by Cheri Mallahan | May 1, 2015 | Uncategorized |
May 8th, 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the surrender of German forces and the liberation of the concentration camps used in WWII to systematically murder and persecute millions of people. The upcoming day has caused me to reflect and think about the Holocaust and the estimated 11 million people who lost their lives. I’ve been thinking about the people who survived and how most of them have passed away, taking their stories and memories with them. And I’ve been thinking about the moment that the Holocaust shifted from being a subject I learned about in school; a chapter in a history textbook accompanied by an appropriate-for-elementary-school photo of some sad scared kids behind a fence to something that really happened. That moment came one summer afternoon at my grandparents’ house. Their home was like a museum – packed full of all of the things that make up a life. My grandpa was something of a pack rat, never getting rid of anything. When an aunt had gone back to visit in her 20’s she cleaned out her things and dropped them off at a local second hand store. After she left my grandpa went down to the store and convinced them that there had been a mistake. He brought everything home and put it all back where it had been. My grandparents raised 7 children in this place and the bedrooms and main rooms of the house looked the same as they did 20-30 years prior. Closets and dressers still full of teenagers’ things: perfume bottles, journals, MAD magazines, clothing, high school reports, trophies and 4H ribbons. ...
by Tom | Apr 23, 2015 | Uncategorized |
The organization called Abolish Human Abortion (AHA) is now well known for its vocal condemnation of the pro-life movement seeking to pass laws which will save only some babies from abortion. From their perspective, any legislation which does not ban all abortions is a compromise with the abortion industry, sends some number of babies to their deaths, and is therefore to be vehemently opposed and decried as immoral. Under this logic, parental notification laws, waiting periods, health codes, bans on late term abortions are all incremental measures and, on principle, not to be supported. From AHA’s website: “You cannot abolish any evil by justifying or allowing it to continue in some cases. Any strategy for ending abortion in this country which allows for the continued occurrence of some abortions for the sake of eventually outlawing the rest, though seemingly pragmatic, is compromise and it’s [sic] promises of effectiveness are false.” A recent meme developed by AHA and shared on Facebook attacks Fr. Frank Pavone, founder and director of Priests for Life, for promoting legislation in Montana which would provide anesthesia to preborn babies who are at least 20 weeks old and about to be aborted. I made the following response in the same Facebook thread: “To rip off the arm or leg of a 20-week-old-or-more unborn baby is barbaric; to do it without at least giving the child an anesthetic beforehand is just plain sadistic,” said Fr. Pavone. AHA falsely portrays Pavone as someone who simply wants babies sedated before they are butchered. What AHA fails to see is that fighting over legislation to numb the baby’s pain makes...
by Ellie Peck | Apr 7, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Last month, I wrote about one of the ways Christians might be sabotaging the pro-life movement. I wish there was only one way but in fact, I think using exclusively religious language to frame our debate is only part of the problem. There is an even stronger method of self defeat in which we are engaging that has the potential to do far more damage to the cause of the unborn. And it’s something good mothers do every day… * * * Once upon a time, I was a typical, passionate activist. I stood outside the Planned Parenthoods; I engaged in debates on college campus; I wrote ardent letters to the newspaper, sought out discussions online and bought my pro-life checks. I did what I could to help further the Pro-Life cause. And I felt righteous… checking off that box of good behavior and moving along. After having a few children, my activity subsided. Some women can strap a baby on their back and buckle a toddler in a stroller and brave the elements to march the rallies. I commend and respect these women. But I was not one of them. See, I was busy sabotaging their efforts in the daily grind of my life. It took me a while to notice, but the reality is now clear as day; the fight to change our culture of death is fought on both the public and private fronts, and in many different venues. Where I was failing, and where so many ‘pro-life’ mothers also struggle, is in our attitudes. In what we show to the world, we are often...
by Ellie Peck | Mar 21, 2015 | Uncategorized |
You can’t have it both ways. You can hurt and be angry for the victim of the most recent “womb robbery” whose baby died but she will survive. You can be disturbed at the disorder that would cause a woman to want to cut open a 7 month pregnant belly and try to remove the baby. Be horrified. But the worst you can call it is 1st Degree Assault and “Unlawful Termination of Pregnancy”. But your sympathy can only go so far. You can’t with a clear conscience, join with the voice of the victim to claim that her baby was killed, at least not if you are an abortion rights supporter. The sympathy offered has to be abbreviated lest the double standard show. Colorado law allows for outpatient abortions up to 26 weeks and ‘medically indicated’ (e.g. if the baby has a genetic disorder or fetal anomaly) abortions up to 34 weeks. The baby that was killed on the 18th was about 28 weeks or so… in the gray area of whether or not he or she could be considered a human being. According to law, either a pregnancy was unlawfully terminated, or a baby was killed. A matter of days on either side of the 26 weeks could be the deciding factor, or whether the baby took only one gasp of air or five… if any. The absurdity of dancing the viability dance and ‘born alive’ clauses seem to cruise by our national conscience unchecked. Supposedly Americans generally support abortion in cases of rape and incest. Yet most Americans feel increasingly uncomfortable with abortion as a pregnancy progresses. Viability...
by Val Ramseyer | Mar 17, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Recently I received an e-mail about a Bill being heard in the Washington State Senate. It’s a parental notification bill. In Washington State, and 11 other states in the country (and Washington DC), a minor girl does not need consent from her parents to procure an abortion. For most people, the image that comes to mind when we think of parental notification is a girl ashamed of her teen pregnancy, wanting to hide from her parents. While this sad scenario is probably common, a more sinister and dangerous problem lurks behind minors getting abortions without parental consent. Imagine checking your voicemail and hearing the sweet voice of your teenage daughter saying, “Hey mom (or dad), I’m going to the Mall with some friends. We’re just going to hang out for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll be home around dinner.” She doesn’t come home. She is brought home months later, rescued from a sex trafficking ring. She has been abused, raped, and given an abortion. That last part? Yeah, that’s legal in California, Connecticut, Washington DC, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington (according to the Planned Parenthood website). In these states, helping a minor procure an abortion without notifying her parents is perfectly legal. For pro-lifers this is horrifying and infuriating. As it turns out, it’s even infuriating for some pro-choicers, like this mom. This seems ridiculous doesn’t it? They are minors after all. We have laws against minors drinking alcohol, buying cigarettes, having sex with adults, and minors in pornography. Laws against minors having abortions without notifying their parents? What? No way!...
by Cheri Mallahan | Mar 11, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Did you read the comments on Ellie’s post from last week How Christians Might Be Sabotaging the Pro-Life Movement? They were just as interesting as the post! Ellie’s post went live and within 24 hours there were over 60 comments, plus more on Facebook. The response was more than I was anticipating, and I was relieved to see that the majority of the comments were encouraging and positive. But there was some debate and infighting and name calling, and to be honest, my heart sank a little. Granted, I’ve heard worse between my own five young sons (“Dummy” is the insult of the week), but it was still discouraging for me. It wasn’t even pro-lifers arguing with people who are pro-choice! It was people who all want the same thing. It left me wondering: Is our best energy spent arguing with one another? We are on the SAME team. We all want the same thing, right? I agreed to be a part of this blog because I fully support the Anti-Choice Project and its mission of making abortion impossible to ignore or trivialize and I want to step up my involvement in ending this holocaust. But is this really something I want to deal with? Maybe my skin is too thin. Is this what it means to be pro-life: Pointing out straw-man arguments like it’s my part-time job? Trying to outdo another with my ability to copy and paste Bible verses to prove a point? After reading all of the comments on Ellie’s post from last Monday, I was doubting myself. Maybe it’s better to stay under the...
