Sunday, September 21, 2014

Back Alley Abortions - on Main Street, USA

 
"Back alley abortions. These three words commonly used by pro-abortion activists bring to mind a desperate woman secretively knocking on an unmarked door, whispering the name of a friend who referred her. The phrase conjures images of dirty instruments, brutal pain, infection and death.
With abortion now widely available—legal, safe and rare, so we’re told—this gruesome image is supposed to be a horror of the past.
Except it isn’t.
An Internet search on the phrase botched abortion brings up 540,000 results in a split second. Here’s a sampling from just the first page:
911 Call Warned Woman Dying from Botched Abortion (March 2014)
Planned Parenthood Settles $2 Million Case After Botched Abortion (Feb. 2014)
New lawsuit: Planned Parenthood forced, botched abortion (Feb. 2013)
Autopsy Proves Planned Parenthood Killed Woman in Botched Abortion(Sept. 2012)
And of course, the horror of Kermit Gosnell’s legal back-alley-style butcher shop in inner-city Philadelphia made headlines around the world.
The truth is, while “legal” still plagues those who fight against abortion and “rare” has long since surrendered, even “safe” offers no guarantee at all. The back alley is now Main Street, with the blessing of the U.S. Supreme Court." From Brad Mattes: http://www.lifeissues.org/thelatestnews.html
So, what can you do about all this? Pray! PRAY and FAST. St. Peter Chrysologus (died about 450, long before the parting of ways) said, "Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy...." Sounds like 40 Days for Life, doesn't it. Be PRAYERFULLY Pro-Life. be PEACEFULLY Pro-Life, showing mercy, never condemnation..
Sign up to pray one hour a week or 1 hour an day, THIS SUNDAY at your church. Then pick up a Yard Sign (suggested donation is $5) Be PUBLICALLY Pro-Life; put your sign along the street.
Prayer times start THIS Wednesday, September 24th and end November 2.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Abortions more dangerous than childbirth

Finally! A reputable study with national data from Denmark. A huge reputable study, showing beyond any reasonable doubt, that abortion is definitely more dangerous that childbirth. This is reported by Brad Mattes from Life Issues Institute, Inc:
http://www.lifeissues.org/breakingnews/2014/bn9-12-14.htm

Pro-abortion activists fight for abortion throughout pregnancy for any reason—no exceptions. Their fundamental argument centers on women’s health. But stunning research shows this concern is all smoke and mirrors. Pro-abortion activists have long tried to claim that abortion is safer than childbirth. For years they’ve touted manipulated numbers, trying in vain to bolster this myth.

We’ve always known those statistics were bogus, and a study by Dr. Priscilla Coleman and Dr. David Reardon reveals abortion is much more dangerous to women than giving birth. And the results are sadly even more devastating to women’s health than even I had anticipated.

First, let me [Brad Mattes] vouch for the authors of this research. I know them both to be solid individuals with a reputation for thoroughness. I met Dr. Coleman in Santiago, Chile where we lectured at their largest university. We again shared an academic podium in Quito, Ecuador the following year.

Second, allow me to explain why this study is so important. It’s compelling because of its unmatched scope: The study includes a large number of women—nearly one-half-million—experiencing first-time pregnancies. The medical records are profoundly reliable because the data was compiled from Danish government sources including fertility records of births and stillbirths, the national abortion registry and cause of death registry. The study covers an extensive ten-year time period, providing comprehensive long-term data. It analyzes both early and late-term abortion compared to childbirth. In other words, this isn’t a biased study with a relatively small sample size produced to cater to pro-abortion activists—or any side for that matter. This research was conducted at the national level, over the course of a decade, providing substantial credibility, a comprehensive level of detail, as well as earning publication in respected medical journals. The reliability has been substantiated, which is why the results are even more troubling.        

 When it comes to which is safer—abortion or childbirth—the results speak loudly and clearly:
  • During the first six months after an early abortion (12 weeks or less), a woman has double the risk of death compared to giving birth.
  • During the first year following a late abortion (after 12 weeks) a woman has over three times the risk of death compared to giving birth.

Please share this freely with your neighbors. This is BIG!

"Old White Guys"

Saturday, there were escorts, so very little information was shared on the sidewalk. But it was interesting: all the escorts at my gate were "old white guys." Isn't that what "they" say makes up the pro-life community? I would have sworn I've heard that slur. Well, Saturday the "old white guys" were guarding the gates of PP.
One even had a button that read, "I (heart) pro-choice girls." This on a white-haired, long-haired, old hippie type male. Reckon he "loved" them because they wouldn't mind destroying the evidence? It was a little scary to me!
Was it the same guy? I'm not sure of that, but one of the guys had lots of bumper stickers on his car. One read: There is no flag big enough to cover the shedding of innocent blood. That one I liked! But why was it on HIS car? Apparently, he didn't see the irony of his guarding PP's ability to shedding MUCH innocent blood while his bumper sticker proclaimed it evil.
Saturday was the Walk for Life. I did NOT make my goal of $1200 (It's wrong on the website, and there's a gremlin living there who won't let me fix it.) However, the Coalition says we have until October 4th to get some more money. Sooo, if you have a spare dime... https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/1486209f3b234064?compose=14862a590c909b0d
Tuesday we saved just one baby - the baby God wanted most that day. Surely He NEVER started a baby just to be aborted, but He gave us that free will.
Oh, that one day we all choose to do what HE wants.
40 Days for Life starts Wednesday, September 24th with SYATP. Day before that is the Kick-Off and Pastor's Dinner in Conroe; day after is the WPCC Fundraising Banquet at Camp Allen.
On your mark...

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Depo-Prevora and Pregnant

 
We saved a baby, but we also had a quite a scare with this couple. After visiting the Blue Bus, and so deciding FOR life, (for this their second baby,) they then drove into PP's parking lot! What gives? I prayed harder...Two hours later they came out, assured me that yes, they were keeping the baby, and drove off.
So what gave? Only the Lord himself knows for sure, but I hope they were raising a scene in there! She had been on Depo-Prevora (ie, "the shot".) Had PP warned her that it WASN"T all that effective? She was NOT our first client to be pregnant while on Depo. I hope she raised her voice and let others in there know what was what!
Not only is it not so effective, one of the more common side-effects is to make one FAT! Ummm, Like all the hormonal contraceptives. Heard anything about an epidemic of obesity in America? Didn't it start about the same time as "the pill"? Of course, I'm obese, and I've never been on those hormones, but it does raise a question...
3. Speaking of letting others know...One woman came in, 11-12 weeks pregnant, not wanting an abortion. She said, "They told me to come to the blue Bus." They? PP? We never found out, but there have been other women who have stated up front that they "wanted their babies," who have been directed by PP employees to come to our bus.
4. Watch for more details - National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children is Sept 13, at Forest Lawn Cemetery , Almeda-Genoa Rd, Houston. I'll be there - can you?

Friday, April 18, 2014

Good Friday Baby Save



It was definitely a GOOD Friday for one little child - a six week old preborn baby who NOW has a chance of being born!
The Holy Spirit was at work (as usual) on the sidewalk today. When I arrived, each driveway had several sidewalk counselors, so I moved to the corner where the cars turn to get to the driveways. Well, there were LOTS of cars turning - but most of them were pray-ers looking for a parking spot. So, I directed parking even as I stopped cars to pass out info.
 
About 10:05 a.m., just after the Stations of the Cross had begun, there was quite a traffic jam of parkers. Into the fray comes an older car. (How old? Well, it had fins!) I stop the male driver who was alone in the car.
"Are you picking up someone?"
"My cousin."
"Did she go in for an abortion?"
"Huh? I just dropped her off."
"Well, this IS the largest known abortion center in the world."
"What???"
"When did you drop her off? You'd better go get her!"
So he did! About 30 minutes later, they drive out and they are smiling. He DID stop the abortion. Yes, that was why she needed the ride. Perhaps she had never told anyone she was pregnant. But as a cousin, apparently he was willing to step up and be a support for her!
FAMILY - what a wonderful gift from God! And Praise Him for this baby save!

Thursday, September 19, 2013


“I’m pregnant, and I want an abortion.”

How should one react when a friend says those words?

My colleagues and I are routinely (and as recently as the day I write this) contacted by friends (and strangers!) who have friends who are considering abortion.  “What should I do?” they ask. “What should I say?” they wonder.
Their concern is the well-being of their friend and her pre-born child; they don’t want her to go ahead with the abortion, but they come to us because they recognize a noble desire, while necessary, is not sufficient to save a life.  How do they actually achieve their mind-changing goal?  They follow these four steps:
  1. Seek to Understand
  2. Support Her
  3. Inform Her
  4. Be Unwavering
Let’s look at each in more detail, with practical tools to get the message out:
  1. Seek to Understand

Think through your past to a time when you felt utterly overwhelmed and afraid.  Think about an experience of despair where you felt helpless.  Think about what it’s like to feel panic—to feel trapped—and how that affects your decisions.
A woman facing an unplanned pregnancy may feel any number of emotions like the above, and anything you say or do is seen through the lens of what she’s feeling.  Rather than start your exchange by jumping onto a soap box, instead, grab a Kleenex box and ask questions that give her a chance to express herself.
Truly and deeply listen to her—what are her concerns?  People not only need to be heard, they need to feel heard.  This is achieved through affirming truth she’s expressed, and communicating compassion:
  • “There is no denying that is a really difficult situation…” or,
  • “That is really tough; I’m sorry for your suffering…” or,
  • “If I’m hearing you correctly it sounds like the crisis is overwhelming, and I can imagine it would be…” 
Notice what you’re not doing here—you’re not saying something false (“I know what it’s like” when you, in fact, don’t know what it’s like); rather, you’re formulating words that acknowledge you understand her feelings are consistent with her crisis.
From this expression of compassion, you seek to understand by asking questions that will give her a chance to express herself, and to help identify what she’s most concerned about (which you need to know in order to address the problem—you cannot alleviate a problem you do not know exists).
For example, ask her, “Why do you want an abortion?”
cutepregnantHer response will likely involve expressing concerns about money, school, lack of support from her partner or family, feelings of inadequacy, or perhaps even pressure to abort.
What does this show?  She does not desire abortion as an end in and of itself; rather, she sees it as a means to address a problem. Once she identifies the problem, suggest other means to address it, always through the approach of asking questions:
  • “I’m sad for you that your parents said they’d kick you out.  You’re right to be devastated by that.  What if I was to let you live with me? Would that help? [Or, what if I was to connect you to a place where you could live?]”
  • “If I’m hearing you right, it sounds like you don’t have the resources to care for a child.  What if I was to connect you to a centre that will give you the resources you need?”
RESOURCES: Listing of pregnancy help centres: helpforpregnancy.ca and heartbeatinternational.org.
  • “It sounds like you don’t feel prepared to parent a child right now, and I can understand that.  What do you think about adoption?”
RESOURCES: theradiancefoundation.org/topics/the-beauty-of-adoption, Bethany.org,  adoptionincanada.ca.
  • “When a person receives a poor prenatal diagnosis, it can be scary to envision a future where the child has a disability.  Have you heard of stories of people who have had positive experiences caring for children with special needs? May I share some of these with you?”
RESOURCES: iamviable.com, aspecialmotherisborn.blogspot.com, “Choosing Thomas
Questioning is not only important to identify her motivations to abort so you can provide alternatives, but questioning is an important tool to help her explore her “gut” feelings about abortion.  Questions that help her think beyond the present scenario, to imagine a positive situation in the future when she’s pregnant, can help bring to light her own negative feelings about the abortion procedure:
  • “Given that you just said you don’t even love the child’s father, I can understand it would be hard to envision parenting the baby.  Something that’s worth considering is if your scenario was just the opposite—if you were happily married and pregnant with a child you’d tried for so long to be pregnant with, would you ever consider abortion?  [After her answer: Why not?]”
  • “If your parents wouldn’t kick you out of the house, would you be less likely to consider abortion? Why?”
  • “If you had the financial resources you needed to raise another (or this) child, would you want to carry through with the pregnancy? Why do you think that is?”
NOTE: The point of these questions is to draw out of her any instinctive feelings of revulsion toward abortion—if she articulates that she would never kill her child in these scenarios, you can now explore her thoughts that it is a child, and whether the difficulty of her situation changes what the child is.
  1. Support Her

There’s something terrifying about being alone in moments of crisis.  There is something comforting about sharing, even a hard experience, with another soul.
A true friend will stand by her throughout this unplanned pregnancy.  If she feels abandoned, then she may run to the abortion which she feels will get her “out” of this experience of crisis and “aloneness.”  Knowing she has someone to stand by her through the crisis will make it easier.
Offer to be with her when she has difficult conversations with her relatives or boyfriend/husband.  Offer to go with her to the doctor.  Time is of the essence in these situations and so is generous, self-less help.  If you have to miss work or school to accompany her to a pro-life doctor the next morning, do it.  Offer to accompany her to a pregnancy help centre.  As a friend, it’s important to remember you aren’t a professional.  Correspondingly, remember that professionals aren’t friends, and offering to be present when she gets assistance from them will make her feel more supported than simply giving her a phone number to call.
NOTE: When she gets professional assistance, ensure that the people you recommend for this are 100% pro-life.
Tragically, some individuals and groups that are labeled “Christian” don’t always hold a consistent pro-life ethic, and this requires you be extra vigilant in your recommendations.
FURTHER NOTE: Get to know your local pro-life doctors and local pregnancy care center staff as soon as possible, before you meet someone in crisis.  The more information you can give to your friend about who works where, what they offer, and how friendly they are, the more likely it will be that she will call or visit.  And remember—offer to accompany her.
Part of being a support is helping her see goodness in a future that she thinks looks grim.  Being on the outside, you have the chance to paint a picture of hope when she feels despair, to help her consider how short-term gain can bring about long-term pain, whereas short-term pain can bring about long-term gain.
This message, handed out by pro-life activist Mary Wagner to women going to abortion clinics, speaks important words of hope to women in crisis: “You were made to love and to be loved.  Your goodness is greater than the difficulties of your situation. Circumstances in life change.  A new life, however tiny, brings the promise of unrepeatable joy.  There is still hope!”
  1. Inform Her

It is possible to communicate truth without love, but it is impossible to communicate love without truth.  Loving your friend therefore means communicating the truth about the abortion she says she wants.
Certainly how you communicate that truth matters.  You need to be sensitive and should continue to use questions as much as possible, but you nonetheless need to impart some hard truths.  When providing information, you should convey three things:
  • The humanity of her pre-born child,
  • The inhumane nature of abortion, and
  • How abortion can hurt her
Let’s look at each of these in more detail:
The humanity of her pre-born child
A lot of women are unaware of just how rapidly their pre-born children are growing (for example, that a baby’s heartbeat has been detected at 3 weeks, and brainwaves have been detected at 6 weeks).  Ask a question like this:
“May I take you to a site which has amazing scientific facts of your baby’s development?”
RESOURCE: Fetal-maternal health website with prenatal development facts, along with actual video footage and 3D and 4D ultrasound: ehd.org
Helping her bond with her child is key; two other ways to do this is through giving her a fetal model to hold, which helps her visualize her baby, and encouraging her to give a nickname to her child, for it’s harder to kill someone we’ve named and connected with.
RESOURCE: First-trimester fetal model: heritagehouse76.com/details.aspx?prod_id=3378 (or ask your local pro-life society to give you one)
The inhumane nature of abortion
Remember, you’re having this conversation with your friend because she said she wants an abortion.  But does she know what abortion actually entails?  It is essential that you convey the facts of the procedure.  You can ask,
“What do you know of the abortion procedure?  I have some knowledge of abortion and I believe you deserve to know what I do. May I share some information with you?”
RESOURCES: CCBR abortion videos: unmaskingchoice.ca/videos; Nucleus Medical Media: nucleusinc.com (search Suction & Curettage abortion at 9 weeks; D &E at 14 weeks).
When trying to explain that your motivation to share what you know comes from a place of goodness, you could use this analogy:
“Imagine there’s water with poison in it—whoever drinks it will die. Now imagine you are thirsty and, not knowing the water is poisoned, you drink it.  Would you have knowingly committed suicide?”  She’ll say no.  Then continue, “Now imagine that I know there’s poison in the water and you don’t.  I see you grab the glass and I don’t warn you what’s in it.  You drink it and die.  Have I just been an accomplice to your murder?”  She’ll say yes.  Then connect the dots: “In the same way, I know some pretty shocking things about the abortion procedure, and if I don’t share these things, then I’d be guilty of withholding life-saving information.  That’s not fair to you.”
Some people have an unfounded fear that using graphic pictures could do harm to a woman faced with an unplanned pregnancy. You don’t lose anything by showing her graphic pictures. But you potentially lose something by not showing the pictures: her baby’s life.
Remember all the fears that are motivating your friend to abort? Those fears are very real in her mind; they are immediate problems. If she continues to maintain the idea that her pre-born child is not a baby and that abortion is not an act of violence that will kill that baby, then it will be easier for her to have the abortion than to deal with her problems. Your challenge is to make your friend more horrified of the abortion than she is terrified of her unplanned pregnancy. Graphic pictures do that.
Admittedly, you need to be discerning in your one-on-one interactions about when to use any material. Be gentle, listen, and when it comes to showing pictures, tell her that you care for her and that you want her to be informed of everything she needs to know about abortion.
Finally, be encouraged that using this information doesn’t just work in theory—it works in practice.  For example, a Los Angeles pregnancy center not only offers to show an abortion video to each client, but they provide a copy of that video for the client to take home.  In 2011, they conducted a survey of all mothers who chose life for their babies at the centre after initially contemplating abortion.  80% of their clients who chose life said the video was the number one thing that helped them choose life for their babies.
When the women take a copy of the video home with them, it also helps them to convince husbands, boyfriends, parents or other people who might be pressuring them to abort that abortion is a terrible choice.  Showing the abortion video to parents pressuring their teen to abort helps them to understand the profound damage to their daughter (and grandchild) whom they love and want to protect.  It is good to show the video to everyone influencing her decision.  Further, some clients have reported giving their copy of the video to pregnant friends who in turn opted against abortion.
That is consistent with this post below one of CCBR’s abortion videos on Youtube:
“A big thank you goes out to whoever posted this video.  I scheduled an appointment with Planned Parenthood to have this procedure and wanted to learn more because they wouldn’t give me any information. I’m calling to cancel right now. I don’t want my baby ripped to shreds.”
How abortion can hurt her
Because abortion kills children it hurts women.  It goes against human nature to kill one’s offspring—that is why abortion can adversely affect women emotionally.  It goes against the nature of a woman’s body to unnaturally and prematurely interrupt pregnancy the way abortion does—that is why abortion can adversely affect women physically.  Consider asking your friend,
“Have you heard about the complication risks of abortion?  May I share what I know with you?”
RESOURCES: deveber.org/summary-womens-health-after-abortion, abortionbreastcancer.com, afterabortion.org, silentnomoreawareness.org
  1. Be Unwavering

Remember the earlier comment that being alone in moments of crisis is terrifying?  That is true not only for the unplanned pregnancy, but also for the abortion procedure.  The act of abortion could be, in her mind, a terrifying moment she wishes not to endure alone.  Knowing she’ll be without a friend could be enough to convince her not to do it.  But if you are present, that could make her abortion experience easier to endure. This is why it is essential that if, after your best effort to convince her of abortion’s wrongness, she goes ahead with the procedure, that you not go with her, not drop her off, not pick her up, not facilitate her decision in any way.
Keep this principle in mind: friends don’t drive friends to abortion clinics.  After all, if your friend was going to beat up her baby brother and you failed in convincing her not to, would you participate in that action, even if only to “be there to support her”?
If your friend does abort and then realizes at some future point that she made a mistake, and if you had in some way facilitated that abortion, she’ll wonder why you did that when you knew it was wrong. She may even hold you partially responsible, and rightly so. But if you demonstrate integrity through your unwavering views and consistent action, this could be the factor that convinces your friend not to have the abortion—after all, actions speak louder than words.
Consider how you could explain your refusal to go with her:
“Because I love you, I can’t go with you.  Because to love you is to desire your good, and I know too much—I can’t erase what I know about abortion and I know it won’t be good for you or your baby.  If I go with you, if I help you get there, then I’d be betraying you.  I’d no longer be guided by what’s best for you, but what’s best for me (namely, just making sure you aren’t mad at me). I love you enough that I’ll endure you being mad at me—even feeling hate towards me—rather than help you do something I fear you’ll regret in the future.”
Hopefully, though, it won’t come to making that statement.  Because when you seek to understand and communicate truth in love, you can go far in convincing your friend to make a life-affirming choice.
LifeNews Note: Stephanie is a seasoned and international presenter who began speaking in 1999 at the age of 18 and who co-founded her national organization (which has grown to almost 20 staff) at the age of 20. She has given pro-life presentations across North America as well as in the United Kingdom, Latvia, and Costa Rica. Reprinted with permission of Live Action News.





Witnessing a baby save!
 
I was alone on the sidewalk outside that HUGE abortion center in Houston.
 
A woman, call her Aretha, I didn't remember seeing before, walked out the other driveway, phone to her ear. I watched to see if I could help her, then turned away as a car came to my driveway. When I turned back to see what had happened, Aretha was almost to me. "What's this about the ultrasound. How does it work?" I explained that one just went into the bus, it was all free. We gave the Mom the pictures right then. (PP only gives the pictures the NEXT day. Umm when the abortion is scheduled???)
 
So Aretha went into the bus. Sometime later, she came from the bus, carrying the telltale baby blanket and string of pictures, crossed the street to me. "I just want to tell you, thank you!" she said. "I saw you out here when I came in and just couldn't sit in there any longer. Thank you!" She went back into the parking lot of PP. Next I saw her in a cab, leaving.
 
I had seen one cab that morning. The driver had NOT stopped. (Some do.) I had NOT spoken to Aretha before she approached me. I was just there. And by being there, I witnessed a miracle!
 
Aretha had just seen the head of her baby at Planned Parenthood. (Common story. When only the head of the baby (from the top, looking down,) is shown, it's easy for the abortionist to "explain" that "it's too young for movement" or "it's just a clump of cells..." Praise the Lord, the BLUE BUS was there, and God saved Aretha's baby!
 
Remember, I had NOT spoken to Aretha before she approached me. I was just there. And by being there, I witnessed a miracle!
 
You could be there next time! You could witness the miracle! Consider joining us on the sidewalk.