Enriching the ProLife Discussion About Babies

In a secular world like ours, it is challenging to be ProLife. So many ProChoicers seem to misunderstand the concept that a child is being murdered in every abortion. Or maybe it's that they understand the concept but deny it. 

What is denial? The action of declaring some truth to be untrue, or,

"Denial is one of the most common defense mechanisms that we all use, pretending that an uncomfortable thing did not happen." - changingminds.org

"Denial...[is when] the individual recognizes or is conscious of the existence of the truth or fact but consciously refuses to accept it as such." - wikipedia.org

As Lisa Smiley says in her video, it doesn't matter. When a woman becomes pregnant, everyone asks how the baby is - from Day 1. Do you know the baby's sex yet? Is the baby kicking or moving around? What names are you considering for the baby? The baby. The baby. The baby. We use that term because it is a baby from Day 1, the moment of conception.

Pregnant women across the globe read and sing and play music to their baby in the womb. Why? Because inside her womb is a baby who is capable of internalizing knowledge.

I often sense a visceral tension when I am chatting about abortion with someone who is ProChoice. It is almost as if they know it's a baby in the womb, but they don't want to be found out about it. Instead, they direct the discussion to the mother's right to choose, which is a valid topic, but I recently heard a different talk by Lisa Smiley and she put it well. If a mother abuses her child, is that ok? No. If a mother drives down the street and decides to throw the baby out, is that ok? No. If a mother encloses her child in a small space and fills that space with cigarette smoke non-stop, is that ok? No. Then why is it ok for a mother to kill her unborn baby? It's not, especially when you think about it from the ethical and moral perspectives just discussed. 

ProLife is not about taking choices away from pregnant women. It is about giving pregnant women ethical and moral solutions to manage their crises. 




image - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/baby-growth-during-pregnancy-month-health-claps
11/6/16 - Edited 1st paragraph

Please Vote on Tuesday, November 6, 2012

If you have not already voted, please make an effort to do so on voting day, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 6, 2012.  It is a privilege and a responsibility for each of us to choose our leaders.  We do so under no duress and we do so of our own free will.  We do so in a state of peace.  How awesome is that?

images- http://www.calyouth.org/hey-youth-vote/
http://www.morrowcounty.info/www/
http://lessig.org/blog/2009/05/wikipedians_please_vote_by_may.html

Personhood at Conception: Mississippi Is Up Next

Next Tuesday, November 8, 2011, the citizens of Mississippi will be voting on an amendment to their state's Constitution.  The amendment defines the beginning of life to be the moment of conception, and it defines a fertilized human egg to be a legal person, thereby making abortion and some forms of contraception, illegal.  It is Initiative 26 and there is a good chance the citizens will vote it in.

Tom Ashbrook discussed this topic yesterday on his On Point radio show on National Public Radio (NPR). He provided one of the fairer representations of both sides of the issue that I have heard on NPR on the topic of abortion. Kudos to Tom. Listen here.

To see the wording of the ballot, click here  [Added 6/8/17 - For more background, click here]

OTHER ARTICLES

CBS News
Debating Mississippi's "Personhood Amendment"
The New York Times
Push For Personhood Amendment Represents New Tack in Abortion Fight
Salon
The next front in the abortion wars: Birth control
Mississippi debates a "Personhood" initiative that could ban the pill -- but ultimately aims at Roe v. Wade
The New York Times
Mississippi’s Ambiguous ‘Personhood’ Amendment


image - http://www.newprospect.net/

Another Retraction In The News - Museum of Russian Icons

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Gordon Lankton,
Founder & Creator of the museum

Like Kirsten Powers did earlier this month, the Museum of Russian Icons is retracting what it said in the recent article about them returning their special collection to Russia, at Russia's request. See previous entry.
They won't be returning them after all, at least not for now anyhow.

Museum refuses to return icons.
Russian artwork on loan is not subject to seizure, State Dept. tells curator

Icon exhibit staying put
Dispute has Russian curator going home empty-handed


Happy Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent!  I'll be writing about my Lenten challenges next time.

Kathleen


image - http://paper.li/stormsage/visual
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250-Year-Old Political Dispute Results In Russia Taking Back Icons

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I was so looking forward to seeing the special exhibition, Dismantling the Treasures from Moscow, at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA, but it looks like I won't be able to. Russia has recalled the entire collection, which was on loan to the museum. It's not totally clear why, but it is related to some 250-year-old political dispute between Russia and the U.S., about a collection of Jewish books and documents.

For the full article, click here

I would still recommend a visit to anyone.  It is housed in a refurbished mill building.  The curator personally obtained many of the pieces during several of his visits to Russia, years ago.  The interior decor is nicely done, and the magnifying lens/light at each icon is a tremendous help.  Classy is the word that comes to me.

Piano concerts, education classes, icon painting and egg workshops are also held.  Check out their schedule and visitors' information here


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image - http://www.museumofrussianicons.org/
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Herman Cain, Planned Parenthood and Foolocracy

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Reaching back to founder Margaret Sanger's original eugenics mission with Planned Parenthood, potential Presidential candidate Herman Cain discusses how her mission is still being carried out today. No, he does not hope that government funding to Planned Parenthood continues.

Herman Cain

Herman Cain:  'It’s Not Planned Parenthood -- No, It’s Planned Genocide’

I applaud Mr. Cain and hope he will run for President, but not everyone agrees with me, or him.

Presidential Hopeful Cain Declares Planned Parenthood Formed “To Kill Black Babies”

On another note:  How is your Lent going?  I already fell off the wagon with one of the things I gave up.  I modified it as I often do after the Ash Wednesday week trial period.  I start out way too zealous.

Kathleen

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image - http://foolocracy.com/2011/03/presidential-hopeful-cain-declares-planned-parenthood-formed-to-kill-black-babies/

Abortion Economics

As I perused The Cost of Abortion web site, my eye suddenly caught glimpse of this message at the bottom of the screen*:
 

 Since you started reading this website, 

 14 children have been aborted in the USA. .

I was taken aback.  I have never seen something like that.  It was startling.  It made the reality of abortion visceral.  I wanted to say, "No, no, take it back.  They can't be gone."  I was referring to the 14 dead children.

I found this web site by reading the article, Tea Party Activists Worried About Economy Should Consider the Cost of Abortion.  It provides more insight and is worth the read.


*The origin of the statistic is explained in the web site. Please visit it.


Yours in Christ,
Kathleen
.image - http://morgannasalchemy.com/img/abortion-costs.html

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Non-Partisan Solution For Fixing Congress

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"Congressional Reform Act of 2010

1) Term Limits.
    12 years only, one of the possible options below..
    A. Two Six-year Senate terms
    B. Six Two-year House terms
    C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2) No Tenure / No Pension.
    A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3) Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
    All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately.
    All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4) Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5) Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6) Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7) Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8) All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work."

Now we need a Senator and Representive to introduce this "bill".  It is from an email going around and I like it.

.image - http://www.turnmaineblue.com/united-states-congress.html

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Planned Parenthood Clinic Closing in New Jersey

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Kudos to Governor Christie who cut state taxpayer funding to the abortion operation.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2010/September/NJ-Abortion-Clinic-Closes-After-State-Funding-Cut/

Be sure to watch the video clip.

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image - http://teresamerica.blogspot.com/2009/09/just-say-no-to-planned-parenthood.html
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So Help Me God

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Here she is folks, Elena Kagan, the new Supreme Court Justice, 

swearing in on a Bible and ending her judicial oath with "so help me God." 

I have mixed feelings about the use of the Bible and the reference to God.  I like that they

are still included and made visible to the public.  People need to be reminded of

their existence.  On the other hand, I dislike the hypocrisy of it all.  I mean,

do they really call upon God for guidance in making their decisions?

Ok, ok, lest I be too cynical, I am sure there are some individuals
who do ask God for guidance.  As a group?  I doubt it.

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image - http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-naw-kagan-20100808,0,6612295.story

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