Life Issues in America

First topic message reminder :

Here is my pro-life vlog:

http://prolifetestimonials.blogspot.com/

Hope for ectopic pregnancies:
http://www.personhoodinitiative.com/ectopic-personhood.html

With today's Supreme Court ruling, here's a roundup of pro-life groups' reactions I found:
www.lifenews.com/2012/06/28/pro-life-groups-disappointed-by-ruling-upholding-obamacare/
Also, there's additional coverage and analysis on "National Review" online:
www.nationalreview.com/articles/304394/what-s-next-opposition-nro-symposium

A very moving series of articles by the beautiful Melissa Ohden:

http://www.melissaohden.com/articles/abortion-survivor-reflects-on-the-pain-of-her-miscarriage
http://www.melissaohden.com/articles/abortion-survivor-melissa-ohden-reflects-on-miscarriage-pt2
http://www.melissaohden.com/articles/overcoming-miscarriage-with-the-help-of-faith-in-god

Michael Farris critiques Roe v. Wade, with a discussion of the meaning of the 14th Amendment:

http://constitutionreclaimed.com/Blog/?p=25

Thank you so much for keeping is informed!

Happy Birthday, Melissa Ohden!

Thirty-five years ago today, I survived what many in our world call a choice or a woman's right. I praise God for sparing my life, the doctors and nurses who provided me medical care and love, the people who prayed and witnessed outside of the hospital where I survived (many of whom I've met), my adoptive parents for opening their hearts to the little girl they were told probably wouldn't live long, and my birthparents for ultimately giving me life, no matter what the initial plan.

https://www.facebook.com/melissaohdenfan

Back in 2008, Jill Stanek compiled some links regarding Obama's voting record on born alive infants:
http://www.jillstanek.com/2008/02/links-to-barack-obamas-votes-on-illinois-born-alive-infant-protection-act/

Christine Melchor, director of a mobile pregnancy resource center outside the largest abortion clinic in the Western hemisphere, in Houston, Texas:

Wow, this is powerful:
http://vimeo.com/50313278

A short and beautifully made pro-life film, "Volition", comparing abortion with atrocities of the past:
http://prolifetestimonials.blogspot.com/2011/12/volition.html

Just letting everyone know that I have decided to close down Pro-Life Testimonials. Instead I have a new site under construction:

forthelifeofthenation.blogspot.com

Thanks for letting us know! Keep up the good work!!

Here are some interesting articles:
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/10/10/romney-i-will-be-a-pro-life-president-de-fund-planned-parenthood/
Romney says he will defund Planned Parenthood.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/romney-ohio-i-feel-were-all-catholic-today_648739.html

Well, we'll have to hold him to those promises, if he wins.

On the 40th anniversary of the re-arguments in Roe v. Wade, Americans United for Life presents the transcripts and recordings of the proceedings:

http://www.aul.org/the-40th-anniversary-of-roe-v-wade/

Ontario education minister tries to ban pro-life teaching in Catholic schools:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/mobile/news/firestorm-erupts-as-3500-call-on-ontario-minister-to-resign-over-no-pro-lif

Profile of Lila Rose from my new blog:
http://forthelifeofthenation.blogspot.com/2012/10/interview-with-lila-rose.html

Here is an interview with the fiery, fearless, stunningly beautiful young founder of Live Action, a youth-led pro-life organization best known for undercover sting operations at Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. Raised in a Christian, homeschooling, loving family of eight in San Jose, California, Lila stumbled upon graphic images of abortion while exploring her parents' library at age nine. Horrified, she felt called to devote her prayers, time and effort to ending the atrocity.

At 15, Lila founded Live Action, with a few friends. She would attract national attention three years later, as a UCLA freshman, by investigating two local Planned Parenthood clinics undercover, and revealing a willingness to aid in covering up sexual abuse of minor girls. Since then, Live Action has undertaken many other investigations, dealing with topics such as racism, medical misinformation and sex-selective abortions at Planned Parenthood. It should not be surprising that an industry based upon the murder of innocent children should foster many other crimes as well.

Lila has been harshly criticized, not only by her pro-choice opponents but also by some pro-life advocates who see her undercover tactics as unethical. I myself have had some qualms about some of her methods, but I believe that she is a brave young woman who acts according to her best lights to expose the truth about abortion, to save the lives of the unborn, to serve our country, and to serve Christ. She converted to Catholicism a few years ago, and has spoken movingly of the profound religious convictions that led her to take this step.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lila Rose in person at the Students for Life of America Conference in Washington, D.C. in January 2012. She was delightful!

I also set up a Facebook page for the blog:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Americans-for-the-Life-of-the-Nation/436499799740055

Merci! It is terrible how Lila Rose is attacked by other Catholics.

I wrote a defense of Lila Rose and Live Action: http://teaattrianon.blogspot.com/2011/02/lila-rose-is-she-lying.html

I am flabbergasted that anyone could accuse Lila Rose of "lying" because members of her organization pretend to be pimps and prostitutes in order to entrap Planned Parenthood workers who are aiding those involved in child exploitation. By such rationale, it would be a mortal sin for undercover policemen to pretend to be drug dealers or teenagers on the internet or all the other things they have to pretend to be in order to catch criminals.

And what about spies? Even the Vatican has employed a number of spies over the years, some of the better spies, I might add. And what about all the Jesuits who went to England in disguise in order to minister to the English Catholics? Was St. Edmund Campion supposed to walk up to the local magistrate and say: "I am a Jesuit priest and I am here to convert you." NO. He pretended to be a jewel merchant. Why? Because St. Edmund, like Lila Rose, was dealing with unjust laws and criminal behavior, albeit the criminals had (and have) government approval. In a Catholic Church in southern Maryland there are several priests buried under the sacristy floor. They had come in disguise in the 16 and 1700's to help the Maryland Catholics who under British law were not allowed to practice their faith. Some of the priests are buried under their aliases because no one knew their real names. They had come pretending to be merchants and traders.

What about the brave souls who work in the underground in Communist countries? You can be sure a lot of role-playing and mental reservation goes on there. What the Live Action people do in order to entrap murderers and child abusers is brave and should be commended. I do not see how any pro-life Catholic person could think otherwise. I think there might be is a bit too much hair-splitting going on in some quarters. Scrupulosity is not a virtue. It never ceases to amaze me what Catholics will find to pick on each other about....

Thanks, Elena.

Here is a moving and sobering article by David Mills on "dying with dignity."
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2011/02/real-death-real-dignity

For all of us who are still reeling from the blow of Obama's re-election, here at least is some positive news from last night:
http://www.aul.org/2012/11/pro-life-round-up-victories-for-life-in-the-2012-election/
http://www.aul.org/2012/11/election-victories-voters-defend-life-from-conception-until-natural-death/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=election-victories-voters-defend-life-from-conception-until-natural-death

I get frustrated with people who don't like abortion but then won't really do anything to insist on getting it abolished:

http://forthelifeofthenation.blogspot.com/2012/11/pro-life-strategy-and-strengthening-our.html

Often, in the pro-life movement, we seem to focus on convincing abortion supporters to recognize the sacredness of the life of the unborn child. This is very important, but I believe it is even more important nowadays to make a special effort to strengthen the pro-life community. We must urgently strengthen the pro-life resolve of those who consider themselves pro-life, but make exceptions to the rule, as well as those who view themselves as personally pro-life, but do not allow their position to inform their political stance. We sometimes hear that the majority of Americans oppose abortion. Yet, Roe v. Wade remains in place, over a million of our children continue to be slaughtered every year, Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, receives hundreds of millions of our tax dollars every year, and the most aggressively pro-abortion President in our history has recently been re-elected to a second term.

The reason for all these horrors is that many Americans are pro-life in name, but not in fact. Studies have suggested that 61% of Americans believe that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, but only 22% believe it should be illegal in ALL cases. There is a huge gap there and it needs to be closed! Then we could be a real majority, and finally see some real change for the better. As long as all are not protected, none are truly protected. Children conceived in rape or incest are no less children than those conceived under any other circumstances. Victims of rape and incest deserve all our compassion and assistance. We cannot, however, help one innocent person by butchering another. In addition, the child is not only the rapist's child; he or she is also the rape victim's child. If we care about women, we should care about their children too. As for the life of the mother, it is never necessary to deliberately target the unborn child to save the mother. Terrible situations do arise, in which it is impossible to save both lives, and something has to be done immediately to save at least the mother's. This may tragically result in the child's death, but it is not the health provider's intention to destroy a human life. Quite the opposite, it is his or her intention to save as many human lives as possible.

We should feel perfectly comfortable, then, about opposing abortion in all cases. We must speak out boldly, using our talents tirelessly to defend the defenseless. In voting, the life issue must be the most important factor we consider. There is nothing else happening in our society that is such a terrible danger to our families, our communities, and our country. Abortion is destroying more lives than any other cause. It has already killed more Americans than all the wars in our history put together. Voting pro-life first is not even single-issue voting, because the right to life is a pre-condition for everything else that is good. Nor should anyone feel hesitant about imposing his or her pro-life views on the rest of society because we have separation of church and state. Abortion is a terrible sin in many religions, but then so are murder and rape. Should we allow murder and rape because these are "religious issues" and we cannot impose our views on anyone else? No, because reason as well as faith tells us they are evil. Everyone ought to be able to see that the purpose of law and government is the protection of the innocent. No one is more innocent than the unborn child. Stand firm, stand together against abortion, and our leaders will be forced to follow us.

http://forthelifeofthenation.blogspot.com/2013/03/terri-schiavos-family-and-vulnerability.html
http://forthelifeofthenation.blogspot.com/2013/02/abby-johnson-unplanned.html
http://forthelifeofthenation.blogspot.com/2013/01/rebecca-kiessling-gods-beauty.html

A few of the longer articles from my Americans for the Life of the Nation blog- for various reasons, I have a different account for that one from the main one I use for Cross of Laeken etc.