As we prepare on this Good Friday to celebrate our hopes through the resurrection of Jesus, let us reaffirm the value and inviolability of every human life. On March 25 we observed the International Day of the Unborn Child, and it was on this day in 1995 that Pope St. John Paul II issued his timeless encyclical Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life). I have selected excerpts from his writings for this post, for who could deliver this message better. He reaffirms the “greatness and the inestimable value of human life.” For the sake of brevity in this limited space, I have copied parts of his text with intent to make the overall message flow with fidelity. However, I urge the reader to soak up this wisdom by meditating on the entire encyclical: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae.html

For people of all faith traditions, he offered the following quotation from Vatican II thirty years previous to his encyclical in 1995: “The Second Vatican Council, in a passage which retains all its relevance today, forcefully condemned a number of crimes and attacks against human life. Thirty years later, taking up the words of the Council and with the same forcefulness I repeat that condemnation in the name of the whole Church, certain that I am interpreting the genuine sentiment of every upright conscience: ‘Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or wilful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others like them are infamies indeed. They poison human society, and they do more harm to those who practice them than to those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator’.”

He goes on: “The end result of this is tragic: not only is the fact of the destruction of so many human lives still to be born or in their final stage extremely grave and disturbing, but no less grave and disturbing is the fact that conscience itself, darkened as it were by such widespread conditioning, is finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and evil in what concerns the basic value of human life.”

“Today there exists a great multitude of weak and defenseless human beings, unborn children in particular, whose fundamental right to life is being trampled upon. If, at the end of the last century [the 1800s] the Church could not be silent about the injustices of those times, still less can she be silent today, when the social injustices of the past, unfortunately not yet overcome, are being compounded in many regions of the world by still more grievous forms of injustice and oppression, even if these are being presented as elements of progress in view of a new world order.”

“To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love.”

“In fact, while the climate of widespread moral uncertainty can in some way be explained by the multiplicity and gravity of today’s social problems, and these can sometimes mitigate the subjective responsibility of individuals, it is no less true that we are confronted by an even larger reality, which can be described as a veritable structure of sin. This reality is characterized by the emergence of a culture which denies solidarity and in many cases takes the form of a veritable ‘culture of death’.”

“Individuals, families, groups and associations, albeit for different reasons and in different ways, all have a responsibility for shaping society and developing cultural, economic, political and legislative projects which, with respect for all and in keeping with democratic principles, will contribute to the building of a society in which the dignity of each person is recognized and protected and the lives of all are defended and enhanced.”

“The family has a special role to play throughout the life of its members, from birth to death. It is truly “the sanctuary of life: the place in which life-the gift of God-can be properly welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth. Consequently the role of the family in building a culture of life is decisive and irreplaceable.”

“No less critical in the formation of conscience is the recovery of the necessary link between freedom and truth. As I have frequently stated, when freedom is detached from objective truth it becomes impossible to establish personal rights on a firm rational basis; and the ground is laid for society to be at the mercy of the unrestrained will of individuals or the oppressive totalitarianism of public authority. Where God is denied and people live as though he did not exist, or his commandments are not taken into account, the dignity of the human person and the inviolability of human life also end up being rejected or compromised.”

While reading his entire encyclical, one sees that he makes the case for how the Church’s teachings regarding human life are at the heart of Jesus’ entire Gospel message. “The Gospel is meant to permeate all cultures and give them life from within, so that they may express the full truth about the human person and about human life. “

“We need to begin with the renewal of a culture of life within Christian communities themselves. Too often it happens that believers, even those who take an active part in the life of the Church, end up by separating their Christian faith from its ethical requirements concerning life, and thus fall into moral subjectivity and certain objectionable ways of acting. With great openness and courage, we need to question how widespread is the culture of life today among individual Christians, families, groups and communities in our Dioceses. With equal clarity and determination we must identify the steps we are called to take in order to serve life in all its truth. At the same time, we need to promote a serious and in-depth exchange about basic issues of human life with everyone, including non-believers, in intellectual circles, in the various professional spheres and at the level of people’s everyday life.”

Indeed, there is much work to be done if we are to honor what Jesus has called us to so. Let us all find that place in which we can do our part in “Building a Culture of Life.”

I will end this post, fittingly, I hope, with an admonition of Pope St. John Paul II that I hold dear to my heart: “Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination.”

If you have been reading my posts, you know about the challenging issues of when a new human life begins and when preborn humans in the womb become people. The seminal issue in the pro-life movement now is the assertion that a fertilized human egg becomes a person at the moment of conception and is entitled by our Constitution to protection of its life.

The scientific fact that a new human life with unique DNA begins at the moment of conception is indisputable. That does not keep some people from saying that they know that abortion is the killing of a developing human being and that they still think abortion should be a free choice by the mother. Of course, that leads to questions concerning what age in the womb or after birth and at any other time in life should a person be legally able to take the life of another human being. If we do not respect life in all stages, then why respect life in any stage. If it is OK to kill an unborn child, then why should we be concerned when someone puts a newborn baby in the trash or shoots up a school to kill children or shoots down our citizens in the streets?

In my book Building a Culture of Life, I discuss the demographics of women who choose abortion and the reasons for that choice. I have a talk on this subject, as well. Therefore, I will not at this time delve further into the difficult circumstances in which women often find themselves, nor will I elaborate on what we can do to minimize such hardships. I also cannot spend space here on the issues of IVF. There is a brief discussion of IVF under a tab on the home page, and it is further discussed in my book.

Rather, at this time, let us return to the question of whether a human egg fertilized by sperm outside the body is a person from the moment of that fertilization. In IVF, several fertilized eggs are allowed to undergo several cell divisions in the lab, the beginnings of development into a baby. Then, some of the eggs that are judged to be the “best” are implanted into the womb of the mother. The others are frozen for possible use in the future if a viable pregnancy does not occur with the first attempt.

At first, the answer would seem to be that a new human person begins development into a baby from the moment the egg is fertilized, no matter whether it was fertilized in the woman’s body or in the lab outside her body. That seems intuitive. However, it not only raises question of whether the frozen embryos are people, but whether they are property, and are they heritable, and what act is it if those embryos are destroyed. If killing a baby in the womb is homicide, then the question is whether destroying frozen embryos is also homicide. And, that gets us to the point of this post.

At a fertility clinic in Alabama, three women underwent IVF and delivered healthy babies. Their excess fertilized eggs were frozen for possible use in future. “In December 2020, a patient of that hospital entered the fertility clinic’s cryo-preservation unit and opened one of the tanks in which frozen embryos are stored. These embryos are stored at sub-freezing temperatures, so when the patient put his hand in and grabbed some of the embryos, he burned himself and dropped the embryos, which hit the ground and were destroyed.” (Johns Hopkins, 2-27-24).

The plaintiff couples brought lawsuits against the fertility clinic and the hospital under the Alabama Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. The trial judge dismissed the case, saying that embryos that exist in vitro are not people or children for the purposes of the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act.

On appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, the lower court ruling was reversed on February 16, 2024, finding that the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act applies “to all unborn children without limitation. And that includes unborn children who are not located in utero at the time they are killed.” The court also cited a 2018 Alabama constitutional amendment that says “it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children,including the right to life.”

In other words, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children. It follows that implanted embryos, by natural or IVF means, are children, distinct human persons, from the moment of conception. The lawsuit seeking punitive damages for the wrongful death of their children was allowed to proceed.

When embryos are thawed and prepared for implantation in the woman’s womb during IVF, they may be damaged or destroyed. This gave concern for legal liability and the question of whether such loss of an embryo could be homicide. This sent shock waves through the medical community involved with IVF and those who favor abortion for any reason at any stage of development.

Then the argument ensured that IVF is actually a pro-life procedure, that it creates new life. That comment leaves those who believe in a divine Creator feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and it leads into theological issues of ensoulment (which we will skip !) However, IVF has provided many couples with the ability to have children they otherwise could not have. The emotional impact on these people must not be overlooked, but the fact that tiny humans in development are being frozen and manipulated and willfully discarded also cannot be overlooked. There are roughly one and one-half million embryos in frozen storage around the world at this time.

Alabama lawmakers promptly acted to pass legislation providing “criminal immunity for manufacturers of products used in IVF treatment if embryos are destroyed, though not civil immunity. Manufacturers of goods used in IVF found responsible would be required to compensate for damages, based on the cost of the fertilization treatment paid by the family.” “In Louisiana, intentionally destroying “viable” embryos is prohibited, which means doctors are not allowed to dispose of any embryos that are still dividing. An embryo that fails to continue developing within a 36-hour period is deemed non-viable and loses its limited legal status as a person.” (Alabama Reflector 3-11-24)

All parities agree that this complicated and emotionally charged issue is far from settled. There is much discussion taking place, but there are no easy answers in this intersection of science, where it means so much to couples to have children, with the horror of discarding human lives in the process.

Watch this space for follow-up on this issue over time, as well as follow-up on the issue before SCOTUS of whether the FDA abrogated its responsibility in approving the abortion pills, and if so, where will we go from here on the availability of such drugs. In the aftermath of the Dobbs decision, we are likely to see additional ramifications over time. Let us realize that the issues are very much alive and in dispute so that we do not become complacent but ensure that we understand the issues, make informed decisions, and be sure our voices are heard.

A prayer by George Washington:

Almighty God: We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Abraham Lincoln once said, ““I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.””  And, he penned this prayer:

Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

It is well that we pray the same, share these prayers with others, and add our own.

As we prepare to vote for the future leadership of our country, let us remember the ways in which freedom of religion has been attacked over the last few years and that Catholics have been especially targeted for fundamental belief in the sanctity of life.  The right of religious people to assemble has been infringed and prayers for the protection of life and dignity for all persons have been mocked. 

It does seem odd that so many people do not embrace the sanctity of life but readily support the taking of life for almost any reason.  Perhaps they do not realize that, when they accept the taking of the life of an unborn child, that acceptance leads inevitably to violence against our children in schools, shooting each other in the streets and in our homes, and calls for assisted suicide and euthanasia.  By such acts, the perpetrators view their actions as ridding society of lives that they consider without value. 

It should be clear that, when life is not respected in all stages and conditions of life, it is not respected in any stage or condition of life.

Let our mantra be that we respect the life and dignity of all persons in all stages of life, in all conditions, and in all circumstances, from conception to natural death. 

Let us demand no less from our leaders when we vote.

I will devote the space for this post to educate concerning the controversial statues that are named Now (2023) and Witness (2023) by artist Shahzia Sikander. As noted when I began posts on this web site, my purpose is to inform and educate, to keep the reader up to date on relevant pro-life topics. This one is certainly mired in all kinds of misinformation and controversy. It all started when the statue Now was displayed in New York, and much has been said and written about it.

It probably would have been well to just ignore the thing as a weird piece of art. However, the artist has attempted to explain it with several comments on symbolism that are wrapped up in controversial political issues, and the imagery itself suggests all kinds of things that the artist apparently did not intend. Therefore, it is fair to say that the object makes no statement regarding anything good, and it seems also fair to say that the artist has simply injected into the piece her own political opinions and cultural perspective. People viewing the statue will not know what she is thinking, so she has had to try to explain it, and that has led to even more controversy.

It is best to let the artist and her critics speak for themselves:

First, a January 28, 2023 article from the Catholic News Agency: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253489/how-the-satanic-new-york-city-courthouse-statue-is-all-about-abortion “An unusual new 8-foot-tall golden statue standing on top of a New York City courthouse has sparked controversy, with many across the country reacting to its unveiling with shock and disgust. One media outlet even called it a ‘satanic golden medusa.’ ” “According to the artist who created the statue, it’s a symbol of women’s empowerment and an expression of support for abortion. The “satanic” imagery so many have pointed out closely resembles that employed by a pro-abortion group dedicated to banning religion from the public square.” The article goes on and is worth reading.

An article published by Fox News on January 26, 2023, says:

‘Satanic golden medusa’ abortion statue outside New York City courthouse ruthlessly mocked: ‘Monstrosity’

The sculpture is meant to represent the fight for abortion rights

…and goes on to say:

“Twitter [at that time still “Twitter”] users ruthlessly mocked and condemned a new statue installed atop a New York City courthouse, with many claiming that it had allusions to “demonic” imagery.

The new eight-foot-tall golden statue by Pakistani American artist Shahzia Sikander now stands on the roof of the state courthouse in New York’s Flatiron district next to previous statues of respected lawmakers [sic] Moses, Confucius and Zoroaster [the latter two dubiously included by the author as “lawmakers”]. 

The Now statute, with curling braids and tentacle-like arms rises from a lotus flower, was created to pay homage to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her fight for abortion. The statue is adorned with the late Supreme Court Justice’s signature lace collar. 

Sikander said the statue is part of an “urgent and necessary cultural reckoning underway as New York reconsiders traditional representations of power in public spaces and recasts civic structures to better reflect 21st-century social mores.’”

“Was there any public input whatsoever before a satanic golden medusa demon with tentacle arms was installed atop a downtown courthouse?,” NYC Councilwoman Vickie Paladino asked. “Christopher Bedford, the executive editor of an upcoming journal at Common Sense Society, compared the statue to a demon and a “terrifying” civilization that practiced human sacrifice found inside an archeological dig.” “

“Speaking more to the statue, the artist said the statue was called Now because it is needed in a moment when women’s reproductive rights are under siege. “

“She is a fierce woman and a form of resistance in a space that has historically been dominated by patriarchal representation,” she added.

That is how the controversy started. But, Sikander is Muslim, so she may have inadvertently (or perhaps not) set into motion another angle on the statue. February 3, 2023, Umm Jafar wrote in MuslimSkeptic:

“Shahzia Sikander, 53, the paradigm-busting Pakistani American artist behind the work, said the sculpture was part of an urgent and necessary cultural reckoning underway as New York, along with cities across the world, reconsiders traditional representations of power in public spaces and recasts civic structures to better reflect 21st-century social mores.”

“It’s also no coincidence that a “Muslim” artist was commissioned to design this statue, one that is dedicated to the fight for unrestricted abortion rights. Not only is it a blatant effort towards warping this idea that Muslims are dedicated to their traditional values and morals, but it is also a clear attempt to socially engineer and further liberalize Muslims through the normalizing and propping up of degenerate Muslims.”

“Sikander claims the horns represent female “sovereignty” and “autonomy.” The body “loops out and into itself” representing the idea that the body cannot be “fixed, grounded, or stereotyped.” “

“This satanic monstrosity, dedicated to promoting the murder of unborn children, symbolizes much of what the West’s new religion is. It is a religion emphasizing the worship of the self.”

“Indeed, the artist was correct in morphing the female shape into an animal-like form since the worship of the self along with its desires removes oneself from being human. It morphs you into an untamable beast, endlessly ramming your horns into all values and morals just to attain the thing you desire the most at that moment in time.”

There is some wisdom there, which is shared by many holding Christian beliefs, but it risks to impugn Western society at multiple levels, denigrating the good with the bad.

On June 21, 2023, Bible Discovery jumped into the fray: https://biblediscoverytv.com/commentary/2023/satanic-nationalism-and-the-pitchfork-in-the-road/

On February 12, 2024, I received an email from Houston Coalition for Life advising me that “A deplorable 8 ft. tall statue celebrating abortion and honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg was brought to the University of Houston main campus [Cullen Family Plaza] under the stealth of night last Thursday [February 8]. It was supposed to be installed there on February 28th [and displayed through October 31]. The university probably thought that if it was brought earlier they could avoid any protest.”

“It has been referred to as a “satanic golden medusa” with tentacle-like arms. The hair is parted in the middle and twisted into braids similar to the goat horns of the baphomet [a goat-headed horned pagan deity, also used as a symbol for Satanic organizations].” Thus, it is particularly offensive to Christian religious groups.

HCL has asked people to call university officials and/or sent email expressing opinions on the issue, and I have already done so, politely:

“Therefore, I encourage the university to display the object just long enough to stimulate discussion, and then to move it along…it will have served its purpose.  Keeping the object displayed for a prolonged period of time will inevitably be seen in a negative way as an attempt to influence the direction of debates and to stir up acrimonious exchanges and to influence political elections.  People will be drawn into the one hot button issue; the university would be seen as a partner with those who do not see the value in every human life.

If the university wants to take a stand in public, let it be said that the university respects the life and dignity of all persons in all stages of life, in all conditions, and in all circumstances.

That would cover issues of race, religion, sexuality, special needs, disability, elderly, etc, and also the issues faced by those women who choose motherhood and those women who are pregnant in very difficult circumstances.  Let us debate how we can draw humankind together, how we can understand and respect one another, and how we can help women with unplanned and unwanted pregnancies.  Those who know anything about the issue know that abortion is not the solution that solves all the problems a woman has with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. 

Let us not simplify the issue to that of “to abort or not to abort,” especially if it is advanced for the purposes of money and power.  Let us not just decide one way or another and then walk away from these women as objects in a debate, leaving them in the same untenable circumstances, but even further damaged.”

The work was co-commissioned by Public Art UHS (underwritten by the Brown Foundation) and the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Now remains displayed in New York. The statue Witness is temporarily on display at U of H.

The U of H web site explains the statue Witness as “a grand allegorical female figure that allows for multiple meanings and possibilities. With its unrooted arms and legs, the figure is literally ungrounded, floating, resisting permanence. She is part of a diaspora whose home is where one chooses to put roots. Her skirt is made to mimic the domed and stained glass ceiling of the Manhattan Appellate Courthouse, and also operates as the figure’s uplifting protection. It also references longitudinal and latitudinal lines.This skirt is adorned with Arabic writing (“havah”) that is decorated with mosaics composed of many small colorful tiles. The golden figure shines in the sun and glows in the night’s light, with a radiance appropriate for an everyday-goddess. Her head is decorated with golden rams horns—two thick braids—that form a crown of female potency.” https://publicartuhs.org/event/shahzia-sikander The reasons advanced to explain why Sikander’s work was chosen to be displayed are contained under “Frequently Asked Questions.”

Despite the explanation of the art, the central figure in the sculpture closely resembles the statue Now, and has evoked similar controversy. From Hyperallergic.com: “Referencing the death of RBG [Justice Ginsburg] and the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, Sikander also speaks to the fact that those very rights afforded to women are at imminent risk. “In the process, it is the dismissal, too, of the indefatigable spirit of the women, who have been collectively fighting for their right to their own bodies over generations,” Sikander said. “However, the enduring power lies with the people who step into and remain in the fight for equality. That spirit and grit is what I want to capture in both the sculptures.” “

As is often the case with controversial subjects, there are elements in her statements with which reasonable people can agree…women, along with men, often exhibit an “indefatigable spirit” and “grit.” But, she missed the fact that equality of opportunity for women and men is already encoded in US law. However, the “right” of women to have an abortion is measured against the right of children in development in the womb not to be killed by their mother. She may view pregnancy as an inconvenience and that a woman should have the right to kill the child growing within her, but pro-life advocates view that incipient life as a person from the moment of conception, thus entitled to protection of its life under the US Constitution.

Sikander’s failure to recognize the value of every human life and that most women embrace motherhood as an honor and that most men respect and honor women for their role as wives and mothers (not to exclude their right to a career) is at the core of the controversy. Western civilizations do not denigrate women and oppress them systemically and do not cause women to struggle the way they do in some Muslim societies. Sikander should take her message on the road and let it be heard in those societies.

Houston Coalition for Life held a “peaceful prayer vigil” at Cullen Family Plaza on February 13 at 3:00 pm. Most of us could not be there, but let us all make our voices heard by phone or emails. HCL asks us to please call and email the President of the University

Mrs. Renu Khator

President, University of Houston

Email: president@uh.edu

Phone: (713)-743-8839

And please emailthe contacts for the Arts department at U of H:

Emily Messa- eamessa@central.uh.edu (Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Senior Associate Vice President for Administration)

Rachel Mohl- rgmohl@central.uh.edu (Executive Director and Chief Curator for Public Art UHS)

Joseph Blanchard- jsblanch@cougarnet.uh.edu (GA representative on the UHS Public Art Committee)

The US Supreme Court has announced that it will hear an appeal by the FDA in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine [AHM] (et.al.) v. FDA (et.al.) in which AHM alleges (essentially) that the FDA has violated its fiduciary responsibility to the public and its own policies by approving the abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol) without adequate investigation of the safety of the drugs, and that the FDA “acted unlawfully in removing common-sense safeguards for women by authorizing dangerous mail-order abortions.”

The issues being alleged are (1) that the drugs are unsafe and can cause injury and death to the women using them, and (2) that it is unlawful for the FDA to remove the “common sense safeguards” of requiring a health care provider to examine the patient and give proper advice concerning the risks of using the drugs before they are provided by prescription.

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine cites its mission: “The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM) upholds and promotes the fundamental principles of Hippocratic medicine. These principles include protecting the vulnerable at the beginning and end of life, seeking the ultimate good for the patient with compassion and moral integrity, and providing healthcare with the highest standards of excellence based on medical science.” Joining AHM in its action is George Delgado, MD, who pioneered the abortion pill reversal procedure. [He will be speaking at https://lifefirst.org/2024-dinner-for-life/ on April 20]

The original case was filed in November 22, 2022, and made its way to the federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in August 2023 that the FDA “failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it.”

The court further said that the FDA failed “to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards” and “to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.”

About 60% of abortions in the United States are now done by these drugs and that number is expected to rise to 80%. That makes this case regarding safety of the pills and access to the pills by tele-medicine rival the importance of the Dobbs case in which Roe v Wade was overturned.

In February 2022, Judicial Watch decided to investigate whether the FDA had acted properly in approving the abortion pills, and especially whether there is a safely issue that has been properly addressed. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) refused three requests for the records until forced to release 588 pages after being sued under the Freedom of Information Act. These records included an “Annual Report for Mifepristone” covering September 28, 2000 to September 27, 2021.

Of the 32 reported adverse events, one was “hemorrhage due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy that resulted in death.” About 2% of pregnancies are ectopic (not inside the uterus). Whereas ectopic pregnancies occur randomly, there are risk factors that greatly increase the risk for ectopic pregnancies. If a woman was seen by a health care provider and properly assessed, an ultrasound would be indicated to verify the dates of the pregnancy and that the pregnancy was in the uterus before the pills were prescribed.

Another reported adverse event was “post abortal (sic) parametritis/endometritis, adult respiratory distress syndrome and bilateral pneumonia.” These are extremely serious life-endangering complications, although it appears that this woman survived.

In other studies that Judicial Watch reviewed, one woman had a fatal Clostridium sordelli infection, another needed blood transfusions, and another was hospitalized and died.

In 2002, Danco labs (which produces the drugs) wrote a “Dear Health Care Provider” letter acknowledging reports of ruptured ectopic pregnancies and one death. The letter advises that ectopic pregnancy “should be ruled out before initiating Mifeprex treatment (sic).” The letter also acknowledged two serious systemic bacteria infections (sepsis) and that one woman died. Another woman age 21 died of a heart attack 3 days after taking Mifeprex and misoprostol. Judicial Watch also reported on a safety study by Exelgyn Laboratory in which several cases of excessive bleeding and sepsis were reported, including one death.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed all of this data when making its findings. Despite serious concerns about the safety of these drugs, and despite compelling evidence that they should not be prescribed without proper assessment by a health care professional in person with full disclosure of the risks, the Biden administration has appealed the finding to the justices of the Supreme Court.

If it were not for a pattern of behavior in so many other areas where the safety of the public seems secondary to a political agenda, it would be hard to believe such callous irresponsibility. It is also hard to imagine women’s groups that support abortion advocating the pills without proper evaluation of the woman and accurate medical advice concerning the risks. In view of the evidence available to the justices, let us hope and pray that common sense will prevail.

It is ironic that we who advocate for women to consider every possible alternative before resorting to abortion should be the ones who are advocating for the safety (as much as possible) of women who make the decision to use the pills. Those who advocate for abortion are also the ones who would accept the suffering and possible death of young women without proper advice and a discussion of the risks before they decide to use the abortion pills. Ironic.

This post is indisputably much different from previous posts referencing contemporary events concerning how respect for life and the dignity of the individual is denigrated in our time. However, this post is timely in the context of the recent murders of people simply because of the parents to whom they were born or the place in which they were residing. Of course, I am referring to the murder of some 1400 persons living in Israel near the border with Gaza on October 7. Some 240 hostages were taken so that the terrorists could torment their relatives. Some of those hostages have been tortured and murdered already. Since those innocent people, including some children, are still held by murderous terrorists, their fate is very much in doubt, inflicting much anxiety and fear on their families, and causing those responsible to be despised.

I will not say anything about all of the circumstances and military responses because these are well reported by news media. However, I do call attention to the shocking hatred exhibited by these terrorists, their total disregard for life, and total absence of empathy, compassion, and mercy. Documents carried on their persons called for killing as many Jews as possible, calling Jewish ethnicity a disease that can only be cured by killing them and mutilating their bodies. Indeed, they carried out that plan, even killing children and babies in most hideous ways.

As horrifying as these events are, the plan also was to provoke a war with Israel in hopes of being able to kill even more Jews…and without regard for the loss of their own lives or the lives of innocent civilians who would inevitably be caught in the middle. Indeed, their plan was to fortify schools and mosques and hospitals where they placed rocket launchers and artillery batteries and under which they built enormous tunnel complexes in which they can take refuge and store fuel, medical supplies, and munitions. Their idea is to force the Israelis to strike such targets and to be sure that civilians are not able to escape these areas. The war is not just to kill Jews, but to cause as many deaths of non-combatants as possible and parade the denigration of Jews before the world, blaming them for the loss of innocent lives.

Not told in the media so far, is that children in Gaza have been taught hatred of Jews from infancy, having no idea what a Jew is, but simple parroting phrases of hate, urging the killing of Jews. The videos of these sessions are still found on the internet. Now those children are young adults carrying out that mission. However, only some are unable to show pity for their victims, unable to show mercy, unable even to spare children from violence.

There is a medical term for violent people who are unable to show empathy and compassion for others and unable to give mercy: homicidal sociopaths. This is a condition for which there is no cure. They must be separated from society, and this often involves their suicide or violent death while trying to evade capture. Such are those who planned and carried out this action, knowing that it would bring down the fury of the Israeli military and result in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. In fact, they were counting on those deaths and have ensured that they will occur for their propaganda value.

As despicable as it is to promote the deaths of innocent people for propaganda, we have also observed an outrageous and unprecedented display of antisemitism in the United States with hate speech, violence, and threats, some of it allegedly because of the propaganda promulgated as part of the overall plan to destroy Israel. We thought we had begun to understand our prejudices in terms of preconceived notions based on lack of education, misunderstandings, and lies. We thought our civil rights laws had contained any acts by fringe elements. Now, we have learned that hatred of Jews is actually being taught in our schools and colleges. This is echoed across the world in predominantly Muslim countries and in several Western countries, in many cases led by Muslim immigrants who willingly believe the lies and also hold hatred of Jews as a part of their religious beliefs.

I cite these events as the antithesis of what I promote in my book “Building a Culture of Life,” in my talks, and in these pages. We must respect life and the dignity of all persons in all stages of life, in all conditions, and in all circumstances. However, societies around the world have disregarded the sanctity of incipient life and wantonly destroyed it. In the United States alone, we have killed 64 million developing babies in the last 50 years. If we kill our children in the womb, why are we surprised when someone kills children in school or when groups of adults are shot down in public places or when our youth shoot each other in the streets. If life is not uniformly valued in a society, then who is it that gets to decide which life has value and which does not?

We have seen an appalling response to that rhetorical question in recent events.

Many groups of people around the world have grievances that they wish to present before world opinion. However, when the motivation is hatred and the eventual goal is genocide of an entire ethnic population, the civilized people of the world must stop it.

About 2860 years ago, the kingdoms of Israel (on the west side of the Jordan river) and of Moab (on the east side) disputed an area between them. On the Mesha Stele, King Mesha of Moab wrote, “Chemosh [the Moab god] said to me: ‘Go! Seize [Mount] Nebo from Israel!’ I went in the night…and slew seven thousand men and boys, women and girls, and pregnant women.” I cite this because we need only change the names, places, and dates in order to write today’s headlines. Has humankind learned nothing? Are we no better now than 3000 years ago?

I have written a book titled “A Timeline of the History of Humankind,” which will be in print within about 2-3 months. In my writings, I bring the reader through events that shaped the modern world. Despite our achievements, that journey is not pretty.

In modern history, over 10,000,000 civilians died in WW1.

The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia also resulted in more than 10,000,000 civilians being killed.

Hitler tried to exterminate many people for many reasons, but he especially wanted to wipe out the Jews of Europe, and about 6,000,000 died, including women, children, and babies. Another 5,000,000 other people were also killed by the NAZI’s. Over 38,000,000 non-combatants died in WW2. Let us be reminded of the German cities bombed by Allied forces in order to destroy the German war machine, causing the tragic loss of many civilian lives.

In Japan, the military establishment wanted to continue the war even after the US burned Japanese cities and used the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Military targets were destroyed, but many civilian lives were lost. The US dropped leaflets warning civilians to evacuate the cities that were to be destroyed in order to minimize needless loss of life. The Japanese military forbade people to pick up the leaflets and tried to keep them from fleeing the cities. The Japanese military was ready to accept the additional deaths of 5,000,000 Japanese civilians in order to fight for an armistice instead of surrender.

In the 1990’s, NATO intervened in the wars in Bosnia where “ethnic cleansing” threatened to exterminate Muslims. Roughly 100,000 non-combatants died.

The point of reciting these events is to call attention to how small groups of people with fanatical ideas backed up by weapons and propaganda led to needless loss of the lives of non-combatants. What we see playing out today is yet another page in this tragic accounting of how hatred leads to destruction and the deaths of innocent people.

We in the United States have traditionally attempted to minimize civilian casualties when necessary to engage in warfare. Weapons have been developed that can target specific objectives rather than cause widespread and indiscriminate destruction. Israel has benefited from these advances in technology and has warned civilians to flee the areas where its military will operate. Israel realizes, of course, that the terrorists plan to get as many civilians as possible killed in order to claim that Israel is engaged in genocide.

While these events play out, we must be sure that hatred in any form is not accepted in the United States, However, we have learned that antisemitism is deeply rooted in the US and is being taught to our youth. It reminds us a great deal of how the NAZI’s promoted hatred of Jews and other groups in Germany. Let us not let our society descend into that hell. It is simply not possible to hate one group of people and respect the life and dignity of all others. We learned that from the NAZI’s as one group after another was targeted and taken away to be killed. There was no place at which to stop the hate. Modern day terrorists and their sympathizers have not learned that lesson and will bring down destruction on their own heads.

Let us renew our commitment to life, promote tolerance of others, and protect the dignity of every person. That starts with protecting the life of the unborn and ensuring that pregnant women have all the help needed to have a healthy baby while retaining all the opportunities in life for education, careers, and experiences that non-pregnant women have.

Just as there is no stopping place for hate, respect for the life and dignity of others is infectious and will be returned in kind. Let us learn from that and build a culture of life.

I wish to inform you of a few things as we are on the cusp of Respect Life Month. Please check the Upcoming Activities tab for opportunities to participate. Herein, I present info related to the outstanding efforts by a few pro-life organizations so that you might be encouraged, but also exhorted to play a more active role as we demand respect for the life and dignity of every person in all stages and conditions of life.

Before I go on, I want to reaffirm my belief in the sanctity of human life and that all lives have meaning and purpose. I have had the honor to see that belief reaffirmed by abortion survivors who declare that they were real persons in the womb; by children born of a pregnancy resulting from rape who might have been aborted, who declare the value of their lives; by people born with Down Syndrome who could have been aborted, who are loved and happy; by a woman who was born with no arms, who works and drives a van with her feet; and by a man born with no arms and no legs who lives a happy, productive and inspiring life; and how about you and me, we could have been aborted…and do not our lives also matter ?

Let us ask the question of who has the right to terminate a life based on assumptions about the value of that life. Let us answer that question from our hearts as we ponder whether it could have been your life or mine that was terminated, and who had the right to make that decision.

Turning to the efforts of those who believe that every life has value that must be respected, I first call your attention to the Texas Alliance for Life led by Joe Pojman: you must visit https://www.texasallianceforlife.org/post-roe-texas-video-series/ I especially call attention to the lecture on “The Beauty Behind the Biology of Conception.” If you do not know, this is the organization that sponsors the Texas Rally for Life every January. Start preparing in November to fill a bus and be there for this event !

The Abortion Survivors Network, led by Melissa Ohden, a true force of nature, has continued to be busy changing hearts and minds. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSEFonKaP3M and this interview on Fox and Friends https://www.foxnews.com/video/6337859595112 and explore the web site: https://abortionsurvivors.org/ You will be changed.

Another force of nature is Teresa Strack who leads LifeFirst. The effort of LifeFirst is to change the culture of abortion through education and creating the pro-life leaders of tomorrow. They have the most creative and innovative methods: https://lifefirst.org/when-does-life-begin-faqs/ Explore the web site and be impressed.

Adding to our list of forces of nature is Kristin Hawkins and her incredible team at Students for Life https://studentsforlife.org/ You are invited to attend this webinar: “Join us on Wednesday, October 11th at 8pm ET for our webinar, Abortion and Personhood: Aren’t the Preborn People, too? featuring neuroscientist and associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, Dr. Katrina Furth.” https://studentsforlife.org/webinar/

I would be remiss in honorable mentions if I did not applaud Shawn Carney and the 40 Days for Life teams and their fall and spring campaigns. What a huge impact they make worldwide, much to the consternation of pro-abortion factions that constantly attack them! https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/

I apologize to all my other friends, pro-life leaders and all those I cannot mention at this time.

We need these leaders and their teams of dedicated pro-life warriors because the top level leadership of our country has set the goal of codifying the essence of the Roe decision into federal law permitting abortion nationwide at any stage of pregnancy for any reason. If the pro-abortion faction, which is rooted in bigotry, corruption, and pursuit of financial gain, has control of both houses of congress and the presidency, then all of our gains in the movement for respect for life and the dignity of every person will be wiped out.

In my recent talks, I point out that, in order to minimize the number of women seeking an abortion, we must do all of the things we are doing to change the hearts and minds, but we also must do something new. In my book, I discuss the data on why women seek an abortion. Whereas I cannot go into much detail here, the major reasons are connected to poverty, ignorance, jobs, education, housing, and lack of support by the father and/or family, and the latter arises out of the deterioration of the nuclear family.

We must have social reforms that lead us to respect and honor pregnant women and to provide answers to their concerns that do not include abortion. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) already enforces laws that make it illegal to fire or otherwise discriminate against workers on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which took effect June 27, 2023, requires covered employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” to a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an “undue hardship.” The EEOC is required to issue regulations to carry out the law.

One can see immediately that the law does not go far enough. It does not address the issue of lost wages due to complications from pregnancy, the need to be off work at times to care for a baby, the issues of lost pay when needing to care for the baby, the cost of day care, loss of seniority in a job position, and it leaves many women in jeopardy due to the issue of “covered employers” and the loophole of “undue hardship.”

The EEOC has also proposed a regulation within the PWFA that would require employers to accommodate employees who choose to get abortions, such as by giving them leave to obtain one. https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-pregnant-workers-fairness-act One can follow links on that page. The Catholic Bishops have also objected to that proposal and provide a way for us also to object. https://www.votervoice.net/USCCB/Campaigns/107379/Respond

To conclude my comments in this post, I call attention to the conversation among Republican candidates on the subject of abortion. Whereas there is much to be said, and so much so that I cannot go into it here, one can search “Republican candidates on abortion” and find a plethora of comments by many agencies. I will only say that one prominent candidate advanced the proposition of a federal law requiring a nationwide ban on abortions after the baby can feel pain. Although purportedly to protect life by limiting abortions in this manner across the nation, that proposition does nothing to address the fact that the growing baby is a person. Nobody on either side of the issue would be happy with such a ridiculous and naive proposition in any case.

So, I finish by noting that our activism is essential, our opinions must be expressed, and we must vet our political candidates for their determination to protect the dignity of every human life in all conditions and circumstances.

Now is also the time for the pro-life movement to lead the way in demanding social reforms that are pro-woman and provide an answer for pregnant women in situations that drive them to abortion. When pregnant women are respected and honored and have the resources that preserve the options that non-pregnant women have, the women themselves will protect their babies.

“The mere existence of abortion survivors like Penny proves that abortion isn’t health care; it’s designed to kill a person.“

That quote from an email I received from Shawn Carney (of 40 Days for Life) and a recent communication from Melissa Ohden (founder of Abortion Survivors Network) prompted the title for this post. The reference is to the introduction of the name of “Penny,” an abortion survivor, by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on August 23. You can read the full story here: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/08/26/desantis-penny-abortion-providers-debate-candidate/

It is an ugly story that happened under unusual circumstances in 1955. Unfortunately, DeSantis missed the opportunity to talk about recent survivors of attempted abortion by modern surgical techniques. This opened the door for declarations by abortion supporters that no pregnancy (today) survives an abortion (and, after all, “it is just a piece of tissue”).

It is necessary for abortionists to assert that position. The horror of institutionalized killing of a developing human being in the womb could cause voting people to reject the procedure. Therefore, it cannot be admitted that the pregnancy is a real person who, if born alive, is just as real a person as the rest of us.

That is why the work of Abortion Survivors Network is so important, and why abortionists deny the existence of such people. Visit the web site and read the stories: https://abortionsurvivors.org/ “Most people do not realize that sometimes abortion procedures fail, are stopped, or reversed (abortion pill), and survivors exist. Our research estimates that 85,817 infants have been born alive after failed abortions since 1973. The average number of abortion survivors each year is approximately 1,734.” https://abortionsurvivors.org/who-we-are/testimonials/

Melissa recently shared with me how Penny was subsequently harassed publicly and privately. “The media and abortion industry would love nothing more than to make us ashamed and scared to ever speak up.” Nevertheless, hundreds of abortion survivors do speak up, demanding that they be recognized as a person when developing in the womb, just as they are entitled to the rights of a person when a baby and an adult. It is one continuum of life that must be respected.

Melissa herself survived an abortion. Her painful story, and her triumph, are told in her book “You Carried Me” https://www.amazon.com/You-Carried-Me-Daughters-Memoir/dp/0874867886/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=you+carried+me&qid=1694896646&sr=8-1 Melissa was kind enough to help me with references to abortion survivors in my own book “Building a Culture of Life.” https://www.amazon.com/Building-Culture-Life-George-Brooks-ebook/dp/B0B5351KLG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GCHPPFIDQVJ4&keywords=building+a+culture+of+life+by+george+brooks&qid=1694896943&sprefix=building+a+cuture+of+life+by+george+brooks%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1

Melissa is a force of nature, crossing the country back and forth…Washington (DC), Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois… attending national leadership meetings, recording training sessions, talking with members of congress, recording videos and podcasts, making appearances at various events… I get tired just thinking about it !

She also shared with me these upcoming links, which deserve your attention: Karen’s story: https://youtu.be/61XKFhWUxHo?feature=shared Lauren’s story: https://youtu.be/61XKFhWUxHo?feature=shared Lauren. Karen and Melissa: https://youtu.be/-Lp-JB-7-gY?feature=shared and she promises me the upcoming story of “an adoptive mom, sharing about her 12 year old who survived a late-term abortion at 28 weeks.”

Those of us who are passionate about protection of incipient life, that of a real person developing in the womb, must be aware of the real people who were trying to live and who narrowly survived an attempted abortion, as well as the 64 million very real people who did not survive. We must know about Abortion Survivors Network, we must look into the faces of abortion survivors, we must hear their stories, feel their pain, and celebrate their healing from the awful knowledge that their mothers tried to kill them. Imagine feeling worthless, a piece of trash to be discarded because you are an inconvenience.

There are many ways in which we can oppose this violence, so each of us should find our niche and participate. On the back of my business card I have placed a quotation to remind me not to get tired, not to weaken in my resolve: “Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination.” Pope St. John Paul II

In a future post, I will address the topic about which I am most asked to speak: what do we do now that Roe is overturned, how do we deter abortion in those venues where it is still legal? In addition to the quip “everything,” I offer the prospects for creating the circumstances in which women do not want to seek an abortion. I do not say that it will be easy to get there. In the meantime, we work to change the hearts and minds. Recognition that the growing entity in the womb is a real person is critical to our success on all other fronts. Congratulations Melissa Ohden and thank you !

The last two months have passed quickly ! I actually did not realize that it has been so long since my last post. June through August have been especially busy for me, but it is time to observe that our adversaries have not been resting. They have regrouped and become more determined than every with the lust for blood unabated.

I realize that the “lust for blood” comment is a bit unkind to those who are motivated by misinformation, those who have a fixed delusion, and those who have been motivated by the lies that generate fear that losing the “right” to abortion is part of a larger plan to take away the social gains that women have achieved in the last 100 years. However, those who perpetuate the lies and those who lust after money and power deserve the label.

To begin the discourse today, let us note that our fearless pro-abortion leader and his political party are going to make the “right to life” movement an issue in the next presidential election. Well…they have no accomplishments at home or abroad that they can point to in order to get votes, so maybe they can scare women into voting for them.

“President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign launched a new pro-abortion ad in several swing states…six states that Biden narrowly won in 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin. It also targets one state that former President Donald Trump narrowly won in 2020: North Carolina.”

Illinois and Vermont recently passed laws that force Pregnancy Help Centers “to pay a penalty if they ’employ unfair or deceptive acts or practices.’ ” That involves the assertion that is is “deceptive” not to offer pregnant women the option of abortion. Whereas Pro-Life organizations are fighting back in the courts, the reader should observe what I have reiterated before: this is no time for complacency.

Indeed, we must double down with increased energy, get out of our comfort zones, and advocate respect for the life and dignity of all persons in all stages of life, in all conditions, and in all circumstances with fierce determination.

Make no mistake about it, our adversaries are serious, determined, and well-funded. “More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, pregnancy centers and other pro-life organizations and churches remain targets of abortion extremists.” (Written by  Gayle Irwin Published in NEWS… citing vandalism and graffiti). And, “Abortion activists claimed a pivotal victory in a swing state Tuesday night, as Ohio voters rejected a measure making it more difficult to add a constitutional “right” to abortion to the state constitution.” (Written by  Ben Johnson Published in NEWS).

Other issues involve trying to prevent pro-life activists from exercising free speech and attempting to force health care workers to do abortions and prescribe contraceptive devices against their personal or religious beliefs. This is part of a larger plan to punish individuals and to force pro-life organizations to spend vast amounts of precious financial resources in lawsuits to defend constitutional rights.

So, do you still think the war against abortion on demand was won by the reversal of Roe ? In fact, the nature of the struggle has changed and become more complex, and it is shaping up to be even more vicious. The might of the federal government and the partisan Department of Justice is being brought to bear against anyone who dares to help pregnant women and give them a choice to choose life for their baby.

The fear that a future president would once-again reverse federal pro-abortion policies by executive order the way it was done in 2016-2020 is part of a driving political force that we see being played out every day. These federal policies are off and on depending on which political party controls the White House. I discuss these laws, regulations, and policies in my book, so I will not elaborate on this complexity here. But, it matters who we vote for at all levels of government.

I have been asked to talk on the subject of what we must do going forward. To these groups it is easy to reiterate the need for activism…prayer vigils, rallies, marches… also to support those entities that educate the public, particularly our youth who will be the leaders of tomorrow. We must also support those who advocate legally to protect our conscience and our right to demonstrate, and we must elect those who will defend life in all its stages and conditions.

However, I am also advocating that we must not be guilty of what we are often accused of…that we only care about the life of the baby and that we care nothing about the impact of an unwanted pregnancy on the mother and her life choices.

In my book, I make note of which women seek an abortion and why women seek an abortion. I cannot recite such detail here, but it is rather obvious that an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy creates a lot of stress on a woman with few resources, often unmarried, often without support by the father, and often concerned with issues related to housing, job, and education, as well as the cost of a baby.

So, we must continue our activism and we must educate the public, and particularly our youth, on the issue that life begins at conception and the growing entity in the womb is a real person. Taking the life of a developing person in the womb must become abhorrent.

However, we must do something new. We will not see an end to most abortions until pregnant women do not feel driven by society to untenable situations. Pregnant women must be assured of all the options in society that non-pregnant women. They must be able to keep their jobs and aspire to go further. Pregnant (often single) women must have an agreeable solution to housing issues that will accommodate a new baby. They must be able to pursue education and new opportunities. They must be able to be away from work at times for personal medical care and to care for the baby. Lately, the cost of childcare is also becoming an important reason for choosing abortion.

If the prospects for social changes along those lines seem challenging, they are. But, did we not overcome obstacles with the Civil Rights Act? Did not Obama get his horribly-complex “Obama-care” legislation passed? Social reform for pregnant women of a sweeping nature must remove much of the uncertainty and fear so many women experience when they have an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. Pregnant women should be treated with the utmost respect (men, think of our own mothers, our wives, and our sisters). These women must know that they have the support of society and that they will retain all of the opportunities in life that non-pregnant women have. Otherwise, many will continue to be driven to abortion.

Let the Pro-Life movement be that which advocates for women’s rights and the dignity of pregnant women. As it is, the Pro-Life movement is like a bunch of people bailing water in a leaky boat…working hard to keep up, but not taking time to fix the leak. Our ultimate success depends on fixing the reasons why women want an abortion in the first place.

I have had a bit of a hiatus from posting current events, not that there is nothing to talk about. However, there has been a lot of reorganizing, posturing, and planning (on both sides of the issue of how to regulate abortion) in the aftermath of Dobbs in June 2022. One must not get drowned in the noise by paying too much attention to the minutiae.

At the same time that there are events that we should be aware of, it is clear that we have been entering a new era with the development of new strategies on both sides…a bit of action and reaction… as we settle in for the battle to recognize that life begins at conception and that the entity growing in the mother’s body is a real person.

The forerunners of the “new plan” actually began before the Dobbs decision in June 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade. It has now been one year since that decision. We first went through the phase of anger, fear, hate, and violence directed against pro-life advocates as the evil behind those driven by power and money revealed itself. Then over the last several months, as legal battles played out, with successes and losses on both sides, new long term strategies have been firming up.

The main topic about which I have been asked to speak lately is “where is the pro-life movement now” and “what should we be doing.” Accordingly, I will share with you the consensus that is emerging.

First and foremost, access to abortion in the United States (taken as a whole) has been only slightly attenuated over the past year, overall down a few percent (but obviously much less in “pro-life states”). However, the number of women with unplanned pregnancies remains a serious social problem.

It must be recognized that the concept of morality and abstinence until marriage has been eroded, along with the secularization of society in general. For decades, young women reaching maturity have faced issues such as engagement in sex outside of a commitment in marriage, concern for sexually transmitted diseases, little education in contraceptive options, the consequences of an unwanted pregnancy, and the indoctrination that the “thing” causing a positive pregnancy test is a “piece of tissue” and that the only responsible choice in untenable life circumstances is abortion.

When abortion was readily available everywhere, pro-life organizations basically engaged in damage control with pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and parish “Gabriel Projects” (in Catholic communities) seeking to educate women and help them choose to have their baby instead of having an abortion. However, in the aftermath of Casey in 1992, pro-life legislators in many states introduced laws pushing back against Roe, trying to take back the right of the states to debate and regulate abortion in their own communities. With Dobbs, success was finally complete.

The overturn of Roe was not without some anticipation and not without contingency plans and laws on the books in many states that would be “triggered” when Roe was overturned. Within a few weeks of the Dobbs decision, numerous organizations held conferences to share strategies, and dozens of national organizations spoke to the many fronts on which the upcoming battles would be fought.

As we now celebrate the one year anniversary of the return of the debate to our communities, those in the trenches working with women and those doing fundraising to help those on the front lines are asking the questions concerning what we should do going forward, where shall we place our effort.

That discussion involves both short-term and long-term strategies, but we must first identify the goals for which we strive. With the battleground now in the communities of the fifty states, and with many of those states dominated by those who support abortion, the prize is in the hearts and minds of the people. When most people awaken to the fact that a new human life begins at the moment of conception and that the growing baby in a woman’s body, no matter how tiny, is a real person, then abortion as a form of birth control will be abhorrent.

Since this is going to be a process that we will pursue over time, our short-term strategy must be to continue providing free help to pregnant women who seek it, showing them the tiny developing baby on ultrasound, engaging the father when possible, providing education, maternal and baby items, and emotional support, as well as offering solutions through community resources to meet her needs.

Our short-term challenges are related to fifty years of women being indoctrinated into thinking that their lives will be ruined by having a baby in the context of the difficult circumstances in which many women find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. These are very real concerns.

So, our long-term strategy is to educate the public and pursue legislative strategies to progressively restrict abortion where it is now widely available and sometimes actively encouraged. If women cannot legally get an abortion, they will turn increasingly to various sources for help. Victories in the battle over hearts and minds will progressively result in legislation pushing women in the direction to choose life for her baby, a real person who could grow to be among the movers and shakers, the workers and clerks, and the leaders who will solve the problems of our society.

If only it were that simple.

The facts are that women are now able to use contraception, back it up with the “morning after pill,” use a highly accurate over-the-counter pregnancy test if late for her menstrual cycle, and take the abortion pills if she is pregnant. That would seem to make abortion a private matter in future. However, we do not yet envision a society in which women are educated in such matters, are able to carry out such a plan, and have the financial means. All of the poverty and ignorance that we encounter today will persist. Women will continue to present later in pregnancy and be faced with decisions to accept help and keep the baby or to have an abortion.

At the same time, the difficult circumstances in which women find themselves with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy are very real and can cause immense anxiety and stress. Consider a 17-year-old young woman about to leave high school and go to college. Consider a 25-year-old woman who is working a dead end job but going to night school to try and break out of poverty. Consider the woman sharing an apartment with another woman….if she has the baby, she will have to move.

These topics are better discussed orally in the talks I give in which I can speak to the chapter in my book on which women have an abortion and why they have an abortion. In almost all cases, there is more than one reason, and often 3-4 reasons, which amount to an overwhelming drive to end the pregnancy, even when it is not legal to do so, and even when there is abundant help available.

So, the issue is hugely complex. Surely we must continue to provide direct care to those asking for help. We must also protect life through legislation. And, we must educate the public so that it becomes more real to more and more people that the tiny, unseen entity growing in the woman is a real person.

But, our impact will be limited as long as we do not address the conditions in society that propel a woman to the dreadful decision to kill her baby. A woman must be able to pursue education, continue her job, be off work as necessary when pregnant or to care for a sick child or to keep doctor appointments, have a means for childcare, have a solution to housing issues… all the overwhelming issues a woman faces when pregnant and in poverty and/or without support by the father and her family.

There is much more that we could discuss, and I address much of this in my book and in my lectures. I hope the reader will be motivated to learn more, to contemplate solutions, and be prepared to support those propositions that will enable more women to reject abortion, have her baby, and still be able to pursue all the good things in life that she desires.

The Pro-Life movement is often criticized with the assertion that we only care about the baby. Let us be sure that we do not forget the mother. We do care about the mother, to be sure, and we are sometimes able to continue some degree of support for even three years after the baby is born. But, we need to understand what drives women to seek an abortion, and we must find solutions.

Admittedly, it is often hard to create a decent title when creating a post. In this case, the title fits, for we have a spectrum of things to celebrate, to lament, and to wait and see how things develop.

First, let us congratulate Melissa Ohden of Abortion Survivors Network https://abortionsurvivors.org/ as ASN received the highest 2023 Pro-Life Impact Award at the National Prayer Luncheon for Life on April 21. After bring nominated, several worthy pro-life entities were subjected to a competitive voting process by their supporters. ASN’s supporters stepped up and ASN was (deservedly) the winner of the top award! ASN also has a new and very impressive web site that displays the wonderful work they do and the astonishing stories of many abortion survivors. More than 640 people have now joined with others to proclaim that they were persons in the womb when their lives almost ended, just as they are persons now.

Next, a follow-on to the story in my last post concerning the FDA’s controversial approval of abortion pills without safety studies, the wrongful product labeling, and permitting women and girls to have access to the pills by mail without an examination or consultation with a doctor. The Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 that the status quo will stand while the current lawsuit and appeals play out.

The case is now headed to the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which has set arguments in the case for May 17. This decision is lamented by pro-life organizations, but it should have been reasonably anticipated. However, the case may eventually be headed to the Supreme Court. Any appeal to the Supreme Court would follow within three months of a ruling, but with no deadline for the justices to decide whether to review the case.

In another legal complication of the issue, GenBioPro, which makes the generic version of mifepristone, has filed a lawsuit to block the FDA from removing its drug from the market if court rulings go against the FDA. I will continue to report on the progress of this multi-faceted issue as it emerges.

And now for the ugly, and there is plenty of it. On March 9, a bill was introduced in the Colorado legislature to ban the abortion pill reversal procedure and penalize medical professionals attempting to do so. The bill, named “Prohibiting Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers,” was fast-tracked and passed after only 23 days, calling it (incredibly) the “safe access to protected healthcare” legislation.

Within hours a legal challenge was filed on behalf of Colorado clinic Bella Health and Wellness, a Catholic healthcare provider. Part of the contention surrounds the claim by abortion supporters that the abortion pill reversal protocol is not standardized and proven effective in placebo-controlled studies supervised by an Institution Review Board and an ethics committee, as if it could ever be morally acceptable to do a placebo-controlled study in a situation where a woman is wanting to save her baby….what?… give her a placebo and tell her “good luck !”

The lawsuit reports that Bella has had dozens of successes reversing the abortion pills without complications (and there are published protocols and affirmative positive results, depending on how rapidly progesterone is provided to reverse the hormone-blocking agent). The lawsuit also claims that the wording of the bill demonstrates a clear bias against faith-based organizations, and asserts that “Every day that Bella is forced to remain silent about abortion pill reversal, women in Colorado are deprived of information about highly qualified and local doctors and nurses who would help them if they have willingly or unwillingly taken mifepristone.”

Abortion supporters retort by claiming that “For years, we’ve heard from young people across the state about the harm anti-abortion centers cause — especially students on campuses near anti-abortion centers… There is a clear pattern of anti-abortion centers deceiving young people to shame and mislead them away from accessing essential health care during their most vulnerable time.” [I told you this is ugly, and there are a lot of other problems with the hastily worded law, some parts ambiguous and others with vague implications. After all these “years” they decided to rush through a decidedly messy legislation in just 23 days.]

On April 17, a federal judge granted Bella a temporary exemption from Colorado’s ban on the abortion pill reversal regimen, saying (in response to the lawsuit) that the law “burdens their own First Amendment rights,” but the judge did not exempt other providers of abortion pill reversal.

Adding to the complexity is a provision under the law that bans abortion pill reversal as “unprofessional conduct” at least until October 1. Whether or not the law remains in effect depends on a decision by regulatory agencies concerning whether abortion reversal is a “generally accepted standard of practice.” If they decide it is not, then the ban remains in place.

The Medical Board and the Board of Nursing “held emergency meetings and voted unanimously not to enforce the law until they decide whether abortion pill reversal is a ‘generally accepted standard of practice,’ a determination they are unlikely to make before September,” according to filings in federal court.  

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office and several district attorneys overseeing criminal prosecutions also filed statements in federal court stating that they would not enforce the law until there was a decision by the Medical Board and the Board of Nursing. In their statements, the prosecutors also doubted whether Senate Bill 190 even makes it a “deceptive trade practice to advertise or offer abortion pill reversal.” It seems that the wording is only in the bill’s “legislative declaration”– essentially an introduction to the bill–and does not actually appear in the legal language of the legislation.

The implications, if the law is upheld and enforced, could provide other pro-abortion legislators a path to prevent abortion pill reversal in other states. This is also a process to be watched.

It is time to catch up… a lot can happen in one month. As older subscribers know, I attempt to search various sources for the most important current events and keep them informed as situations evolve. We should try to be informed and coordinate our actions to make a difference.

There are many very strong nation-wide organizations with resources to mobilize the pro-life community for in-person and on-line events and for petitioning our representatives. Herein, I attempt to keep the subscriber informed on some of the most important and far-reaching actions that are a threat to our belief in the sanctity of life and the dignity of every person, especially the pre-born person.

At the same time, I wrote my book Building a Culture of Life in order to explore the fundamental topics and present a depth of knowledge which is presumed when I comment herein. If, the subscriber needs to know more, I hope that tool may be useful.

One of the most interesting recent events was the ruling by a federal judge in Amarillo, Texas. The ADF https://adfmedia.org/ filed a lawsuit in November 2022 claiming that mifepristone was improperly classified as a drug used “in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses” to “provide meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients over existing treatments.”

“But pregnancy is not an illness, nor do chemical abortion drugs provide a therapeutic benefit over surgical abortion,” their lawsuit reads. “In asserting these transparently false conclusions, the FDA exceeded its regulatory authority to approve the drugs.” “The FDA never studied the safety of the drugs under the labeled conditions of use, ignored the potential impacts of the hormone-blocking regimen on the developing bodies of adolescent girls, disregarded the substantial evidence that chemical abortion drugs cause more complications than surgical abortions, and eliminated necessary safeguards for pregnant girls and women who undergo this dangerous drug regimen.”

The Judge agreed https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/07/texas-abortion-drugs-fda-ruling/ calling abortion providers “abortionists” and describing the use of mifepristone as killing or “starv[ing] the unborn human until death” and ordered that the drug would become an “unapproved” drug as it is currently authorized by the FDA under its description and without adequate proof of safety. The judge’s order also prohibits abortionists from sending chemical abortion drugs through the mail.

However, it was immediately noted that the FDA is not obligated to prevent the manufacturing, selling, or dispensing of unapproved drugs. Furthermore, a federal judge in Spokane, Washington ruled nearly simultaneously that “federal officials could not hinder access to mifepristone in at least 17 of the states where Democratic attorney generals had sued to maintain availability.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/analysis-4-questions-answered-about-the-courts-and-the-abortion-medication-mifepristone .

In response to an emergency appeal regarding these conflicting rulings, the US Supreme Court has issued an order that the Texas judge’s ruling is “administratively stayed” until April 19. This is standard procedure in a case like this. It allows the Court time to hear the parties’ arguments and to examine existing laws and case histories before making a ruling.

Unlike the ruling in Dobbs that the 10th Amendment gives the states the authority to regulate abortion, the issue here is whether a federal agency has violated its own policies, thus violating federal law, in approving mifepristone without safety studies and with inappropriate labeling. In addition, the issue of sending the product by mail (with or without prescription and without physical exam and counseling in person by a licensed health care professional) should be settled.

I will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they emerge.

There are many other interesting developments recently, which I will summarize in a separate post soon.

It has been two months since my last post, not that there has been nothing to update. It is just that my life has been very eventful with travel, speaking engagements, and pro-life activities related to the other hats I wear.

However, at this time I first call to your attention an important upcoming event of which you should be aware. It is noted on the web site under “Upcoming Pro-Life Activities” on June 24…check it out. https://buildingacultureoflife.org/?page_id=46 . Please note the calendar and see what you can participate in. I will update the info as it becomes available. There will also be many church-based pro-life activities. I hope these will be enriching experiences to encourage also your friends and associates.

The battle for hearts and minds is now fully engaged, and the most powerful people in federal government have declared their allegiance to the “culture of death.” We must not slow down or pull back from our demands that there be respect for the sanctity of life and recognition of the personhood of people developing in the womb.

The current issue of National Catholic Register carries the inspiring story of fraternal twins thriving a year after being born at 21 weeks and 5 days of development in the womb. A picture shows the baby boy and baby girl looking very healthy and wearing t-shirts saying (on the girl) “born together” with an arrow pointing to her brother whose shirt says “friends forever” with an arrow pointing to his sister.

Those who have read my book “Building a Culture of Life” will recall that there is a 50% chance of survival for a child born at 24 weeks, and that pro-life pediatricians recommend resuscitation and ICU. At 23 weeks or less, there is “no chance” of survival, so hospice is recommended to provide dignity to the child and to allow parents to grieve. At 22 and a half weeks, these parents were told that the babies, only weighing 12 and 15 ounces, respectively, would not be resuscitated and would be placed on the mother’s chest to die.

“Born the weight of a can of soda with skin so thin their organs were visible, the babies fit in the palm of their parents’ hands.” There was no chance for survival…….except for God. The parents are Christians “with a fierce faith and belief in the power of prayer.” They “stormed Heaven” with fervent prayers, soon joined by “prayer warriors on social media all over the world.” https://www.sinaihealth.ca/news/born-at-mount-sinai-hospital-the-worlds-most-premature-twins/ The twins are now thriving.

So, what do you think about second trimester abortions? Is it just a piece of tissue, an inconvenience to a woman who has educational or career plans, a disaster for a woman who is without support from the father, a child that will be a burden on society…??? The abortionists will take care of this little problem. The relevant chapter in my book describes how these children would be killed and dismembered and their parts removed from the womb (think of the “products of conception” being put back together in the movie “Unplanned” to be sure all the parts were removed from the mother).

All of us developed from the tiniest beginnings and passed through this stage on the way to becoming a new full-term baby, but we were a person in development at every stage of that process. This is what is asserted by abortion survivors, those people who survived an attempt to end their lives in the womb. They say that they were persons then, just as they are persons now, and that their lives matter. Their testimony is perhaps that most feared by those who support abortion. https://abortionsurvivors.org/

Let us be mindful that we are now “setting the stage for our next major battle together…ensuring Human Rights for All in America,” asserting and protecting the personhood of every preborn American in the womb.

Let us not be tired, complacent, or satisfied with our success. Our success has indeed been limited, and the abortion protagonists are well funded and relentless in pursuit of their goals of protecting political power and vast sources of financial gain.

Chapter 9 in my book also addresses some of the things we can do to make a difference, and I reaffirm these as often as I can get someone to listen (or read). However, there is much more for us to discuss, and I will bring those to your attention in due course. For now, do not miss any opportunity to get out and be seen and heard. Be sure that we provide support to those on the front lines providing direct care to women in need every day. Be sure that they have the financial means and material items they need.

And remember, if you are not out there being seen and actually doing something, government leadership will think that pro-life advocates are few, weak, and uncommitted. They will listen instead to those who are committed and have the money to back up their demands. Let us not be found coming up short.

Let us begin with HOPE…. I hope everyone has a meaningful Valentine’s Day; I hope everyone enjoyed the super bowl football game; I hope everyone missed the half-time show (all I will say about that); and, I hope everyone saw the ad showing a grandfather holding up a (rendition in art of a) sonogram of a baby in the womb with his hand stuck in a can of Pringles potato chips, saying “even your little brother Timmy” gets his hand stuck. Importantly, and I hope it was not wasted on you, the ad reinforces the humanity of the unborn child, showing a developing human baby and giving the child a name.

It was for fun and for profit, but this is the way we win the hearts and minds. There are both women and men who will see ultrasound images in future, and it will trigger this memory. Perhaps they will realize that what they see on ultrasound is a baby, not unformed tissue. Perhaps they will even form the questions in their minds, if not on their lips…is it a boy or a girl; what will be the baby’s name?

In other happy news, at the Texas Rally for Life, Governor Abbott reaffirmed his pro-life commitment and discussed the State of Texas $100 million abortion alternatives program and the Choose Life Grant Program. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has also announced plans to increase State support for crisis pregnancy centers to $100 million.

But the news is not all good, and we do not expect it to be. We struggle with ideologues, misguided persons, and those who are confused and under-educated. Such is the situation with the AP, which has advised reporters not to use the terms “crisis pregnancy center” or “pregnancy resource/help center.” The AP stated that such terms confuse the public, because the real goal of such facilities is to prevent abortions, so they should be called “anti-abortion” centers. This is so pathetic that it is almost laughable.

However, the lust for the blood of the unborn is also supported by pure evil. “The Satanic Temple” plans to open a free abortion clinic in New Mexico where killing a developing baby is legal up until the point of birth. They plan to dispense the abortion pills, but assert that “this is just the beginning.”

Minnesota has also just passed a law that grants lawful right to kill a baby up until the moment of birth for any reason, and, if a child is born alive after an attempted abortion, it is now lawful to kill it my neglect. So, now we have gone from killing a developing human being in the womb, to killing it if it is somehow born alive. Why stop there? Why not kill a baby after it is born full term? Why not kill a child at any age? Why not kill anyone you do not like for any reason?

Those who have read my book know that history is being turned back to the time prior to the advent of Christianity when pagan communities let unwanted babies (mostly females) die from neglect. Christianity ended that practice. It should be obvious that the current return to paganism in this respect is part of the modern day attack on Christianity and the nuclear family in general. Do we not “get it” yet ? It is not “reproductive rights” and “a woman’s right to choose.” It is part of a plan to end family, religion, morality, and respect for life and human dignity. These must be erased in order to create a loyalty to the state and a society controlled by an oligarchy.

My readers are already engaged in opposition to this outrage against humanity, but we must do more. Let us be educated and committed. Let us advocate from a position of fierce determination that life is precious in all its stages and conditions. The battle for hearts and minds is now fully engaged, and we dare not be slow to do our part.

January has certainly been a very busy month…the National March for Life in Washington, DC, the National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn, a Catholic Novena for Respect of Life, and (here in Texas) the Texas Rally for Life.

In the trenches, our pregnancy help centers are busier than ever. In the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, the call center for help from the Gabrielle Project has reached fifty daily, but direct help is only available to the ten most in need. Others are referred to their local PHC, but many of those are also experiencing unprecedented requests for help. Here in Texas, much of the sudden increased need is driven by Spanish-speaking immigrants. There are not enough Spanish-speaking volunteers to meet this unanticipated circumstance. Nevertheless, our resourceful and dedicated volunteers are digging in, and their faithful donors are responding to the need with generosity.

Nevertheless, hostility toward those advocating respect for life and human dignity goes all the way to the most powerful elected positions in United States government. Mark Houck and his 12-year-old son were demonstrating in a 40 Days for Life campaign outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Pennsylvania on October 13, 2021, when a man escorting a woman from the clinic shouted obscenities at the group. He then approached Houck and his son and continued with vulgar and insulting language. His son retreated behind his father, and Houck ordered the man to leave his son alone. However, the man again approached his son and shouted obscenities into his face from only one foot away. Houck stepped in and shoved the man away from his son.

The Planned Parenthood individual filed a lawsuit against Houck, but it was dismissed for lack of evidence of any illegal activity. However, Planned Parenthood has a lot of friends in high places, and a SWAT team of 20 FBI agents was ordered to raid Houck’s home, forcing their way inside and pointing their weapons at him and his wife and seven children, a tactic blatantly designed to intimidate the family and send a message to the pro-life community.

He was charged with assaulting the PP agent while trying to keep women from accessing the PP property. He faced a $350,000 fine and 11 years in jail. He was defended by 40 Days for Life, and it took a jury only one hour to find him not guilty of any offense at all. It was fairly obvious that PP instigated the situation and hoped to frighten away pro-life demonstrators, and in particular, the 40 Days for Life campaign. 40 DFL has cost PP vast amounts of money as women choose not to have an abortion.

In other pathetic news, on January 3 the FDA lifted the requirement for in-person dispensing of abortion pills so that they can be obtained by mail order and dispensed directly by pharmacies (in states where abortion is legal).

The National Council of Jewish Women has raised $1 million “to help thousands of women get abortions.” Evidently little has been learned from the holocaust of WW2.

On January 26, Democrats in the House introduced a bill that would require insurance companies to cover abortions. It would also repeal the Hyde amendment and require Medicaid to pay for abortions. Read my book for background on all this.

An attorney from the American Center of Law and Justice says 12 Our Lady of the Rosary School students and chaperones were kicked out of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for wearing pro-life hats.

A number of pro-abortion stories appear on a web sites such as prochoice.org and prochoiceamerica.org . They pay to get their web sites to come up on top, but when scrolling down, one sees many more pro-life web sites. The new battleground is fully engaged, and the hearts and minds of the public is the prize !

Feministsforlife.org is an interesting web site. So is foreverywoman.org . The Heartbeat International resource link for abortion pill reversal is very impressive, and the LifeFirst campaign youranswermatters.org challenges people to take the survey…when does life begin? Those with an open mind are gently persuaded by the science that life begins at the moment of conception an is accompanied by a spark of light which has been photographed.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us. Love and truth will win… but… we must do our part to assert the truth in a loving and compassionate way, offering help, and giving women a real choice, then helping those who choose poorly.

Along the way, every one of us must care about the ripple effect on our society when life is not respected. If we do not respect life at all stages and conditions, then we do not respect life at any stage or condition. If our society promotes the deaths of innocent babies, why are we surprised and distressed by the violent deaths of our other children and the senseless deaths in violence on our streets?

We must all volunteer, donate, stand to be counted, and march for life…whatever we are called to do, whenever we can. Let us also vote for those who will respect life and dignity. Let us have no regrets that we did not try to make a difference.

Herein, I provide you with a variety of topics to illustrate the emotions that we all must feel as 2022 comes to a close. The year has brought us the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the right to debate in our communities how incipient human life shall be protected –or destroyed–and to elect those people who will make the laws that govern our society. However, that success for democracy and constitutional law leaves us challenged by powerful adversaries that lust for the blood of the innocent because of the money and political power that has become associated with the business of abortion.

Therefore, when we advocate to help mothers with everything they need to choose life for their baby, we threaten the wealth and power derived from making mothers feel like abortion is their only responsible choice. We should not be surprised, therefore, if those people lash out with hate speech, threats, and violence. They have also used their very considerable resources to denigrate those who want to help mothers and babies with whatever they need, to isolate mothers from such resources, and to provide innovative ways for mothers to abort their babies.

I discussed the latter in my last post. I now focus for a moment on more objective information. (Thank you Pregnancy Help News and others cited below.)

“Pregnancy help work is an Advent-style life, with expectation, hope, faith, joy, and peace”: https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/pregnancy-help-work-is-an-advent-style-life-with-expectation-hope-faith-joy-and-peace

“Motherhood isn’t fatal: According to the pro-abortion mantra, women must sacrifice the lives of their unborn children to succeed in life. Evidence shows they couldn’t be more wrong”. https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/motherhood-isn-t-fatal

“DOJ official admits targeting pro-lifers as response to overturn of Roe“: https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/doj-official-admits-targeting-pro-lifers-as-response-to-overturn-of-roe

“Feminism 2022: Silencing women with politically incorrect (pro-life) views”: https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/feminism-2022-silencing-women-with-politically-incorrect-pro-life-views

From Shawn Carney: “Last month, National Public Radio aired an audio recording of a woman aborting her twins. Why would anyone want to listen to not one, but two human beings get torn apart by a vacuum machine? It’s the clearest sign yet that our culture has lost even the most basic sense of reverence for God’s precious gift of human life.” “Someone cares: Child killed in on-air NPR abortion segment mourned”: https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/someone-cares-child-killed-in-on-air-npr-abortion-segment-mourned

The following news article demonstrates how fixed delusions and the dangerous idealizations that some of our adversaries exhibit control their behavior. It is baffling how those whose hearts are in the right place, loving and caring for women and babies and wanting to offer every help needed, while not condemning, but offering healing to those who choose abortion, are denigrated viciously in the misguided beliefs of many who support abortion as a form of birth control: “Pro-abortion protesters disrupt D.C. pregnancy center’s annual banquet with vulgar rants” https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/pro-abortion-protesters-disrupt-d-c-pregnancy-center-s-annual-banquet-with-vulgar-rants I invite you to read that portion of my book that explains how people come to believe with passion things that are blatantly untrue, and why their beliefs cannot be shaken.

And, in UK: “A Bill that criminalizes offers of help and alternatives to abortion outside abortion clinics in Northern Ireland does not ‘disproportionately interfere’ with the rights of protesters, the Supreme Court has ruled”. https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/uk-supreme-court-ignores-testimony-of-women-helped-by-pro-life-support-outside-abortion-clinics

And, in Mexico: “it’s time for Mexico to determine a clear and firm course in defense of life, pregnant women, and their children.” “at this time, the widespread demand of Mexican society is the prevention of any form of violence against women, and for those who are pregnant, protection must be extended to their children in the womb.” https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/pro-lifers-in-mexico-demand-government-put-an-end-to-killings-of-pregnant-women

Now for some observations from Christian Voices for Life that we must know (#7 and #8 will be in a future email; I invite you to subscribe to their emails):

“Eight Blatant Lies of the Abortion Industry: # 1 – 3” https://files.ecatholic.com/6894/documents/2022/12/8-Blatant-Lies-1-3.pdf?t=1671467665000

“Eight Blatant Lies of the Abortion Industry: # 4 – 6” https://files.ecatholic.com/6894/documents/2022/12/8-Blatant-Lies-4-6.pdf?t=1671467740000

From Heartbeat International: “Statistics show more than 4,000 babies’ lives have been saved from the abortion pill [since the overturn of Roe v. Wade] … and counting!” More women are using the abortion pills, so the number of women with remorse (sometimes after being under pressure from another person and forced to take the pills) is also increasing, as are the number of facilities that are offering abortion pill reversal.

From Melissa Ohden, founder of Abortion Survivors Network: “While I have met 618 survivors personally, our research shows there are likely over 1,734 babies born alive each year after their mother’s failed abortion! The Abortion Survivors Network is the only organization worldwide that serves those who survive failed abortions. Our mission is to reach, heal, empower and equip abortion survivors and their biological and adoptive families.” Their work includes advocating to legislative bodies from the perspective of a person that survived an abortion attempt that they were a person in the womb and that their lives matter. https://abortionsurvivors.org/

In Malta: “20,000 take to streets of Malta to demand Government not introduce abortion” Malta is a nation state that does not legally permit abortion on demand. https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/20-000-take-to-streets-of-malta-to-demand-government-not-introduce-abortion

Please refer to the “Upcoming Pro-Life Activities” page on this web site for events that you can attend and have your voice heard. Now more than ever, we must participate, we must be informed, and we must be sure the truth is told.

Whenever we can, we must also financially support those pregnancy help centers that provide direct care to women, those institutions that educate our youth and fight for the hearts and minds of the people, and those who advocate that they were a person in the womb, just as they are a person now, and that the lives of every developing person has value, from conception to natural death.

We are now approaching the six month mark since the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 decision in Roe, and delivered to the people the obligation to debate the issue of abortion and to elect their leaders to make the laws under which they will live. It is well to examine what the impact has been. Indeed, experiences are different around the various states. Some states are restricting or outlawing abortion while others are developing an abortion tourism business. Some legislators are even advocating neonaticide.

At the same time that pregnancy help centers have geared up to meet increased requests for help, especially in states where abortion is illegal, pro-abortion advocates have attacked such entities as deceiving, dangerous, and harmful to women, pointing out that they “severely limit the choices of women” by not offering abortions. On that front, it has become a battle, on the one hand, to get women into these pregnancy help centers so their needs can be determined and met, and on the other hand, to get women to refuse help and seek ways to have an abortion. Ironically, pro-abortion advocates offer only that one choice.

It is worth noting that one small study demonstrated that 76% of women who had an abortion said they would have kept their baby “if circumstances were different.” The mission of pregnancy help centers is to do just that– help each mother obtain all the resources she needs so that circumstances prevail to help her choose life for her baby. In those cases where the mother just cannot keep the baby after birth, there are about 36 couples wanting to adopt for every one baby that is available for adoption.

Whereas, in areas where abortion is illegal, women have flocked to pregnancy centers in increased numbers, in many areas, the increase was modest, if any. In communities where households have lower income and less education, nearly 75% know nothing about pregnancy help centers. Desperate women began to buy abortion pills off the streets (sometimes counterfeits). Others obtained pills mailed from out of state after a Skype visit at a Planned Parenthood office, and even from overseas resources by internet sales…often taking the pills without an ultrasound exam or the advice of a doctor, thus often harming themselves and requiring emergency visits to a hospital.

Some women with more advanced stages of pregnancy are leaving states where abortion is prohibited to get a surgical abortion, and Planned Parenthood has established RV’s as mobile abortion clinics across the border from such states. Boats are also taking women off-shore and performing abortions up to 20 weeks without recording the names of the women or any other details.  Such women have no recourse except the emergency department of a hospital when they suffer complications.

There are also a number of new web sites promoting “Plan C”… advising women of different ways they can get access to abortion pills. The use of abortion pills has been on the rise for quite some time. Earlier detection of pregnancy has made those substances very popular. More educated and affluent women are now choosing more often the “morning after pill,” such as the substance called Plan B, to prevent pregnancy after spontaneous sex with no contraceptive plan or if their method seems to have failed.

With increased use of abortion pills, there has been a parallel increase in regrets at having done so. This has given rise to an increasingly larger cadre of abortion pill reversal doctors. Whereas that treatment is not always successful, depending on a variety of factors, but especially dependent on how long since the first pill was taken, it is reported that over 4,000 pregnancies have been saved in the last six months.

It is hard to know whether the overall number of abortions in the United States has decreased in the last six months. There is no standard requirement for reporting, and many abortions are now “self-managed” by use of abortion pills. It is felt that there has been a modest decrease, but it has also been observed that every life has value and that every life saved is important.

Those who support abortion seemingly want women to have an abortion as a matter of exercising a “right,” such as to vote, rather than to explore alternatives in the context of difficult life situations. In their view, those who offer alternatives to abortion and help women to overcome real and imagined reasons why they cannot have a baby are threatening women’s rights in all areas of life. Such short-sighted assessment neglects the overall impact of abortion on mothers and fathers, grandparents and extended families that never were because the baby was killed in the womb.

The only thing that every person in the respect life movement is certain about is that there is much work to be done in the battle to win the hearts and minds of the public. Part of that effort must be placed on educating women about pregnancy help centers and all of the resources available to them.

The other way we can reduce the number of abortions in the United States is to eliminate the ills in our society that lead to the dire circumstances women encounter which cause them to contemplate abortion. It is without dispute that this will be a long, difficult, and controversial task. However, only by doing so will abortion someday become almost unthinkable.

First… let us honor our veterans on this Veterans Day, without whom we would have nothing else to talk about here. Thank you to all my fellow veterans who served with me, and before and after me, in our common cause, so that our freedoms and liberties will not vanish from the earth.

At this writing, some of the 2022 mid-term election results are still not known days after voting was supposed to have ceased. However, it is now reported that some states had same day results while others are still looking for more votes to count. This has led to much concern about why there is a delay in counting votes, especially in states where key races are close and the rules for counting are controlled by the political party in power. Conversations circle around improprieties, election fraud, and ballot stuffing to get the desired results for the party controlling the election process in those venues. Since those in power control what we can know, it seems unlikely that we can ever be sure if we are having fair elections. We veterans, who served our country in order to preserve our freedoms as a beacon to the rest of the world, have a justifiable complaint, if anyone will hear it.

If those concerns are not enough, the shameless and deliberate use of false information and fear mongering once again characterized our election process. This was used somewhat successfully to confuse voters and distract them from important issues of immediate concern. Obscene amounts of money have been poured into such efforts instead of supporting debates to determine which ideas are best for the future of the country. Accordingly, we can also expect this to shape our future.

Returning to our theme of protecting life and human dignity, those who favor abortion enjoyed success in these recent elections based upon the proposition that (1) if women cannot get abortions on demand, then they will lose the right to vote and to have equal wages (for example), and (2) that women who experience a miscarriage can go to jail (as another example of a ludicrous tale that was sold to the public).

We have a serious problem in this country with lack of an education that would prepare the public to discern factual information and provide the ability to engage in critical thinking and decision making. Accordingly, we are quite confused and easily manipulated.

A good example is provided by people who voted for candidates in the same political party that promotes the policies that they totally reject. Another example, back on our main subject, is the confusion among Catholics over abortion. Catholics have led the way in objecting to abortion as a means for birth control, and have spear-headed the formation of pregnancy help centers across the country in the aftermath of Roe in 1973.

To demonstrate how even Catholics have become confused, a survey by Catholic network EWTN that was published in the National Catholic Register reports that 13% of Catholics said abortion should be permitted at any time during pregnancy, while 8% said abortion should never be permitted. Catholic teaching, of course, is that human life must be respected and nourished with preservation of dignity from its tiniest beginnings, throughout all its stages and conditions, until natural death.

The survey further reported that 46.2% agreed with Roe being overturned while 47.8% did not. At the same time, 86.5% favored some limits on abortion, with that number divided such that 26.8% said abortion should only be allowed in cases of rape, incest, and if the mother’s life is in danger, 19.8% objecting to abortion after 15 weeks, 13.1% saying abortion should be legal until week 24, and 9.9% would restrict abortion after detection of the heart beat (about 8 weeks on abdominal ultrasound and 6 weeks on vaginal ultrasound).

While demonstrating that Catholics poorly understand what abortion is, it also indicates clearly that they have no idea what the decision in Roe was. It is no wonder people are confused. The decision in Roe, of course, made abortion a legal procedure throughout all the states so that the people could no longer debate the issues and decide how to regulate abortion in their own communities according to their own values and beliefs.

In overturning Roe, SCOTUS stated that the 10th amendment to the constitution declared in simple and unequivocal terms that any issues not specifically allocated to congress should be debated by the people in the individual states who should elect the representatives who will make the laws to govern their communities. They wrote in detail that the “right to an abortion” that the court in1973 “found” in a clause declaring “the right to privacy” was at no time during debates over that amendment said or implied to have anything to do with abortion. No matter how one feels about abortion, the ruling in 1973 by judges appointed by liberal presidents who supported abortion was clearly “a decision looking for a justification.”

However, it is also clear that most people who have opinions on Roe at the same time have no clue at all about the actual rulings in Roe or Dobbs or what is actually written in the constitution.

It is anguishing to talk about a child conceived by rape or incest. These crimes are infuriating and the implications for the victims is heartbreaking. The perpetrator of these crimes should go to jail, but many people assert that the innocent child developing in the womb should get the death penalty. That is just another reason that those crimes are considered so heinous; one tragedy is compounded by another. It is a horrible situation to contemplate, but abortion is not a healing act for the victim. If anything, it just deepens the pain. Moreover, as I discuss in my book, those who have raised such children have a wholly different opinion on the worth of that child’s life.

It is also worth noting that the cases in which aborting a pregnancy is necessary to save the mother’s life are extremely rare. However, I did experience such a case. The mother had lupus and lapsed into a coma as a consequence of an extreme condition. She was in imminent peril of dying. Scanty data in such cases caused the rheumatologist to opine that the only chance she had for survival would be to abort the pregnancy. Then she could be given medicines that might save her but which would have killed the baby anyway; and, if she died, the baby would die also.

Most people also do not know that babies have survived at gestational age 15 weeks to grow into healthy children. Whereas, this is extremely uncommon (at this time), it should be clear that this is a growing human being whose life should be protected. Why would one want to kill the child at 6 or 12 or 13 or 14 weeks, but let it live at 15 weeks? Is this child not just as much a human being like ourselves, no matter how small? Therefore, we protect pregnant women from injury and restrict them from certain types of work and recreational activities to protect the life of the baby. Yet, we also make it legal for the mother to have the baby killed in the womb.

At age 24 weeks, the baby has more than a 50% chance of living outside the womb. Every possible measure will be taken to save the baby’s life. Yet, in some places the baby will be killed at this age as a matter of convenience for the mother. In some venues, it is now proposed to let an unwanted baby born at full term (40 weeks) be set aside to die from neglect, that is to starve to death or to allow to die from dehydration or infection.

Interestingly, there is a direct correlation between how often Catholics go to mass (from daily to weekly to monthly to yearly) and how they feel about abortion being completely illegal or simply a choice for the woman to make, sometimes with certain restrictions. However, Catholic priests typically do not actually address the subject of abortion during services and seem to care little about the importance of teaching about the precious gift of life and our duty to protect human life and preserve human dignity. Perhaps people listen to the message from their hearts and the teachings in the Bible.

For those who do believe in the sanctity of human life and the worthiness of the smallest and weakest of us, there is grave concern for what is proposed by some of our leaders in the highest positions of government. They want to codify the precepts of Roe by legislation, thus making the option for abortion on demand up to birth, and infanticide after giving birth, the law of the land, which the Supreme Court is pledged to uphold. Thus, there would be no more debate and no more voting on the issue.

The Supreme Court has ruled that we must debate the issues and elect our leaders. The battle over the issue of respect for life in all its stages and conditions in now in our communities. It is a battle to change the hearts and minds of the people. Education and science has brought us to this point after 50 years. Now, we must convince the people that the tiniest growing baby is a person, like us, small and developing, but a real human baby… a person entitled to life.

1. “Women are not stupid…Women have always known that there was a life there.” –Former PP President Faye Wattleton (Source: https://www.lifesitenews.com/pulse/5-quotes-that-show-pro-abortion-leaders-know-exactly-what-abortion-is/)
    
2. “Abortion is life and death, and I think for me it’s about…saying, ‘Yes, we end lives here,’ and being ok with that…I had a woman…say ‘I just killed my baby.’ And I said to her, ‘You did, and that’s ok.'” (Source: https://www.liveaction.org/news/abortionists-end-lives-okay-that/) 
    
3. “[A]cknowledging the violence of abortion risks admitting that the stereotypes that anti-abortion forces hold of us are true—that we are butchers…In general, feminism is a peaceful movement…but abortion is a version of violence. What do we do with that contradiction?” –Abortionist Lisa Harris (Source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/S0968-8080%2808%2931396-2)
    
4. “Life begins at conception and what I do is murder…Clinic workers may say they support a woman’s right to choose, but they will also say that they do not want to see tiny hands and tiny feet. There is a great difference between the intellectual support of a woman’s right to choose and the actual participation in the carnage of abortion. Because seeing body parts bothers the workers.” –Judith Fetrow (Source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/dont-panic-the-sidewalk-counselors-guidebook-12174)
    
5. “I have angry feelings at myself for feeling good about grasping the calvaria [head], for feeling good about doing a technically good procedure that destroys a fetus, kills a baby.” –Dr. Diane M. Gianelli (Source: https://www.liveaction.org/news/abortionists-agree-abortion-is-killing/)
    
6. “I performed abortions, I have had an abortion, and I am in favor of women having abortions when we choose to do so. But we should never disregard the fact that being pregnant means there is a baby growing inside of a woman, a baby whose life is ended. We ought not to pretend this is not happening.” 
   –Dr. Judith Arcana (Source: https://www.liveaction.org/news/abortionists-agree-abortion-is-killing/)
    
7. “I’ve done a couple thousand [abortions], and it turned into a significant financial boon…the only way I can do an abortion is to consider only the woman as my patient and block out the baby.” –Dr. John Pekkanen (Source: https://clinicquotes.com/category/quotes/abortion-is-killing/page/7/)

This phrase has been used to mean “adjusting to the increased demands of the task at hand.” At this time, pro-life people would surely embrace that phrase as they describe themselves and colleagues who are finding themselves busier than ever with both activism and direct care to women in need of help. Indeed, my sources universally inform me that there are increased requests for help by women in all kinds of circumstances. Being prescient of this need even before the Dobbs decision was released, the Supreme leadership of the Knights of Columbus asked councils across the country to be cognizant of the increased needs of pregnancy help centers and that they should endeavor to do more than in the past to try to meet those needs.

One of the most urgent challenges is to reach women in those communities where their babies are targeted for death. These are communities where people are under educated and underemployed and often under stress from several social factors. While we work to meet the needs of such women, we must examine public policies which fail to relief those conditions that drive women to the choice of abortion. This is being discussed more broadly as the upcoming elections provide hope that new people will examine failed policies and do new things with more promise. However, a weak economy with high inflation and persistent shortages of many products coupled with the looming specter of a wider military conflict in eastern Europe will likely limit options for quite a while, thus making it essential for pro-life people in their communities to expand help to women and babies and do more than in the past.

In the immediate aftermath of the Dobbs decision, we also saw a vast array of pro-life organizations roll out plans to extend even more help to more women, emphasizing love and compassion, and solutions for every need. Not to disappoint, our adversaries in the pro-abortion faction, rose to the occasion with hate speech and violence. One prominent legislator in Washington, DC, has called for elimination of centers that offer help to women because they actually abuse women (by not referring them for abortion), or that they should be forced to be renamed because pregnancy help center do not really “help” women (because they do not “help” them get abortions). If that kind of rhetoric is supposed to make people turn away from pregnancy resource centers and support abortion, I fail totally to see how.

In other developments, there is more talk about when does life begin and the issue of person-hood. In the former, there is the assertion that what is growing in the woman is a piece of amorphous tissue, that it is not anything human, not a “baby” (shudder-shudder). Therefore, for the sake of the woman with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, it only makes sense that the “it-thing” inside her should be “taken care of.”

I recently heard remarks in which this issue was addressed in an amusing way. It was asserted that one can argue at length about tissues and what is inside the woman, but one thing that cannot be disputed is this: what comes out of a woman’s body is a human baby. There is no point after conception when the growing entity was a lizard or dog…it was always a baby, not a piece of something else. Oh, sure…it was small and not completely formed, but still a developing baby. News flash ! When a baby is born, it still continues to develop…and when 20 years old it is still developing… and even at 80 years old the body is still changing and developing (albeit not in the direction we would choose). So, development of humans begins at conception and continues until death.

There is no stage at which the growing entity is not a human in development. So, let us cut the “crap” and just acknowledge that the argument is over who has the right to kill a developing person, and at what age… just a few weeks of development ? What about killing that person after 1 year, or 20 years? That is the debate, and make no mistake about it… learn from history when people gained power and decided who they would kill based on age, sex, religion, medical illness, heritage, language…. If we do not tenaciously demand respect for life in all its stages and conditions from conception to natural death, then we are vulnerable to all the exceptions.

In the Dobbs decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the 10th amendment gave to the people in the individual states the right to debate and vote on how abortion can be regulated in their own communities. The pro-abortion factions have now doubled-down on their rhetoric condemning their pro-life political adversaries as hating women and wanting to take away more and more of the rights women have struggled for over eons. This has grown out of a failure of other arguments for why voters should select incumbent pro-abortion politicians for re-election. The policies of incumbent pro-abortion politicians have been hugely unpopular and have resulted in economic hardships for vast segments of the population, and it is always the poorest and less well educated people and the newest immigrants who suffer most. Since they cannot run for re-election based on successful policies and popular achievements, they have decided to make access to abortion the primary campaign issue. This is mixed with the usual hate rhetoric and fear mongering that we have become used to… to the point that I think many people no longer hear it.

However, the US Catholic Bishops have responded to the misinformation with a “white paper” on the subject titled “The Truth About Abortion & Women’s Health.” In this document, it is well pointed out that abortion is never medically necessary. The point is made, which I also address in my book, that it may be necessary to deliver the child well preterm to save the mother’s life. In some cases, the child should be in ICU with hope of survival. In other cases, the child should be offered hospice in a dignified manner.

In an abortion, the procedure is carried out on a living child with the intention of ending that life. The document goes on to expose the bogus arguments that women denied an abortion will not be able to be treated for a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. In these tragic cases, the developing baby has died and the mother’s life is in danger. There is no issue of trying to save the baby or of deliberately killing the baby. All, of these arguments are foisted on the uneducated and those already indoctrinated into an illogical and unscientific belief system for the purpose of distracting them from the reality of current events while gaining their votes for the purpose of hanging on to power… and power is money.. and some people will say and do anything for more money.

However, the National Catholic Register just carried an article “Previewing the Midterms” in which a recent poll by the Pew Research Center indicates that the economy is the top concern for 77% of voters. However, among Democrats, 71% now say that abortion is very important, whereas only 46% of democrats felt that way in March. That suggests that the Democrat echo chamber is working pretty well, but that the vast majority of people are concerned about the economy and what they have to pay for the things they must purchase in their every day lives. Data on other issues similarly shows that people have many important concerns but that abortion is far down the list. Nevertheless, expect to hear much deliberate misinformation and hate speech as the election nears.

For pro-life people, it is more important than ever to be informed and to disseminate the truth as widely as possible. As the Supreme Court ruled, the debates belong in front of the people, and the people must choose those leaders who will make the laws that govern their communities. Let us be wise, and let us educate our fellow citizens and especially our youth, and let us pray for the wisdom of our newly elected leaders.