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.

One of the most important aspects of the pro-life movement is conveying the personal stories that go along with why we fight for the unborn. If you’ve spent any time focused on the issue on life, you’ve no doubt heard stories of abortion regret, stories of conversion to being pro-life, and maybe stories of run-ins with pro-aborts. As is the case with any issue to be tackled, personal stories are excellent for helping us really understand the issue of abortion on a deeper level.  Unlike most other issues, reading and sharing the truth about abortion can be an extremely difficult task; yet it is one from which we cannot shy away.

Recently, on LifeNews, the story of aborted quadruplets was told from the perspective of a former clinic worker who had suffered through the event. The worker, who reached out to Abby Johnson’s organization for abortion workers And Then There Were None after her experience, told of how she (along with another co-worker) sobbed after two of the babies came out with their arms wrapped around each other. Johnson then conveyed the story to Sarah Terzo, who runs ClinicQuotes.com, who posted the story at Life News as well as her own site. It’s not an easy story to read but it is an important story to share.

Equally important is understanding the diversity within our movement. While many pro-lifers are Christian, there are still many others who do not share all of our beliefs but fight alongside us for the unborn.  It’s a conversation not seen, but certainly one that should be had. Terzo, mentioned above, is a pro-life Atheist. In another LifeNews post, she discusses the rejection she has felt from the pro-life movement. “Almost half” of pro-lifers she polled said they would not work or march beside an Atheist. She has been turned down to volunteer at multiple pregnancy care centers. Democrats For Life has previously shared the same complaints with me. It boggles the mind why anyone with a heart for unborn children would be turned down for participation in the movement. Surely no one believes that every woman considering abortion is Christian, so why would we deny them counsel from those with which they may feel more comfortable talking? And what kind of witness are we giving when we turn away nonbelievers?

If discord is to be had, let it stay within the pro-abort groups. As Jill Stanek reports, abortion groups are now publicly fighting with each other and actually attacking Planned Parenthood! Perhaps this is the result of the previously reported dissatisfaction pro-choice supporters are feeling in light of the many strides being made for life.

Stanek describes our movement as being “focused like a laser beam” which may explain why a new pro-choice ad by Democratic Sen. Mark Udall is not going unnoticed for it’s distasteful use of a child in the ad. According to The Daily Caller, Udall’s ad presents a supposed mother holding her young daughter while she discusses the importance of abortion. One can can assume no one told the poor girl exactly what her mother was suggesting and it’s unsettling to see a child used in that fashion; but it speaks to how far pro-aborts will go to drive home their lies.

In the continued efforts to speak truth into the culture, one mother and pro-life advocate has written a pro-life book titled Blue. Described at Live Action News as a “pro-life allegorical suspense novel,” author Kasey Jackson combined historical events with a fictional story that promises to help elevate the discussion of abortion between pro-lifers and pro-choicers alike. To have a book that can be shared across lines is an exciting step in the right direction and, hopefully, can help the pro-life movement convey our message in a way not utilized enough.

Books with a pro-life message aren’t new but the timing of Blue is excellent considering The Giver will be in theaters this Friday! Seeing the pro-life message in a Hollywood film is a breath of fresh air and The Giver delivers it without question. I was lucky enough to see the movie in advance, which I wrote about here.

Our movement is expanding, both culturally and on the inside. This week’s Branch for Life goes to Sarah Terzo for her coverage of the abortion issue at Live Action News and her fantastic website ClinicQuotes.com. Despite being hurt by some in the pro-life movement, she has remained strong in courageously defending life. We need more like Terzo and I pray she leads the way for them.

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. And don’t forget to check out The Vine’s list on Twitter to stay up-to-date on current news in the pro-life movement!

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