Showing posts with label Pro-life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pro-life. Show all posts
Monday, July 17, 2017

Does Pro-Life Language Regarding Charlie Gard Prove the Pro-ChoiceArgument?

Does Pro-Life Language Regarding Charlie Gard Prove the Pro-Choice Argument?



Over the last few days the Charlie Gard situation has ignited into an inferno within the pro-life community. 

Arguments by those who support GOSH, because they believe his dignity is best protected by allowing him to die "peacefully" by removing his ventilator, make up one camp. The other side of the debate is made up of those who are outraged at the idea of "death with dignity" due to strong pro-life positions on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

This is being argued out on both sides in terms of "parental rights", and how far they extend when you've got a gravely ill child. Those who support GOSH have come out strong for hospital personnel and medical professionals, who they believe have the better handle on the situation. Those who support Charlie's parents are crying foul on terms of traditional beliefs when it comes to parents and children.

In the middle of this maelstrom comes a strong warning from some pro-lifers who have noted our language in terms of "who decides" is eerily similar to the pro-choice camp: in pushing this as solely a parental rights issue, our rallying call has become, "parents have the ultimate authority over their children's life and death", when it comes to serious illness and birth defect. We are setting a dangerous precedent here, as we are using the pro-choice language of our opponents to justify overturning the court order which will end the life of Charlie Gard. 

I myself fell victim to this rhetoric, and while I still hold my position that when it comes to a medical decision a parent has authority over medical professionals, I would like to make one clarification: a parent should not ever have the option of removing life support from a child who is still living, which is the case with Charlie Gard. 

Charlie Gard is alive, and he is fighting. 





What does this mean? 

That he has a right to potentially life-saving treatment not because his parents have decided they would like to pursue it, but because he is a human being with inherent value. This speaks to the core of our pro-life mission at Save the 1: we fight for the exceptional cases where even pro-life persons may waver on their life ethics. We do this because we understand the question isn't whether a woman should have the right to end the life of a child, but rather, whether a pre-born child is human and deserving of equal protections under the law. 

Because the questions which seem to be causing so much division revolve around potential pain and suffering, any conversation must include information about this. 

There is absolutely no definitive proof Charlie Gard is suffering, and furthermore, with the extent of damage the hospital is claiming, there are legitimate medical arguments to dispute the idea that he's in pain. Without going into too much detail and getting sidetracked: the type of damage they are claiming he has would also affect his body's ability to process pain. His condition leaves him unable to feel pain, as the relevant proteins needed for this process are missing. 


What people are perceiving as pain is really scary photos of him on a ventilator- but when we put aside our emotions on this one, reality tells us people can live full lives while on a ventilator. 

Back to the central issue: Even if he were capable of feeling pain, pain is treated with palliative care, not death. Charlie Gard's case is less relevant in terms of whether the suffering individual should be euthanized (by either doctors or parents), and much more relevant in terms of the rights of the disabled people to live to their own potential vs. the potential society decides to set for them, in terms of quality of life.

In addition to this, Charlie Gard's parents have said in interviews that critical information may have been withheld from the court. They have clarified there are many more physicians who are now in consensus with them and the physicians who hope to treat him in the US. 

These doctors are working for Charlie. Not his parents, not GOSH, and certainly not the pro-life superstars who've shown up at his bedside (no insult intended).

These doctors recognize a possibility for success with treating Charlie Gard, and for the sake of all humanity, maybe we should too. 

It's not about who has the right to decide how he's treated, but about whether a desperately ill child has the right to potentially curative medication. We believe he does, and we are firmly in 
Charlie's camp on this one- not because we believe his parents have the right to decide whether he lives or dies, but because our little niche of the pro-life stratosphere is home to the most desperate of cases- children whom the rest of the pro-ilife world sees only as bargaining chips. We've seen the power of life in little Faith, and Christian, and Angela, and once you see those tiny miracles, it's impossible to believe our God may have a bigger plan for Charlie Gard. 

We hope you too support Charlie Gard- not because you put yourself in his parents shoes, or you believe the government health system has overstepped its boundaries. We hope you support Charlie Gard because he deserves this chance to live to his potential, whatever that potential may be.

 BIO:  Sarah St. Onge is a wife, mother of 4, step-mother of 2, and pro-life blogger for Save The 1.  She blogs on faith, grief, loss, and pro-life issues pertaining to continuing a pregnancy after a lethal anomaly has been diagnosed, at www.shebringsjoy.com.

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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Dear Instructor, I am wondering how you can justify murder in cases of rape and incest, by Christina Scarborough, homeschool student

Lisa Scarborough decided to home school her 8th grade daughter after experiencing the public school classroom to be hostile toward their pro-life, conservative views. However, when 13 year old Christina was taking an online Civics course through a Christian home school program, she was shocked to hear her teacher justifying abortion in cases of rape and immediately alerted her mother, who then contacted me for resources to provide to this instructor, and for a strategy to resolve the situation favorably.

Since they live in my area, we had the opportunity to meet in person when I spoke in her hometown a week later. Here is her letter to her instructor, along with his response -- a great outcome as you can see, which is why the teacher's identity and the program are not disclosed. Christina's courage and determination demonstrate that young people are not merely relegated to the future of the pro-life movement -- they are an indispensible part of the cause for the protection of preborn children now! As a further note, when she contacted the administrator of this program, she learned that this administrator was himself conceived in rape, and he was extremely appreciative of not only her diligence, but her care and concern for those like him.
-- Rebecca Kiessling, President of Save The 1

Dear Instructor,

I would like to start off by thanking you for teaching civics in an exciting manner, which helped me to digest the information with enthusiasm.  I liked the fact that you were willing to change the way that you presented the material to adjust to the different learning styles that students had.  That kind of flexibility is appreciated and helped me to hone in on the material that you presented.

However, I am extremely concerned with something you said on Tuesday, when you were speaking on how “America is not as great as we think it is”.  You were telling us that one of the reasons is because America permits abortion.  You went on to say, “We definitely messed this up and there are some countries who have not, for example: Poland has a ban on abortion except in cases of rape, incest, imminent death of the mother, if the fetus is unviable. Poland has got this right and America has got this wrong.”

I was shocked to hear that you believe that abortion is right in cases of rape, incest, and if the fetus is unviable.  I was under the impression that you were conservative and that you were strongly pro-life.  I was also under the impression that your organization had the same conservative, Christian beliefs; however, your statement portrayed just the opposite.

Murder is murder no matter how it happens or where it takes place.  Why is it any different if the murder takes place inside or outside of the womb?  In the womb the baby still has human DNA which means that it could only be a human and could never, no matter what age, be a blob of cells or tissue.

I am wondering how you can justify murder in cases of rape and incest.  How can you murder innocent babies because of the crime of their father?  For instance, if my father murdered someone and was sentenced to the death penalty, would I also be sentenced and pay the ultimate price?  No, of course not.  This is exactly what happens every day in America in cases of rape and incest.  The baby is brutally ripped from the mother and killed in the process while 99% of the so called “fathers” escape the punishment of the crime. The death penalty for rape is considered unconstitutional under the 8th Amendment, which forbids cruel and unusual punishment. Yet, you condone the death penalty for an innocent baby based on his father’s rape?  The Word of God says, "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin"- Deuteronomy 24:16. God also said, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son… the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself" - Ezekiel 18:20. There are numerous other verses about shedding innocent blood. It’s something God hates. (See Proverbs 6:16-17).  Exodus 23:7 says "...Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.” So, because of these scriptures, and more, I am very confused about why you would condone the killing of the innocent for the guilty.

If you permit abortion for incest, do you realize how many clinics cover up the crime and cruelly send the victim home to be re-abused by her incestuous relative?  Far too many. These kinds of situations bring them repeat business.  The Bible can attest to this when it says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil”.  Have you thought about how abortion could be empowering an offender because they can just kill the evidence? That’s repulsive!

Are you trying to be kind to the woman? Because the kindest thing you could do for her is not make her live with the horrendous crime of murdering her own child. This is creating another innocent victim and killing a unique individual with his or her own DNA. Someone made in the image of God.  Adoption is a loving and Christian option, which literally brings psychological healing to a victim of rape or incest. It prevents a victim from becoming a victim again of a procedure that that leaves her in the mental torment of a guilty conscience and can have horrible physical consequences too.

Throughout the scriptures we see example after example of how God cares for and loves the little children.  He takes it very seriously when someone harms one of his little ones.  One example of this is portrayed in Exodus 21:22-25.  It states, “If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”  Yet, in America each day 3,300 horrendous abortions take place.  He clearly conveyed his love for children in Matthew 19:14.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them...”  Abortion is exterminating the next generations who have a unique purpose and plan on their lives(according to Jeremiah 29:11).

Then I realized that you also said Poland had it right because they allow abortion until a fetus (which is Latin for “young one”) is viable. This, Sir, is an even bigger problem! Sometimes babies are not considered viable until a woman is around 6 months pregnant. Are you serious? If it’s OK to brutally dismember a baby who is 5 months gestation or burn it with saline, why is is it any different take suction out a baby’s brain just prior to birth? And why stop there? Shouldn’t we be able to kill a newborn? After all, it’s “unviable” without someone to feed it, and care for it. It’s still entirely incapable of making it on it’s own. The dictionary definition for viable is: (of a fetus or unborn child) able to live after birth. What makes a child viable? Someone who cares for it! What makes a 2 or 3 year old child viable? The exact same thing! I believe you have created a seriously slippery slope, Sir!  Worst of all, you have done it to the hearts and minds of youth who were counting on you to teach them right from wrong!  These same students are the next voters who will ultimately be deciding if this atrocity continues throughout America in the next generations.

I would like to be a teacher when I grow up. I don’t take it lightly that the Bible says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because we who teach will be judged more strictly -James 3:1. With all due respect, Sir, I suggest you don’t take this lightly either.


Most Sincerely,
Christina Scarborough

P.S Please read the article below.
http://www.lifenews.com/2014/09/26/is-a-woman-acting-in-sin-when-she-aborts-a-pregnancy-that-is-the-result-of-rape/
THIS WAS THE REPLY:

Hello Christina,

Thank you very much for emailing me with your concerns!

I am gratified to hear that you share my passion to protect unborn children in their mothers’ wombs. I wish that more Americans felt as strongly as you do about this incredibly important topic.

Please allow me to clarify my comments some: I am strongly, unabashedly, and unequivocally pro-life. I believe that life begins in the womb and ends at natural death, and that only God has the authority to exert any influence on this process, for He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things.

My comments in class regarding Poland were meant more as a relative comparison, rather than as an absolute endorsement of Polish legislation. While I do believe that Poland’s laws protect more babies on the balance than American laws do (given our liberalization of abortion), I wish very strongly that Poland’s laws were stricter. Because any life taken away is a moral tragedy, I wish they had stronger regulations upon abortion in the cases of rape, incest, endangered life of the mother, and inviability of the fetus.

I wished to praise the Polish government’s resilience against the progressive agenda to legalize abortion-on-demand, which is why my comments were very positive. Pragmatically speaking, I would support any small measure to curtail the practice of abortion in minute ways; on the whole, I would see the abominable practice of abortion burned and discarded on the ash heap of history. That, and not any point of compromise in the middle, is my prayer.

I will address this issue again in class tomorrow. Thank you again for your email, and please let me know if you have any more questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Classroom Teacher

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Sunday, December 11, 2016

Just Because I Was Raped, I Should Not Be Able to End an Innocent Life, by Yazmin from Mexico

I want a world where violence does not exist! I want a world where respect exists, and equality and love! 
Hello, my name is Yazmin, I am Mexican, and I am a victim of child molestation who became pregnant by rape.  I would have loved to tell another story where there would be a world of harmony and where no one would know what violence is, but sadly, I will talk about my life -- a miserable life in the eyes of the world, but today a life of blessing in the eyes of God.

From an early age, I suffered physical, sexual, psychological and verbal abuse at the hands of my uncle and others who surrounded me.  I grew up with two small boys who belonged to my uncle because my aunt abandoned him, just as I was abandoned, and they were in his care and custody.

The sexual abuse began when I was very small.  I grew up amidst constant insults and physical harm which, each time, would sink me into a terrible depression with much sadness and loneliness.  I did not speak much, having been raised with only the company of the two small boys and I really did not interact with anyone else.  I did not have friends nor anyone with whom I could talk, so my two best friends became those two little ones.  Through them, I learned cope with the physical and internal pain.  

In order to not scare them or worry them, I would tell the boys that my body was so strong that the physical hits did not hurt and that they did not need to cry for me or be scared because I would protect them. The physical pain can be cured in a certain amount of time because the bruises and wounds disappear later, but the psychological wounds take more time.

I remember when they were sleeping, I would go out and cry my pain out -- which was a lot; I was mad at my uncle, at God, with my own self, with life, with people and with the authorities.  I thought -- the same as God, they had forgotten about me. “People are blind”, I thought, or “Am I invisible to others?”  I even named myself the “ghost girl."  I determined, “The day I have money, I will help all the children of the streets, (that is the name eventually called us), I will not allow them to get abused like me, I will give them a home, blanket, food, and above all, I will give them love!  Lots of love!”

I would contemplate many things:  But, someday will I accomplish this? I can’t even help my own self, let alone the other children!  God, did you abandon me completely? Where are You now?  Why do you permit all this pain and suffering?  I do not understand!  Life is ugly and I do not like it.  Who would want to live in a world like this?  You have abandoned me.  I am an unhappy and miserable girl.  I want to be happy and go to school and play, I behave and obey, God, I am not rude with anyone.  Please tell me what I have done wrong.  I ONLY WANT TO BE HAPPY!
 
People would only see me with pity, and the police and the authorities merely follow stupid
norms which do not work and do not defend. Justice comes late and after long processes, they comply halfway where they look for an easy solution which does not cause conflict and they did not worry about me at all.  I wanted a hug full of love that would make me feel special.

At the end of the questions without answers, reproaches and tears in some way relieved my pain.  I would achieve sleeping a little to gain some strength and work the next day, and serve my uncle.

I would sell candies in the streets with other children who would be around there.  That was my daily routine so I would not arrive home empty-handed, having some money to pay my cousins and my plate of food; the days and the hours were long for me.

Some days were harder than others since my uncle would come home drugged and under the influence of alcohol with women and men and they would wake me up to serve them --forcing me to have sex with them. They would pay my uncle so he would let them do what they wanted to me and he would gladly accept the deal, before telling me that I would have to obey and be calm if I did not want to have problems.  I chose to accept it and be still -- like a rag doll for their pleasures.  This was the easiest way, because if not, then the sudden blows would appear and I would end up in a sea of blood and pain.

One day after the constant abuses of my uncle and his friends, I got pregnant.  I had a human being who was growing inside of me each day.  I was really scared, honestly, and I did not know what to do with a baby or how to take care of one.  I was afraid I would not be able to protect a baby in a world where so much evil exists, so I thought of abortion.  I thought that I would not know how or could not give this baby the care which he or she would need and me being a "dumb and useless child," I would fail in the attempt.  I was only 14 years old at the time. 

Then I thought: “If God gave me life and permitted me to be born, who am I to take away an innocent life and snatch the right to life by deciding for this baby?” They were snatching my life away by submitting and forcing me to do things which I did not want to do and without a right to anything, and here I was thinking of doing the same with this baby!  IT IS NOT FAIR, I realized.  A life is growing within me with a purpose and a mission, and the same as me, this baby has a right to life.

I decided to continue with my pregnancy after finding a pro-life page.  I must say that super heroes exist without a cape and they are not how stories and television programs say they are. They do not receive recognition or come out in magazines awarding their courage and effort for helping, but they are like angels with a mission, who God entrusted.  With that purpose, they exist in this life. 

I had the fortune of finding super heroes in my journey, in those difficult moments of my life. They were determined to help me without asking me for anything in return.  Finally, my pleas were answered and God and this baby gave me the strength and the courage which I needed to move on!  They never left me alone.  There were three super heroes in my path who would communicate with me, figuring out ways on how to free me from the “bad man” since in the distance it was very complicated -- not so easy to help me.  

Even with all of these obstacles, they would dedicate themselves to help me and hear me with such calm and attention that no one had ever given me. They felt the pain I went through and would suffer with me.  For the first time ever, I learned to trust people and I discovered that not all people are bad.

I began for the first time in my life rebelling against my uncle and I would demand my rights and the rights for the two boys, as well as the rights of my baby, even though he was not born yet.  I knew I had to leave before the baby was born and I tried to escape to begin to live a life fully and happy, far from that environment which would do us so much harm.

My uncle was engaged in drugs -- he would sell them and consume them.  As a result, he knew many people and powerful contacts from all over, and somehow when I tried to runaway, they found me and the two boys.  When I finally believed my life would change and everything would be better, he came back and he found me -- the same as in a horror movie where an exit does not exist.  I knew that my hopes of moving on would end and all my dreams succumbed when he captured me.  I did not have an exit!  I also knew that it was not going to go really well, so the fear came back and did not let me go.

My uncle, along with his friends, drugged me and beat me.  When I woke up, I was in another home, alone with my cousins, tied up, without food or water.  It was a solitary place, cold and ugly, making me feel very scared.  I would scream, but no one would hear me, I could not even hear the noise of cars.  I did not know where I was and I was very frightened. 

A while later, my uncle came telling me that I was ungrateful and that if I thought that I was going to report him or do something against him, I was really wrong.  He said that I was a crazy prostitute and that everything I received was because I deserved it.  He warned me that I would not leave that place -- that I would not ever leave him, and that if I wanted to see the two boys, then I had to obey him, sleep with more men, and meet his manly needs. He said that I was born for this and nothing more.

My cousins would go to the street, but my uncle would take them and watch them now. They were threatened and told that if they spoke with anyone, they would not see me ever again and that he would kill me because of them. Therefore, the children only dedicated themselves to selling and doing whatever he would tell them to do, fearing what he could do to me.  

My uncle punished me for trying to escape -- his beatings stronger every time.  All of his rage was taken out on me like I was a boxing bag.  He would say that my aunt left him and that no one would ever leave him again -- not even my cousins.

He would beat me, rape me, and spit on me.  I could not take it any longer.  I was very hungry and thirsty.  My whole body hurt.  My hands, feet, thighs, everything completely! Once more, I was alone and disappointed, and I felt I had failed my baby.  I would ask my baby forgiveness, rubbing my womb and telling him that everything would be good, asking that he would forgive me.

One day, my uncle became very drugged and drunk that upon seeing me, he started beating me.  Immediately he began to hit and kick my womb.  This was the most pain I could ever feel -- it was inexplicable.  I could not move, I started to bleed and I knew that something was not right.  He left, startled as he saw the amount of blood and my physical state.  I could not get up and I could not even cry.  Inside me, in my mind, I would tell my baby to forgive me.  I would ask my baby to please not leave me and that he should be strong, that I needed him.  I could only ask God not to take him away from me and to allow him to live, but I lost my baby!

My uncle did not take long to come back with a friend of his who was a doctor.  He helped me a little.  I could only hear what they would talk about as if I heard them in a dream.  I thought that I would die in that moment and I asked for that.  I asked God to take me in that moment because I could not take anymore.  I heard how they planned to get rid of me as if I was an abandoned dog.  I could hear them say that if I was left in the house, then someday someone had to find me, and that they could not take me to a hospital because it would be worse for him.

They got me in the car and left me in a cold and isolated place, waiting for the worst.  I already felt prepared to leave this world.  I did not wish anything more than that.  I yearned it with all my soul, but God’s plans were different.  His plans are distinct from ours.  That night, the hand of God took care of me.  I cannot find another word to describe it.  It was like a miracle!

I do not remember how, or what time, or who, but someone found me and helped me.  The only thing I remember is waking up in a hospital, with medicine being administered.  One of my super heroes was there with me.  I did not know how she found out or how she came to me.  She was taking care of me, she hugged me with love and told me that everything would be alright.  I could not even talk.  I felt sadness, pain, isolation, and at the same time joy.  Well, I felt a little relieved that she was there with me, but I also felt sad and empty -- it was an ocean of feelings which I could not explain.

My super hero was connected by phone with a pro-life woman in Guadalajara and three more who were aware of me, who had me included in prayer chains, talking to me and making me feel their love in between the distance -- angels taking care of me, keeping a close eye on my physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.  They did not know me, but were worried about me without receiving anything in return.  I was really blessed!
  
A report against him was filed and as expected, the night that he killed my baby, he fled with the two boys, just like I thought he would.  Finally, they found him and arrested him, but sadly, they released him.  I suppose he moved his influences and somehow, he got away with it and was free.  I never understood this and why the authorities did not defend me and did not leave him in jail where he needed to be so he would not continue to cause more harm.

Later on, I found out that he died in an automobile accident where he was found very drunk and drugged -- just the way he was accustomed.  I understood that God’s justice is different than man’s justice and that sometimes we do our own justice, by acting wrong.  All bad in some sort returns.

If the authorities would have cared for me since I was small, I wouldn’t have suffered all of this for so long, and I would not have lost my baby. 

But thanks to my super heroes, finally I was free!  There was no one to abuse me or hit me. Somehow, justice had been done and the bad man in the story of my life was gone, once and for all, and would not torment me anymore.

Physically, I began to recover, I began to regain strength, and the only thing left were scars. But even then, I felt pain -- not physical, but emotional.  All of it was a nightmare that would not let me sleep at night.  I would feel guilty for not keeping my promise of taking care of my baby.  I could not forgive myself.

As time passed, I understood that I did everything in my reach, and that I could not protect my baby if I was not protected either.  It was not my fault -- I was only a victim along with my cousins and my baby. I was a victim of my uncle, and of the authorities.  I did not provoke it, as he had convinced me.  It was time to end the pain which was not allowing me move on.  I had the power in my hands to continue being a victim, or to get back up like a lion and pull out the claws to continue with my life and fulfill my dreams.

No one was going to forbid it, there was no one to detain me and that is how it was.  It was not easy, but it was also not impossible. The pain was inevitable, but the suffering was optional.

I decided to open my wings and begin to fly!  I decided to leave the pain to the side, along with my past and begin to live.  Forgiveness is the key to being happy -- not for them, but for myself!  The feeling of rage and remorse provokes an emotional cancer which does not let us advance, and I did not want any more of that.

The pro-life super heroes are angels who God sends in a human form to give us hope, joy, peace, and love -- the love of God reflected in their lives.  God talked to me through them. Now it was only up to me to move on.  I was not an invisible girl anymore.  It was a miracle of life -- like a butterfly which opens its wings and decides to fly!  This is the right of all the children and women who are sexual abuse victims.

My question is:  Why do they want to cut our wings?  By approving abortion laws -- in cases of rape, you send us a wrong and contradictory message about life.  Your way of “protecting” does not work!  It is selfish to end a life to save another.  You cannot kill another to live “good” because you are not even living.  They say that all of us are free, and you do not give us that freedom!  It is contradictory, and I cannot end a life to be free -- not even to feel better.

The pain will not disappear from my life.  Contrary to that, you are teaching me to kill and to feel alone and finished.  Just because I was a raped woman, I should not be able to end an innocent life to be alright.

No one assures that the procedure will come out fine.  Is it not two people who die in an abortion?  The baby dies physically and the mother dies of sadness internally.  You will only say that you were thinking that it was best for me, but you would be wrong.

Do not cut our wings!  Help us fly!  Do not cut the wings of the innocent beings.  No one knows if one of the many aborted babies came with the mission to create a cure for cancer and we took the hope of life away.  Let’s stop taking a role which does not correspond to us by taking someone else’s life.  Let’s respect!  We are not God, and He is the only one who should decide life and death.

Let’s be more humane towards others' pain.  We should listen with our hearts and our reason.  Those men who steal our lives and our hopes need to be arrested.  We need the authorities to be our societal conscience.

Your abortion agenda is killing us -- it cuts our hope and continues our pain!  Like my story, there are many other young girls and women who are rape victims who need to be heard -- all with different stories, but with the same feeling of pain and the impotence of needing to be protected and truly heard.

My life story is still being written -- thanks to my favorite super hero who asked me to write my story.  I am and will be forever grateful to her!  My name is Yazmin, one more victim of sexual abuse and I am pro-life!

BIO: Yazmin, from Mexico, is a pro-life blogger for Salvar El 1 and for Save The 1.
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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

My Daughter Made It Easier to Get Past the Rape, by Michelle Olson

It was one of the darkest periods of my life – I was going through turmoil with my parents, a bad split with the father of my two sons, betrayed by friends, and ended up on the streets, on a waiting list for a homeless shelter.  I had nothing and nobody left.  I prayed for death to come.  Within a week, instead of dying, I was raped.

I found out I had gotten pregnant from the rape.  Having been raped
many times in my life, I know that instinct which says to put it out of your mind -- don't think about it.  Having a growing belly which continually reminded me of the rape was indeed painful in the beginning, but forced me to deal with the pain, and to move past it.  I was so emotional, but I knew my baby needed me to get through it all.  Also, I was finally able to get a room in the homeless shelter.

I tried to call an agency about putting the baby up for adoption, but I couldn't make the call.  Every time I tried, I would cry so hard.  I finally decided I wanted to keep my baby.  

She made it easier to get past the rape. I got a beautiful baby girl from what happened to me.  She is sweet, loving, and beautiful.  What I went through was nothing compared to the joy my little girl has brought to my life.  God had given me a reason to keep going.  My little girl is my miracle baby.

My sweet angel helped me in more ways than I can count.  She makes the world a brighter place.  My daughter may seem like an inconvenience to someone who has never met her, being conceived by rape and having disabilities.  Anyone who knows her also knows love and kindness that is unconditional.  The neighbors smile when they see her and wait for the hugs.

We now live in Texas where Alice has gotten speech, occupational,
and physical therapy.  She still has no diagnosis other than ADHD, but she has come a long way.  She is the sweetest little girl who loves to hug everyone she meets.  I never had to teach her to share -- it comes naturally to her.  She is so generous by nature.  I love my daughter so much, and I have seen lives changed by her life.

Through all of this experience, I adopted my closest friend as my mom.  And it just so happens that her only child was also conceived by rape.  She has been a source of comfort through everything, and she is proud to call Alice her granddaughter.

I actually have two very close friends with children conceived by rape, but they don't really talk about it.  One was 16 and kicked out of her parents house for getting pregnant.  She never told her parents until her son was about 12 that she was raped by her boyfriend.  She had been raped before and the rapist father pushed her into an abortion at the age of 14.  She still feels bad about it to this day, but was determined not to let it happen again when she got pregnant with her son.  

The other was in college and didn't know she was pregnant until she was pretty far along.  She says had she known earlier in the pregnancy, then she’s certain that at that time, she would have had an abortion.  She was going to put him up for adoption, but changed her mind. She was never able to carry another baby to term and he is her only child.  After he grew up, she decided to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, and her son is the reason she is now pro-life!

So if you have a story like ours, know that you are not alone, and I hope this encourages you.


BIO:  Michelle Olson is a mother of three from Texas and a pro-life blogger for Save The 1.
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Wednesday, June 8, 2016

If You Talk To Me About Exceptions I Will Show You My Life, by Feleica Langdon

When I was born I had a rough start.  I was having seizures, fluid on the brain and my lungs
almost collapsed.  I spent several weeks in the hospital in St. Johns, New Foundland, Canada.   Eventually, the doctor’s ascertained that I have Turner Syndrome. Only 2% of girls with my condition survive to birth. 76% of those like me who are diagnosed prenatally are aborted – never even given the chance to survive. Not only did I survive natural death and escape abortion, I was born on my due date. You see, I was a fighter even in the womb.

My parents didn't know I had any heath issues until my birth, but when I got older I began to understand the gravity of my diagnosis and the numbers of children who are aborted, So when I was in high school, I asked my mom the tough question: "If you had known I had Turner Syndrome, would you have aborted me?"  Her response was, "More than likely – yes." Although that hurt me deeply -- and it still does -- I had learned to put that aside and focus my energy on making the most of my life, despite the painful reality. A nurse once encouraged me, "You are not Turner's with a little bit of Feleica, you are Feleica who just so happens to have Turner's, so do not let your diagnosis define you." There were profound words for me which I took to heart.

 I have a sister who is four years older than me, and she was born healthy. We were both raised very well, and I never felt like I was treated differently because of my diagnosis. Because of the pain of hearing my mother say she would likely have aborted me, I never brought this up to my dad because I knew I couldn't handle hearing him say it too.

I am now 29 years old, happy, healthy and thriving. I get to experience the love of my God and my spouse; I get to get kisses good morning and kisses good night; I get to go to work and provide for my family; I get to make my nephew laugh; I get to lay down and watch the stars; I get to sing in the shower and laugh with love ones so hard my stomach hurts; and, I get to give back to the world what life gave to me. 

As far as my diagnosis, my fertility is what's affected me today. I am unable to have biological children, but I have a husband who loves me despite this.  We met seven years ago via a dating website.  He's also from New Foundland.  I had immediately let him know my diagnosis and that I'm unable to bear children, because I knew that it was important for me to find someone who would love anyway.  My husband said, "The grounds for me loving you is not dependent upon whether or not you are able to have children."  He says, "I love you for you." His whole family has been great and treated me me wonderfully. Today we enjoy life with our dogs and we enjoy being an aunt and an uncle to our nephew.

My husband and I are very active in the pro-life movement, especially advocating for those who don't get as much support by those who claim to be pro-life -- the “exceptions.”  It was very important to me that my husband was pro-life when we met.  I got involved in activism about four years ago, then my husband began getting involved as well.  Doing pro-life volunteer work together has drawn us closer because we're doing something that means so much personally to both of us.  My mom is pro-choice to this day and is not at all happy that I'm involved in pro-life activism, but I am compelled to advocate for the lives of the vulnerable, as well as for families who are faced with a difficult pre-natal diagnosis.  Families need resources and encouragement, NOT a “way out.”

I want to use the health I've been given to advocate for those who don't have a voice and for the pregnant women who need someone to reach out to them.  I am fueled even more because there are advocates who support exceptions.  No exceptions should be allowed!  Without us advocating on behalf of those who are devalued and dehumanized as the exceptions, more women and families would feel their only option is to abort. We are here to listen, comfort and connect them to life-affirming resources. That's why it's so important for me and for others to speak out.

 As a case in point, I recently posted a meme I created with me image, and these words:  "No matter my diagnosis, I still matter."  A woman who was told that her child had Turner's Syndrome and was encouraged to abort commented under my meme, "I wish I had seen this when I was pregnant."  She had not aborted her child, but was under pressure from her family to abort, and she felt this was something positive she could have shared with all of them to open their eyes.

For parents dealing with a challenging prenatal diagnosis, please hang in there. I can't tell you what the future will look like, but I can tell you the doctors were wrong about mine.  For parents raising a child with anomalies, focus on helping them to discover the gifts they have to give to this world instead of their limitations.  Avail yourselves of the resources and support which are at your disposal. Join our Save The 1 Carry to Birth group on Facebook for more support.

If you talk to me about exceptions, I will show you my life.  But it’s not just about me.  It's about all those who are being targeted because they cannot speak for themselves.  We deserve a chance!
BIO:  Feleica Langdon is a wife and Home Support Worker, residing in Gander, New Foundland and Labrador, Canada.  She’s also a pro-life blogger and Facebook Page Editor for Save The 1 and started a support network on Facebook called Support For Pro Life Advocates Worldwide.
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