Welcome to The Vine, where every week I strive to bring you updates from around the pro-life community to help you keep up with the ever constant battle to save lives. If you aren’t plugged-in, it is my sincere hope that The Vine will allow you to get familiar with those on the front lines and find your place among them.
Yesterday families across the country celebrated Mother’s Day, giving thanks to all the women who have mothered be they biological, adoptive or other. For many, it was more of a difficult day: those who have experienced the death of their mother, the loss of a child, and/or the inability to have children.
For women who’ve had trouble having children, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has helped many achieve their dream of motherhood. Others, for whom IVF is not an option, have gone on to bless a child through adoption. On the rise is the option of gestational surrogacy, which is when a woman is hired to carry someone else’s baby. However, surrogacy is kind of a new frontier – it is illegal in some states and the laws surrounding surrogacy in other states make it difficult terrain to traverse. Aside from the obvious concerns of will the surrogate actually surrender the child to the intended parent(s), is it ethical to pay someone to carry your baby, ect., a new concern is on the horizon. As Strieff at RedState details, homosexual couples are turning to surrogacy to make up for the lack of a woman in their relationship. The issue of surrogacy is fraught with concerns and, in a country where any perceived “anti-gay” attitude causes an uproar, it promises to be a complicated but extremely important debate to be had.
Providing further evidence of a movement bent on silencing traditional Christian views, Home and Garden Television (HGTV) recently announced they were canceling their show, “Flip It Forward” which starred Christian twins, Jason and David Benham. The cancellation, according to Billy Hallowell at The Blaze, came shortly after some on the left expressed outrage over the brothers’ views on on abortion and gay marriage. The Vine has previously covered the outstanding work the Benham brothers do for life through their organization Cities4Life. No doubt, they will continue to do great work despite the left’s efforts against them, but HGTV should be ashamed that they allowed themselves to be bullied into canceling a show about helping others. Thankfully, other networks are proving to be more brave, as LifeNews is reporting that the Inspiration Network may pick up the show.
Another battle for control has been and will continue to be played out in our nation’s capital over the creation of a National Women’s History Museum. While a women’s history museum sounds like a wonderful idea, the plans for it unfortunately include celebrating radical feminism and Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. H.R. 863, the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Women’s History Museum Act (inexplicably cosponsored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn), was passed overwhelmingly last week according to LifeSiteNews. Fortunately, Rep. Michelle Bachmann was one of the few who stood against the bill so we know at least a few in Congress are aware of the latest attempt by feminists to glorify abortion.
Trying to sell the idea of abortion has led to some pretty gross moves by proaborts, but nothing quite like the move made by Emily Letts who supposedly filmed her abortion and posted it on YouTube. While I refuse to watch the video of a woman happily killing her child, various news outlets have reported the sad details. The Daily Caller reported that Letts described the murder of her child as a birth-like experience that made her feel good; which is, of course, what proaborts would like women to focus on: a culture so self-concerned that an innocent child shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way. It’s easy to be infuriated by Letts’ callus actions against her child, but when you read that she kept the sonogram it reveals something that leads to feeling very sorry for the young woman. Some day, Emily Letts may realize what she has done. And on top of that, she recorded the murder of her child, something 99.9% of other post-abortive mothers do not have to come to terms with.
The feelings of regret and guilt that overwhelm women after abortion often come as a surprise. Although the abortion industry uses women like Emily Letts to try to convince women otherwise, sites like AbortionTestimony.com and AbortionMemorial.com reveal the suffering of countless post-abortive women. To counteract the recent rise in efforts to whitewash the realities of abortion, pro-life activist Abby Johnson, along with four other post-abortive mothers, has written about the surprises she encountered after her abortion. It’s a difficult but necessary read for those fighting for the abolition of abortion; not only does reading the testimonies of post-abortive women help us to understand their feelings more, it allows us to share their stories with others who desperately need to hear the truth.
Such was the case recently for Bryan Kemper at Stand True, when he found himself in the position of trying to explain the truth about abortion to Sen. Mark Kirk. On a flight returning from a pro-life rally in Washington, DC, Kemper was surprised when the Republican revealed he votes for abortion. Additionally, Kirk said he considers serving his country more important than serving God. Kemper tried to explain to Kirk that he isn’t serving a vast portion of his constituents by allowing them to be killed in abortion, but for the time being Kirk unfortunately is blind to the truth.
Perhaps when The Gosnell Movie is made, a copy can be sent to Sen. Kirk. The movie officially achieved it’s fundraising goal LifeNews reported last Friday. Now that the funding has been reached, the filmmakers are hoping to secure a total of 30,000 contributors for a strong finish to their amazing campaign. Tweetfests to raise awareness of the film and to help them cross the finish line are already underway today, scheduled for 12-2pm EST and 8-9pm EST; the hashtag is #GosnellMovie.
It may be the case that the efforts to raise awareness about teen pregnancy have finally paid off, according to the latest statistics. National Right To Life News has reported that teen pregnancy, childbirth and abortion are all down to the lowest rates since Roe v. Wade. Personally my first experience with the abortion issue was in 9th grade, as I watched my best friend and her mom deal with their decision to abort her unborn baby. When her and her mother started suffering from nightmares about the baby, I really had no idea how to respond. With May being Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month, I’m thankful to Students For Life for their tips on how we can help teen pregnancy to continue it’s decline.
There are many reasons to be pro-life and for many of us our faith is part of that commitment. It has been in faith that I’ve prayed for my friend and her mother, in the knowledge that God can heal the wounds abortion caused their family. In my time as a Christian, I’ve noticed that the Catholic church takes a strong lead in helping the world to embrace the sanctity of life. I am not Catholic, but I have found Priests For Life to be an excellent resource for those in the pro-life movement who share the Christian faith. This week’s Branch For Life goes to Priests For Life for their unwavering dedication to protecting the pre-born. If you haven’t heard of them, I hope you enjoy the spirit of hope that embodies their organization. In an fight that can easily bring you to tears, Priests For Life can offer a taste of the living water that sustains us in the battle.
Until next week, I pray blessings for you and for all committed to life in The Vine. Please feel free to email or tweet me with any stories you’d like to see covered or any organizations you’d like to see as the Branch For Life!
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