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Showing posts with label Robyn McLean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robyn McLean. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Planned Parenthood Puts Prices on Preborn Babies, But What Is YOUR Worth? by Robyn McLean
There are many articles being written on the exposure of
Planned Parenthood selling aborted baby parts (sometimes, a fully intact baby) through
videos, so, rather than focusing on similar facts and proofs, I am going to
share from my heart and dig into some tender areas.
One of the many issues that is weighing heavily on my spirit,
is that there’s more scrutiny just because the baby parts are being sold. It is a horrifying and truthful fact.
However, whether Planned Parenthood sells baby parts or not,
the horrified response from a diverse audience proves abortion is wrong and
dehumanizing. Do we suddenly realize a
human’s worth once a price has been put on them for someone else’s gain or
profit? Such a dreadful act should not
be the motivator to defend someone’s life, much less an innocent baby’s
life.
What do we need to put value on someone’s life? Is it status, background, prestige, ability,
possession, demand, rarity, desirability, beauty, and many other “qualities”
like these? It shouldn’t be. Though sometimes nice, such characteristics
and assets are certainly nowhere near an appraisal on human value. Culture has allowed the spread of human
insignificance to permeate who we are, unless we somehow “prove our worth” by
whatever will please those around us. We
have to fight that. But, perhaps most of
us cannot find much value within ourselves.
That too, weighs heavily on my heart.
This article is more than about the loss of innocent babies who were
waiting to receive love and to give love.
This article is about
YOU.
What are you
worth?
Perhaps others have not said it.
You are priceless.
You are a precious gem of a person, whether you’ve been discovered or
not. It doesn’t matter. YOU matter already. It’s not something you need to earn. It’s not something you need to perform or
display a certain way in order to establish significance. Other people do not base your worth.
You are not replaceable, and you are not disposable. Though humans in their erring ways have
spurned you, you are not unwanted. You
may not believe in God, but you are valuable to Him, and He’ll embrace you in
your messiest moments!
So, just because people in society have failed you, as much
as they have failed unborn babies, in establishing respect and value for your
life, that doesn’t lessen you as a person.
No one else can appraise you, because you are PRICELESS!!!
-
Robyn McLean
BIO: Robyn McLean is a national,
inspirational & motivational speaker/writer on a wide spectrum and a Save The 1 pro-life speaker and blogger. She brings a thought-provoking outlook
through a variety of topics. Her aim is
to break down the walls that divide people, without compromising the values and
beliefs in which she strongly stands by with conviction. She is a wife and mother and resides in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. She enjoys
playing the piano, singing, hiking, building websites, trying new food, and sharing
coffee time with people. Learn more
about her at www.RobynMcLean.net, and stay connected on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoffeeWithRobynMcLean.
Monday, June 1, 2015
President Signs Rape Survivor Child Custody Act Into Law! by Rebecca Kiessling
After passing the U.S. Senate 99 to 0, our model legislation from Hope After Rape Conception -- the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act (H.R. 1257) -- was signed into law by President Obama on Friday! Our co-founders from HARC, Shauna Prewitt and Analyn Megison worked very hard on this, working closely with House sponsor Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D) and Senate sponsors Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R).
The Act provides an incentive to states to pass legislation providing for a means to terminate the parental rights of rapists, using the "clear and convincing evidence” standard from the U.S Supreme Court case of Santosky v Kramer. 25% of the grant funds are to be allocated to the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program, and 75% of funds go to the Sexual Assault Services Program. The text of the Act reads that it: "Directs the Attorney General to make grants to states that have in place a law that allows the mother of any child that was conceived through rape to seek court-ordered termination of the parental rights of her rapist with regard to that child, which the court shall grant upon clear and convincing evidence of rape."
In Analyn's home state of Florida, she got the legislature to pass this legislation unanimously, which is how Wasserman-Schultz heard of our model legislation. Several states are currently working to pass this law, including Michigan and Maryland, while some states' legislation, like Pennsylvania, are insufficient because those bills require a rape conviction.
Both Shauna and Analyn had to fight their rapists for custody. Shauna is a practicing attorney who I met when I spoke at Georgetown Law while she was attending. Analyn is a law grad too.
Another board member, Angela Grogg, has been working on getting our model legislation passed in many states, ever since her family endured a court battle fighting her 14 year old daughter's rapist for custody.
Several members of Save The 1 who were conceived in rape suffered molestation by their rapist fathers because they were not protected by law, including Darlene Pawlik and Rowena Slusser. Other women from our organization, such as Robyn McLean and Darlene Pawlik's mom, were repeatedly raped as their rapist used contact with the child to continue raping her. As you may expect, women associated with our organization are celebrating as this news came out!
We encourage every pro-life organization to get behind this legislation, as Right to Life of Michigan is currently championing this bill. Not only is it pro-life in effect -- because pregnant rape victims will be more likely to choose life if they know they'll be protected from the rapist, but you'll be able to demonstrate that you really care about these women and their children, and you'll also have the advantage of seeing rape survivor mothers testifying before the legislature at a time when legislators walls are down. Just think of how powerful it is for rape-exception legislators and pro-choice legislators to hear the testimonies of these rape survivors and the love they have for their children -- just wanting them to be protected.
Only a couple of states have this clear and convincing evidence standard, and many states still have nothing at all. With this new law from Congress, it's the perfect time to begin working with your state legislators to properly protect rape survivor mothers and their children.
BIO: Rebecca Kiessling is an attorney and national pro-life speaker who was conceived in rape. She's the president and founder of Save The 1 and co-founder of Hope After Rape Conception.Tuesday, March 3, 2015
God’s Plan Trumps Murphy’s Law – Our Journey for Justice! by Robyn McLean
It all started with a text:
“Can you drive five hours to Santa
Fe to testify before the NM Judiciary Committee on Friday?”
So Friday morning, Rebecca had a radio interview on an
Albuquerque Christian Station – KDAZ with Dan Rosecrans who said at the end of
the interview – on the air -- that he felt that he and other pro-life activists
and Christians owed Rebecca and others like her an apology for having been
willing to compromise on the lives of those conceived in rape. Before leaving our hotel, the concierge asked
to take a photo of Rowena with her “Conceived in Rape/Incest – I Love My Life!”
sign, telling us how moved she was. Then
we had an interview with a local newspaper reporter at the “Roundhouse” – New
Mexico’s Capitol. We could see how God
was already at work!
While I was at the hotel, Rebecca and Rowena dropped off lit
pieces with their stories off at the Governor’s office, as well as the bill
sponsors, and had the opportunity to speak with the sponsor of the parental
notification bill – Rep. Baldanado. He
said he doesn’t like exceptions, but that he wasn’t going to take them out
because he felt the pro-life Democrats in the Senate wouldn’t approve the bill
with them in it. However, he did say
he’d like to work with Save The 1 in the future to try to educate legislators
on this issue more. Then Rebecca asked
if he would sponsor the model legislation from Hope After Rape Conception – to
terminate the parental rights of rapists.
As it turns out, he sponsored such legislation last year, and introduced
us to the Representative who was behind the bill and who had just re-introduced
it this legislative session! Rebecca and
I got to take photos with Rep. Conrad James, she reviewed his bill, suggested
tweaks to it, and the two of them are going to work together to have rape
survivor moms there to testify so the bill doesn’t get killed again this year
by legislators who don’t think it really happens – that rapists sue for custody
or that rape survivor moms actually have their children, love them and choose
to raise them! So we just kept seeing
God’s providence in having us there.
I gave my testimony
of having become pregnant by rape from an abusive relationship, and that I
believed my son had just as equal value as any other baby worth
protecting. Democrats and liberals who
know me, couldn’t imagine my life without him, see him as valuable and special,
and wouldn’t wish his life non-existent. I proceeded to say how much I valued all their
lives were no matter their mistakes, circumstances, backgrounds, etc.. I ended with saying, "Your life has
value, and so does my son's, no matter how it happened." Mission
accomplished – our voices were heard!
Rebecca Kiessling, a dear friend of mine and Founder and
President of Save the 1 -- for which I am a pro-life speaker and writer, wanted
me to go to a hearing on two bills being presented to protect unborn children
which has exceptions of babies conceived in rape – exceptions not typically
included at the state level in late-term abortion bans and parental
notification laws. Rebecca was conceived
from rape, and so was my sweet son.
Therefore, we have an even deeper, personal passion in protecting other
children coming from similar circumstances.
Earlier, I didn’t have much in the budget for a trip like
that, but I had just received some income that week from my website-building
business. Rebecca was able to make the
trip because a Facebook friend of hers whom she’d never met had donated the
frequent flyer miles in response to Rebecca’s plea in a status update. I said I was a “go” if I could bring my 4
year old son AJ and if she would be willing to fly into Denver, trek to
Colorado Springs, and drive us down to Santa Fe, since I’m a stay-at-home mom
and was uncomfortable doing the driving for a long, unfamiliar trip, especially
with the snow we were expecting in Colorado Springs. I knew the snow may be bad in town, but thought
how bad could it be if Rebecca and I both from the upper Midwest? Plus,
the forecast for the rest of the trip was all clear – when we checked.
Our obstacles to take off for this cause started early on
when I went to put gas in the car. I
didn’t know much about the car my husband and I just purchased, though he tried
to tell me it wouldn’t drive as well as the other cars in snow. Again, I thought, “Hey, I am from Minnesota
and drive in crazy North Dakota weather conditions where we had high snow and
icicles into May, so I can do this.”
NOT. I discovered my car was not
an option for even picking up Rebecca in Denver after snow was dumped on us and
I crashed into a curb on a turn, then
got stuck on a hill where I had to be rescued by my husband. So Rebecca needed to take the Colorado
Springs Shuttle, and had to rent a car – which I said I’d split the cost with
her. Rebecca would have to make the 10:30
shuttle on a 10:04 arrival, or it would be another two hours. Her flight was delayed 15 minutes, but the
shuttle company said they’d give her until 10:45. She just barely made it!
As it turns out, it was a good thing she didn’t plan to rent
a car in Denver, because her credit card was lost and had her husband’s which
wouldn’t suffice for renting a car! My
husband secured the rental with Rebecca as a driver, costing us all more of course. When she arrived with the rental to pick me
and AJ up, we got stuck in the parking lot – three times! We were exhausted after much shoveling,
pushing, ice-chipping, and grueling work, and we hadn’t even left the parking
lot!" More than two hours later
than originally estimated, we finally hit the road.
Most of our trip was through blustery snow and extreme
blizzard conditions. We saw traveling
vehicles in ditches and a few wrecks, so we took extra caution, finally
arriving in Santa Fe at 10 p.m., after
11 hours of driving for Rebecca, when it should have been 7 hours in clear
conditions. Just four miles from the
highway, there was not a single snowflake in Santa Fe! We celebrated our arrival with Save The 1
Board Member Dyanne Gonzales and conceived in rape speaker/writer Rowena
Slusser , both of whom are from New Mexico.
We made it! If we had known what
our journey would have been like, we never would had planned to go -- Rebecca
definitely would not have flown into Denver first, but we knew in that moment
that God had a plan for us to be there!
As it turns out though, there was a terrible storm in Albuquerque the
next morning – highways closed, and Rebecca never would have made it 45 minutes
away in Santa Fe if she’d flown into Albuquerque that morning – which she would
have done if I hadn’t agreed to go! The
airport may have even been closed that morning.
So Friday morning, Rebecca had a radio interview on an
Albuquerque Christian Station – KDAZ with Dan Rosecrans who said at the end of
the interview – on the air -- that he felt that he and other pro-life activists
and Christians owed Rebecca and others like her an apology for having been
willing to compromise on the lives of those conceived in rape. Before leaving our hotel, the concierge asked
to take a photo of Rowena with her “Conceived in Rape/Incest – I Love My Life!”
sign, telling us how moved she was. Then
we had an interview with a local newspaper reporter at the “Roundhouse” – New
Mexico’s Capitol. We could see how God
was already at work!
AJ was over-stimulated at the Roundhouse, so Rebecca took me
and AJ to the hotel to unwind, and I began looking into some type of child care
for a few hours, so I could testify without him being uncomfortable sitting for
several hours . I was told we could
possibly lose our spot in the hearing room if we had to step out. However, the fees were prohibitive. I prayed for a pastor's family, or someone
connected in a similar way, who could watch AJ, and that he could have a fun
time, not something boring, but something special. Feeling a bit hopeless at the hotel about
taking the grueling trip only to not be able to testify at the hearing, I made
the decision to put it in God's hands -- everything that had happened was
already a blessing, and I was just going to enjoy my time with AJ. I knew He'd make a way if He wanted me to be
there. Not long after I prayed and put
it in His hands, Rebecca called me and put a lady on the phone. She kindly introduced herself -- a pastor's
wife, home schooling mother of four, and
actively involved in children's ministries!
Whoa! After talking a bit with
her, I knew she was perfect and everything I was hoping for -- patient and
sweet. I told her that I had just pretty
much prayed specifically for her. With an
exchange of the car set, she brought me to the Roundhouse and took AJ with two
of her children for an amazingly fun time for him
While I was at the hotel, Rebecca and Rowena dropped off lit
pieces with their stories off at the Governor’s office, as well as the bill
sponsors, and had the opportunity to speak with the sponsor of the parental
notification bill – Rep. Baldanado. He
said he doesn’t like exceptions, but that he wasn’t going to take them out
because he felt the pro-life Democrats in the Senate wouldn’t approve the bill
with them in it. However, he did say
he’d like to work with Save The 1 in the future to try to educate legislators
on this issue more. Then Rebecca asked
if he would sponsor the model legislation from Hope After Rape Conception – to
terminate the parental rights of rapists.
As it turns out, he sponsored such legislation last year, and introduced
us to the Representative who was behind the bill and who had just re-introduced
it this legislative session! Rebecca and
I got to take photos with Rep. Conrad James, she reviewed his bill, suggested
tweaks to it, and the two of them are going to work together to have rape
survivor moms there to testify so the bill doesn’t get killed again this year
by legislators who don’t think it really happens – that rapists sue for custody
or that rape survivor moms actually have their children, love them and choose
to raise them! So we just kept seeing
God’s providence in having us there.
After being seated
with Rebecca in the hearing room, I was calm as the sweet pastor’s wife kept in
touch, updating me on how AJ was doing --
enjoying a kids meal with her two children who he came to adore, and he was
off to have more fun! I relaxed and
focused on what God had for me to say to these legislators.
But then, yet another obstacle: we learned they made a list for those who were
allowed to testify, which we were told was an unusual thing. We were NOT on that list. Rowena has been
warned to be quiet by a legislator after she testified a week prior, and things
were said to Rebecca to suggest that she should not try to disrupt things by
insisting that the rape exception be removed.
And now, it appeared that they were succeeding in silencing us before
the committee. But our new friend
Lorenzo Espinosa – a no-compromise pro-life activist from New Mexico, leaned
over to us and said, "This is New Mexico.
I got this!" We didn't quite
know what he meant by that – whether he would cause a scene, so we sat there
awaiting the moment. I just knew I was
not accepting that we miraculously pushed through so many obstacles, close
calls, and had very specific needs met, only to find out we were not able to
testify. Again, I just started
praying. I believed we were there for
more, and I prayed God would create an opportunity!
One member of the short list to testify was Alan Sanchez
with the Bishop’s office. We sat there
shocked when he testified that it was moral and right for a Catholic legislator
to vote for the bill with the rape exception because of EV 73 (Pope John Paul
II’s Evangelium Vitae.) Rebecca had just
debated this issue with him by phone only a couple of hours earlier. She told him about her radio interview with Cardinal
Dolan on the Catholic Channel one month ago when he agreed with Rebecca,
calling it “preposterous” to suggest that EV 73 justifies any legislator or
leader to support a bill which discriminates against an entire class of
persons. But Alan Sanchez replied that
he serves the Bishops in New Mexico and not Cardinal Dolan. He refused to answer her hypothetical
question of whether it’d be right – under EV 73 – for a Catholic legislator in
Lebanon to support a bill banning abortion except in cases of Catholic
babies. It was extremely sad to watch a
church leader defend discrimination.
After the pro-life
list of witnesses was completed, the bill sponsor explained that their expert witness
was running late due to weather and would arrive in about 10 minutes. Lorenzo immediately used this opportunity and
stood up with a plea to the committee Chairman that Rebecca had traveled all
the way from Michigan to testify, explaining that she’s a national pro-life speaker,
leader and attorney. He requested that she
be able to speak while we waited for the expert witness, and the Chairman
shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sure!” I knew Rebecca wanted me up there, and so I frantically
asked her, "What do I do?! Do I go up with you?" She motioned me to
and whispered, “Come on!” So, I follow
her up there.
Rebecca introduced herself, explained the mission of Save
The 1, pointing to me as a mother from rape, and sharing her testimony of
having been conceived in rape, but alive today because she was protected by
Michigan’s law before Roe v Wade. She
explained why they should not discriminate, why children conceived in rape
don’t deserve the death penalty, and urged them to amend the bill to remove the
discriminatory exceptions. Watch here.
The expert witness arrived before she finished, and I
thought, "Oh no, I hope they let me speak!" Rebecca finished, I stepped forward to speak
into the mic, but the “gatekeeper” went to grab my mic, and I thought, “He’s
not going to let me speak!” Instead, he
turned to me, smiled and said, “Here, let me adjust that for you.” God’s providence again!
I gave my testimony
of having become pregnant by rape from an abusive relationship, and that I
believed my son had just as equal value as any other baby worth
protecting. Democrats and liberals who
know me, couldn’t imagine my life without him, see him as valuable and special,
and wouldn’t wish his life non-existent. I proceeded to say how much I valued all their
lives were no matter their mistakes, circumstances, backgrounds, etc.. I ended with saying, "Your life has
value, and so does my son's, no matter how it happened." Mission
accomplished – our voices were heard!
We sat and watched as the committee members debated the
bill. One Democrat pro-choice legislator
pointed out the hypocrisy that the pro-life legislators were willing to
compromise on the rape exception, but then he said something strange while
looking at us – that this issue doesn’t poll well, and politicians care about
polls. Another surreal moment was when
the bill sponsor explained to committee members that it would be unjust
discrimination to have exceptions for babies with special needs – but he didn’t
see his own discrimination! Finally,
they took the vote, and it was disheartening to watch them approve the
late-term abortion ban, with the rape and incest exceptions included.
The sweet pastor's wife who watched AJ, treating him to a
good time, came and got me after the hearing and brought us back to the hotel. The others stayed for the hearing on the
parental notification bill. I tried to
pay her, but she kindly and adamantly refused; she just wanted to help and
bless us. AJ gave her daughter a big hug
after she brought up his car seat to our room.
After the second hearing, Rebecca, Rowena and Dyanne were
all treated to sandwiches at the Roundhouse by Lorenzo and his friend
Alan. Not only did further connections
take place between them and several other pro-life activists and NM leaders,
but Lorenzo's patron of his pro-life ministry, Alan, gave Rebecca an envelope
with an apology note to her and others like her. He was pro-life, but willing to compromise on
the rape exception -- until he watched
the DVD with Lorenzo the night before,
“Conceived in Rape and Other Exceptions,” featuring Rebecca and other member s
of Save The 1. His heart and perception changed that they were just as human
and valuable as any other baby worth protecting, and he understood why
compromise is wrong.
After giving Rebecca his apology note, he asked her,
"How much was your car rental?"
He ended up coming back three times, asking about meals, the shuttle,
gas, parking – ultimately covering all of our trip expenses! Rebecca was so grateful – in tears as she
told me of God’s provision! Both of us were funding the trip with our own
money, aside from the donated frequent flyer miles and the rooms being donated
by Dyanne and her husband. My expenses
were going to come from what I had just earned that week. I couldn’t wait to tell my husband, and to
share this blog with you all – a story of seeking justice, sacrificing, speaking
out, and relying upon God’s provision!
As we relished everything we plowed through and all that had
been provided, we enjoyed a sisterly time back at the hotel, laughing well into
the night. In the morning, we had fellowship
with Lorenzo, Alan and another friend of theirs, discussing pro-life strategy
in-depth. Rowena’s husband and children
came to pick her up, and we had a nice time with them. Rebecca filmed Dyanne’s pro-life testimony as
she shared her story with all of us. We said our goodbyes, having had an
incredibly bonding time of activism and fellowship.
Rebecca and I still had a long journey back. The forecast was good, but we were low on
gas, so backtracked south to a gas station.
Who happened to be in the car right next to us as we pulled into the gas
station? Dyanne! Yet another providential moment.
We had clear skies almost all of the way back to the
Colorado Springs airport to return the rental car, but my husband’s right tire
blew out on the highway on his way to pick us up and he didn’t have a jack in
my new car. So Rebecca and I came to him,
and he changed the tire with the rental car jack. Were the obstacles finally over? No! The
next morning, as we were taking Rebecca to the airport, she tried checking in
on her smartphone, but the airline said there was no reservation! She
was worried the flight was overbooked. At
the airport kiosk, she got the same message.
But at the counter, her reservation was there – phew!
We had a wonderful trip full of obstacles, but filled with purpose,
bonding, provision, and fulfillment. It
was like God’s plan was consistently overcoming Murphy’s Law! Most of all though, this trip was made because
we care about seeking justice and protecting all, and we know that we pierced
the darkness and this is just the beginning of a shift in the pro-life culture
of New Mexico.
BIO: Robyn McLean is an inspirational speaker and
writer on a wide spectrum, builds websites, and enjoys sharing coffee-time with people. She is a wife and mother and resides in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. Learn more
about her, and her personal story of having become pregnant by rape at www.RobynMcLean.net, and stay connected on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoffeeWithRobynMcLean. Robyn is a blogger and
national pro-life speaker for SaveThe 1.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Speaking of Pro-Life Exceptions, My Son is Exceptionally Amazing!! by Robyn McLean
From the heart of a
mother, who grieves every time she hears of another rape exception in a piece
of legislation:
The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act says to me that only babies conceived in a time of no hurt, no problems, are to be protected and can therefore live, but other innocent babies can be put to death for someone else’s crime. Even people who lose limbs in a collision can’t legally go and take away the limbs of the responsible party, but a pregnant mother can end the life of an innocent child who did her no harm. In the United States, there’s no death penalty for rapists – only for the innocent child. Any baby, and any child, is precious and worth something no matter what the parents’ thoughts are of them and no matter of the circumstance of their conception.
Does my precious son’s life become less human and of less value than all of those other babies who the Congressmen are defending if my mood, thought, pain, or choice of how I dealt with my awful circumstance changed? No one can put a price or value on my son, not even me -- because he is INVALUABLE. He is who God made him to be, and he is not comprised as a human by what other people have done. Even God doesn’t base our value on our actions. So why should we base any human’s value on other people’s actions?
I was extremely disappointed once again to hear that my son
and others like him were targeted for termination in the newly-introduced
Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
Let me tell you why.
We live in a society which offers us so many choices,
anywhere from food, to cable, to what we’d like to become. We also live in a time where we battle on the
choice of human life vs. human death, and these decisions are often driven by
excuses. I certainly knew some of the selfish
“reasons” which would have “excused” a decision on my part to abort: I had a reputation I wanted to preserve as a
pastor’s daughter and as a Christian. I had been Class President, Class Treasurer,
Spiritual Development Chairman, and on the traveling worship team, and I was
afraid of losing the chance to be involved like that again as the person I was
known for being. I had no support in my
relationship “yet,” he was abusing me and I was trying to “fix” my relationship
first. I didn’t have the finances, I
wasn’t ready for a baby, I didn’t want people judging me, I didn’t want to be
less desirable, I was afraid of the possibly becoming a single mom, I wanted to
hide everything that was wrong and get on track without people knowing, I
didn’t want to be viewed differently and to lose the ones who loved me, and . .
. , I was pregnant by RAPE – a violent rape.
There's that word, right there:
RAPE. The one excuse we hear the
most.
Excuses, shame, and hurt should not alter our ethical,
moral, and discernable consciousness of the life of another human being --
especially an innocent baby.
Having an abortion as a way of “dealing” with a rape is not
healthy. It destroys a woman’s
conscience, increases a form of denial, and heightens guilt – whether
suppressed or acknowledged. An abortion
acts as a cover-up to the true problem.
When I look at my son, and I see his very essence, how he
interacts with people, how he makes them smile/laugh/feel, how he loves, and the
joy I experience in his presence -- all
those excuses and reasons are wiped away like a rainbow wipes away a storm.
Two years ago, when the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection
Act (20-week abortion ban) was introduced in Congress, it included all babies –
there was no discrimination, no one targeted as less worthy of protection at
the time it was introduced, and it was voted out of committee unanimously by
every Republican, though a rape exception was later added on the House Floor by
Eric Cantor, who since lost his Primary. This year, the same bill was introduced to
protect all babies -- except those conceived in rape. This makes no sense to me, as my son is
capable of feeling pain -- and love -- just as much as any other child. Is there any scientific reasoning behind
excluding a child like him from a Pain-Capable bill? Are there studies which these Congressmen can
point to which suggest that my son and other children conceived in rape are
incapable of feeling any pain? Or, does
it just not matter to them that children like my son are actually capable of
feeling pain? What ever happened to Equal Protection?
We live in a society fighting hard to take down discriminatory
statuses and labels, but when it comes to “convenience” – whether making an
abortion decision or making a legislative decision – many will slap on a label
which lessens an entire group of persons’ value in order to justify their own
decision-making process – a life or death decision. In the pro-life movement, some fight for
babies’ lives conceived in various circumstances, anywhere from gender to race
to health, but exclude innocent babies conceived in rape. As a mother of one of these children, this
breaks my heart! They are basing my
baby’s worth on a circumstance which had nothing to do with anything he did, but
on who his biological father was and what he did.The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act says to me that only babies conceived in a time of no hurt, no problems, are to be protected and can therefore live, but other innocent babies can be put to death for someone else’s crime. Even people who lose limbs in a collision can’t legally go and take away the limbs of the responsible party, but a pregnant mother can end the life of an innocent child who did her no harm. In the United States, there’s no death penalty for rapists – only for the innocent child. Any baby, and any child, is precious and worth something no matter what the parents’ thoughts are of them and no matter of the circumstance of their conception.
Does my precious son’s life become less human and of less value than all of those other babies who the Congressmen are defending if my mood, thought, pain, or choice of how I dealt with my awful circumstance changed? No one can put a price or value on my son, not even me -- because he is INVALUABLE. He is who God made him to be, and he is not comprised as a human by what other people have done. Even God doesn’t base our value on our actions. So why should we base any human’s value on other people’s actions?
I think many of us can recall how we felt during times when we
were devalued or seen as less of a person for whatever background or reason. So, I hope you know that you are of value no
matter the reason of your conception, the labels put upon you, the family you
were raised in, being told you were “bad seed”, having a “disability”, having
been abused, etc.. You, my son, and I have
value and a reason to be protected just as much as those who society deems
exclusively worthy.
My son is capable of feeling deeply. In fact, many would say he specializes in his
feelings and insights of others. He
loves SO much and so intently, that he makes those whom society would ignore,
feel pretty special and important. When
he was in my womb, he was very sensitive to my touch. I would just barely touch my pregnant belly,
and he would respond with quite a bit of movement. Thank goodness all he knew was love and not
pain when he was in my womb. But he
deserved protection, without compromise.
I take joy in any progress we make in defending life, but it
doesn’t mean I will sit back and not say when something’s wrong. To stay silent is like not speaking up when a
building is perfectly formed, all but the leaking roof. Eventually, the one imperfection is going to
affect the rest of the building. Why
give up fighting for all babies’ lives? Not only that, but it seems odd to me that pro-life
Congressmen would put a price (or lack thereof) on my son’s life and who he is.
Even people in the pro-choice movement have said that they couldn’t
imagine me without my son and how much of a blessing he is in my life,
especially having seen how his love pours out and into
others. I don’t exaggerate when I say my son has insight into people, feelings,
and situations more than many human adults do, and I am not the only one to see
and say that. I don’t think this world
could afford to just dispose (physically or thought-wise) of a wonderful,
little human like him, and disregard the value of all he’s contributed to life
already before the age of four, just because of how he was conceived. You see, when you target unborn children like
him – when you refuse to protect them – our world loses children like my son.
BIO: Robyn McLean is an inspirational speaker and
writer on a wide spectrum, builds websites, and enjoys sharing coffee-time with people. She is a wife and mother and resides in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. Learn more
about her, and her personal story of having become pregnant by rape at www.RobynMcLean.net, and stay connected on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoffeeWithRobynMcLean. Robyn is a blogger and
national pro-life speaker for SaveThe 1.
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