with their back up against a wall, and the men in their life either abandoning them or pressuring them, they are put through the unthinkable trauma of having their pre-born child ripped from out of them and thrown in a trash bin.
The pro-abortion movement seeks to defend the indefensible. It’s enough to drive anyone insane.
For the silent unborn,
Andy Moore
Update from Scotland
I arrived in Brussels on Thursday and had a planning meeting with Youth for Life leaders about our upcoming Youth Pro-life training week that starts on Monday in Brussels. I flew out on Friday morning for Scotland and arrived at the 4th International Youth Pro-Life Conference on Friday evening. Below are a few photos I took, along with an update on how the conference is going.
I had some amazing time speaking to the students from Cardiff and Exeter on Friday night, discussing the importance of action in the pro-life movement. Saturday morning the conference kicked off with talks on eugenics and euthanasia – as the theme of the conference is “no less human”.
The Stand True table
With talks from such amazing pro-life speakers as Andy Pollard, Fr. John Fleming and Stephan Barrie, I am humbled to be speaking on side such great men.
another stall with pro-life resources
Several students from the Pro-life society at Bristol University are here which started after I spoke to them at last years conference. I am so excited to see fruit from years past and can’t wait to see what God will do this year.
I finish up in Scotland on Sunday afternoon and head back to Belgium to meet up with the Survivors and Eric Scheidler for the training week.
Please pray for all the youth here in Europe as they are fighting hard for their generation and standing for the dignity of human life. Pray for our American team as we work with them this week.
for Christ I stand,
Bryan Kemper
Update from Capitol Hill: Gearing up for the Showdown
Reid is prepared to shut down the Govt. to keep funding for Planned Parenthood
“After yesterday’s budget vote, it looks like the government will be able to scrape by for another 21 days. But unlike the last three resolutions, this one had an air of finality about it. Both sides are tired of funding Washington on an installment plan and seem ready to drop the gloves in the fight they’ve been postponing,” writes Tony Perkins in his Washington Update, Friday.
“As far as liberals are concerned, the quarrel is not just over how much is being cut but what is being cut. When reporters asked Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) whether he would be willing to defund Planned Parenthood, the answer was “not only no, but hell no.“
“The Left’s [agenda] will be on full display if it follows through with the threat to shut down Washington over abortion funding. Maybe then Americans will get a true picture of how much these leaders will sacrifice to protect Planned Parenthood. “If that’s the case,” said Father Frank Pavone, “then shut it down. When a government funds massive child-killing, it has betrayed its very purpose anyway.“
WHAT? You pro-lifers want to shut down the Government? Tony Perkins explains that “shutting down” is not nearly as drastic as it seems,
“What most people don’t understand is that a “shut down” is really a slowdown, which would force the government to operate as the Constitution intended it. The military would still be fully functional, so would Congress, border patrol, the U.S. Postal Service, the F.B.I., air traffic control, food inspection, etc. But all of the nonessential functions of Washington would fall away, freeing our leaders to focus on the crisis at hand.”
It is absolutely imperative that the GOP stands firm at this time. As the Susan B. Anthony List’s own Michele Bachmann pointed out to Republican leadership, “You don’t win if you don’t fight. If we do not stand our ground on the CR… and use it to stop the $105.5 billion… ObamaCare will be implemented on our watch, and… we will find it difficult–if not impossible–to regain the strategic advantage.”
I’m a Kiwi. I’m based here in New Zealand. I can’t ring my member of Congress, but I need each one of you to ring your member of Congress NOW, and explain to him or her why they absolutely must not back down – they must not accept a budget which continues to fund the abortion-funding provisions in Obamacare, and the funding of the States’ biggest abortion money-making scam, Planned Parenthood.
At the very least, it can go down in the history books for our children that in 2011 the pro-life movement was so dedicated to defending life, so vocal on behalf of those who had no voice, that they caused the Government to be “shut down” over this horrific, horrendous issue. If we achieve nothing else, we are at the very least honoring the memory of the more than 40 million innocent pre-born children mercilessly slaughtered in America, “land of the free”.
We need every hand on deck. The future of taxpayer-funded child killing in America; of child killing in America, is in your hands. Please, for the love of the children, do not remain silent. Stand true, be a voice for the voiceless, speak up now and pass this message on.
More Lies from Planned Parenthood: They do NOT Provide Basic Healthcare
TooManyAborted.com have uncovered – surprise – more deception from Planned Parenthood. They report,
The Hartford Courant article laments the possibility of Planned Parenthood Southern New England affiliates closing and how this would affect “low-income” women. The article claims that this would deny them, in part, of the BASIC HEALTH CARE that Planned Parenthood provides. The problem is…NO affiliates of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (which covers Connecticut and Rhode Island) provide any kind of general or basic health care. NONE. Yet their site clearly indicates for each affiliate, under SERVICES, that General Health Care is a service that they provide.
TooManyAborted.com placed a call to the Bridgeport, CT location. The conversation reveals how false the Hartford Courant article is AND how deliberately deceptive Planned Parenthood’s website is in leading people to believe they provide much more than they really do. The Planned Parenthood worker confirms that NO affiliate provides primary, or basic/general health care–only reproductive health care. She also admits their website wording is misleading. Go figure. So much for “medically accurate information”.
Watch the video below:
Defund Planned Parenthood!
Bryan’s New Book
Can You Spare $25 To Make Sure We Continue This Life Saving Work
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A Glimpse Inside Planned Parenthood
On Tuesday, March 15, Joshua Edmonds conducted a scheduled and approved interview with Planned Parenthood Southeast in Atlanta, Georgia. Joshua has given me permission to repost the interview here on Bryan’s blog. Note that the nature of the interview is not outrageous or overtly shocking, however I found it enlightening as to the way Planned Parenthood and its workers operate. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion business in the United States. It is our strong commitment to continue to raise our voice on behalf of the unborn so that one day soon, Planned Parenthood will no longer be able to line the pockets of child-murderers with blood money. It is my conviction that fundamental to ending abortion, is understanding how the abortion industry and the abortion lobby think and operate. This is my purpose in copying the interview below. I will also make a few comments. Joshua writes,
That's a bucket of condoms on the receptionist's desk.
“I entered the headquarters for Planned Parenthood Southeast on the 8th floor in the 75 Piedmont building on Georgia State University campus and was greeted by signs that read “NO CELL PHONE OR LAPTOP USE IN ENTIRE HEALTH CENTER!” I walked down to the lobby, past the receptionist desk with a jar of condoms next to a pamphlet stack about how to have the most fulfilling oral sex, and sat under a painting of Margaret Sanger as I waited to be seen.
The young lady who submitted to the interview is named Dominique Doyle, she is a Community Health Educator for Planned Parenthood of Georgia. The interview was scheduled, Dominique met myself and my interview partner in the lobby. She greeted both of us, my partner first, with a smile and a handshake as we all introduced ourselves by first name. Dominique led us into her office and we sat down in to rolling chairs against the far wall, looking towards Dominique’s large desk lined with pamphlets and calendars.
We asked for permission to use an iPhone to record the interview session so that we could more completely transcribe the conversation. Dominique got very hesitant, and after stuttering an answer for 30 seconds, she excused herself from the room to consult her supervisor – Leola Reis.
After about 5 minutes, Dominique returned and informed us that they would not allow us to record our interview. We understandably agreed and moved on. Dominique seemed ready to cut to the chase, and we began the interview:
Us: “Do you conduct programs to educate and inform individuals in the community about reproductive health and abortion?”
Dominique: “Yes. We have Teen Action Groups that focus on goal setting, reproductive options, birth control, and other topics.”
Us: “What would you say your goals are for those community programs?”
A photo of eugenicist & racist, Margaret Sanger hangs in pride of place in the lobby
Dominique: “To educate on available resources, health, how to use condoms, etc. Essentially, to help people make better decisions.”
Us: “How do you conduct your programs to achieve those goals?”
Dominique: “We just try to get into schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, After-School Programs, Boys To Men groups, detention centers, and even Churches. We reach young people wherever we can find them.”
Us: “What sort of education and information do your programs use?”
Dominique: “We just give facts. We don’t make attempts to prevent actions or outcomes or anything like that.”
Us: “Would you say your programs are based on prevention of negative factors regarding reproductive health and abortion or on promoting positive factors regarding reproductive health and abortion?”
Dominique: “A lot of times we will have large groups of people at a program, but very minimal involvement. Some kids don’t want to be there, so they’re just cutting up and talking amongst themselves; they don’t really take it seriously. Some people won’t come back after their first program.”
Us: “Do you have issues getting into any of those outlets you mentioned before, like schools?”
Dominique: “Getting into schools is easy as long as we mention something about abstinence once or twice during the program.”
Us: “What sorts of social, environmental, and individual factors do you encounter that prevent progress with conducting your programs?”
Dominique: “Not a lot. We go in and create relationships with organizations locally in Metro Atlanta, so we don’t have a lot of issues.”
Us: “Do you conduct programs to specifically educate and inform minorities in the community?”
Dominique: “(hesitant) I don’t think I should answer that question. But I can refer you to my supervisor if you really need to know.”
Us: “Research has shown (Joel Olser Brende, 1994) that abortions can result in symptoms in women that are similar to PTSD, but that it can be prevented by proper counseling before and/or after an abortion (Melissa Boulind & David Edwards, 2008) Do you believe that abortion is negative affects on a woman, whether they be psychological, physical, emotional, etc.?”
Dominique: “(hesitant) I don’t think I should answer that one either. I’ll refer you to my supervisor though if you’d like.”
Us: “Do you have community programs that specifically address those negative affects?”
Dominique: “Again, I won’t answer that.”
Us: “Do you offer counseling programs for women who may exhibit negative affects as a result of their abortion, such as depression, attempted suicide, and other symptoms of PTSD?”
Dominique: “I’ll just say that we don’t offer preventative programs for abortion or any counseling outside of a pre-op for an abortion appointment. We have pamphlets. I won’t answer more than that.”
Click here to read the last two paragraphs from Joshua’s write-up of the interview, where he outlines the clinic’s follow-up communication – bordering on harassment, in which they expressed their frustration over aspects of the interview. Interesting, isn’t it. As Bound for Life Atlanta commented, “why are they so hesitant if they have nothing to hide?”
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