pain of the unborn

The Pain of the Unborn
Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.
Warning: The following commentary includes graphic descriptions that may not be suitable for children or sensitive readers.
Undoubtedly many of the great evils of our times have been committed because the cries of the victims were not heard—not heard by those who sat by, comfortably ignorant of the horrors around them. In early nineteenth-century England, few citizens had any real understanding that the lump of sugar they dropped in their afternoon tea was made at the high price of human bondage. The screams of men and women branded or whipped on West Indies sugar plantations were not heard in the fashionable parlors of England. Not until, that is, the great Christian statesman William Wilberforce launched his crusade against the slave trade.
Today, some two hundred years later, there are victims whose agony our ears will never hear. These are the unborn victims of abortion.
While the unborn do not have a voice to scream, science tells us that by twenty weeks a child in the womb is capable of feeling pain. Dr. Sunny Anand, director of the Pain Neurobiology Laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute, testified before Congress and said: “The pain perceived by a fetus is possibly more intense than that perceived by term newborns or older children . . . the highest density of pain receptors per square inch of skin in human development occurs in utero from twenty to thirty weeks gestation.” Sobering testimony.
To make matters worse, the biological mechanisms that inhibit the experience of pain do not begin to develop until weeks thirty to thirty-two.
Yet ironically, an unborn child has less legal protection from feeling pain than commercial livestock. In a slaughterhouse, a method of slaughter is deemed legally humane only if, as the hundred-year-old law states, “all animals are rendered insensible to pain . . . ” By contrast, D&E abortions, performed as late as twenty-four weeks, involve the dismemberment of the unborn child by a pair of sharp metal forceps. Instillation methods of abortion replace up to one cup of amniotic fluid with concentrated salt solution, which the unborn child inhales as the salt burns his or her skin. The child lives in this condition up to an hour.
These things are uncomfortable to hear and to speak about. That is precisely the point. We should not be comfortable in a society where such things exist and where we have the power to influence change. The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act is scheduled to be re-introduced into this Congress. This legislation would require that women seeking abortions are fully informed of the pain that their unborn baby feels when he or she is aborted twenty weeks or more after fertilization. If that knowledge does not deter the mother in what has come to be reduced to a mere “choice,” she must be offered the opportunity to give the unborn child drugs to ease his or her pain.
Pro-abortion advocates dreadfully fear this legislation. It brings to light the difficult questions they do not want to confront, like why livestock have more rights than an unborn child. Questions like these, like the cries of victims, are hard to forget once they have shaken us from the comfort of our parlor chairs.
Take Action
Urge your senators and representative in the newly elected 110th Congress to introduce, co-sign, and vote for the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. The Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121.
Today's BreakPoint Offer
Right to Know: An Intellectually Honest Look at the Abortion Debate (booklet from Stand to Reason).
For Further Reading and Information
Catherine Claire, “The Pain of the Unborn,” The Point, 30 November 2006.
“Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act Loses Vote in House,” Catholic News Agency, 7 December 2006.
Joey Depew, “Child Pain Awareness Act Deserved Notice, Got None,” Chillicothe Gazette, 3 January 2007.
Lynn Vincent, “State Skirmishes: Abortion,” World, 11 January 2007.
BreakPoint Commentary No. 040511, “The Truth Comes Out: The Partial-Birth Abortion Trials.”
BreakPoint Commentary No. 070122, “A Visual Apologetic for Life: In the Womb.”
Scott Klusendorf, Pro-Life 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Case Persuasively (Stand to Reason Press, 2002).
Erika Bacchiochi, ed., The Cost of ‘Choice’: Women Evaluate the Impact of Abortion (Encounter, 2004).

Do not be discouraged

1Peter 5:6-10 says Be humble under God's powerful hand so he will lift you up when the right time comes. Give all your worries to him, because he care about you. Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat. Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith. You know that your Christian family all over the world is having the same kinds of suffering. And after you suffer for a short time, God , who gives all grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and support you and keep you from falling. He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever.

Peter doesn't tell us that life is fair. He tells us that when times are tough, stand strong in your faith against the devil and humble under God. He reminds us that our Christian family all over the world is having the same troubles we are. And even though we will suffer from time to time, if we stand strong and keep our faith, God who gives all grace, will make everything right. We should never forget that the devil, our enemy, is like a roaming and roaring lion waiting to devour us if we do not stand in faith.

What ever you are facing today... what ever lion's roar you are hearing in your ears today..... Don't forget that God, who gives all grace, will make everything right.

Your Pregnancy: Week 7

If you're one of the "lucky" pregnant women to experience morning sickness (a poorly named symptom of pregnancy as it can strike at any time of the day), remember that it won't last forever. Most of the wooziness tapers off by the second trimester. Of course, mental wooziness can affect you throughout your pregnancy, as you think of your growing to-do list, or wonder about how you're life will change, or worry if you'll know how to handle it all. Luckily, the cure for that wooziness is laying your eyes on your new baby.Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...What You're Thinking:

"How can I feel like I'm hung over all day long when I've had nothing to drink in three weeks?"Your BodyYou're supposed to be "eating for two" but instead, it's hard for you to swallow water. As a result, you're "praying to the porcelain god for two." Morning sickness can leave a pregnant chick exhausted, weak and wondering what on earth she got herself into. Don't throw in the towel just yet, here's how to cope:There are a whole bunch of tricks that pregnant women swear help to reduce nausea caused by morning sickness ... such as sucking on lemon drops or any other hard candy.Sometimes certain foods can help relieve the symptoms of morning sickness. Also, blaming your partner for everything has been known to comfort many women in the throes of nausea. Even if you're experiencing frequent vomiting, try not to worry, as your baby needs very little nourishment this early in the pregnancy. Good thing, since all you've eaten today is two boxes of saltines.If you're noticing weight loss or dehydration, you could have hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness that occurs very infrequently. Check with your doctor.

Your BabyThis week your baby's brain is growing at a mind-boggling 100 cells per minute within a see-through skull. If you could peer inside, you'd see those tiny brain cells growing and growing and growing (about as quickly as you feel like yours are shrinking and shrinking and shrinking with your "pregnancy brain"!). More high points include: Your baby's face is becoming more defined this week. A tiny mouth hole (which will be ready to wail before you know it!), tongue, nostrils and ear indentations are visible. His or her eyes are wide open, but he doesn't have irises (the colored part) yet. Baby's arm buds are growing. At this point they look more like microscopic ping-pong paddles than arms. Baby's leg buds are also forming and will look like tiny paddles by the end of the week.The umbilical cord—the connection between your baby and the placenta—is now visible.Your baby is now between 1/3 and 1/4 inch long—about the length of a Tic Tac and about as heavy as an eyelash. While that sounds tiny, he or she is approximately 10,000 times bigger than at conception. Crazy, huh?

Your Life Keeping the cat in the bag for the next five weeks will be tough. But the relief of finally telling your coworkers that you're pregnant—and not gaining weight at an astounding rate—will be a total relief. Begin to form a plan on how to tell your boss you're pregnant. (Hint: Tell your supervisor before you tell the office gossip!)Talk to human resources so you can be sure of your benefits and legal rights as a pregnant employee.

Entertain in your home while the living room is still free of baby toys. If you're too zonked to cook, make it a potluck!Take a moment to appreciate your clean upholstery. With years of parenting ahead, you might never see it this pristine again.Buy It:PsiBandsPretty puke prevention.Eat It:Ginger Cakes Ginger is nature's secret weapon against nausea, but gnawing on a piece of it isn't tasty. Luckily, tossing it in pancakes is. By the way, when you're pregnant, it's perfectly acceptable to eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Know It:One Way to Calm a Queasy StomachDiscuss It:Chat with other expecting parents on our Pregnancy Board.

Abortionist Tiller Dead

By John Jakubczyk on May 31, 2009 4:38 PM No Comments
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Fr. Pavone, following news that abortionist George Tiller was shot to death today in Wichita, Kansas.
"I am saddened to hear of the killing of George Tiller this morning. At this point, we do not know the motives of this act, or who is behind it, whether an angry post-abortive man or woman, or a misguided activist, or an enemy within the abortion industry, or a political enemy frustrated with the way Tiller has escaped prosecution. We should not jump to conclusions or rush to judgment.
"But whatever the motives, we at Priests for Life continue to insist on a culture in which violence is never seen as the solution to any problem. Every life has to be protected, without regard to their age or views or actions."
George Tiller died from the same philosophy by which he lived. And we in the pro-life movement regret his death as loss even as we regret and mourn the deaths of those tens of thousands of innocent children whom he killed over the last 35 years. We regret his death because we seek the conversion of the soul, the restoration of the person and the recognition of wrongness of ones actions so that reconciliation can occur for that person.
We have seen former abortionists realize the evil they had done and seek the forgiveness of both God and their fellow citizens. Leaders such as Joe Scheidler have reached out for years to those who worked in the abortion industry and have brought them out of the hell they were living. In such remarkable events one finds additional proof of the supremacy of the pro-life perspective over the selfish calloused approach promoted by the abortion proponents.
But let us keep everything in perspective. George Tiller made a living killing babies and harming women. He danced with death every day. Tragically someone with Tiller's mentality thought that he or she could act with the same impunity that Tiller claimed in his actions. And as Fr. Pavone noted, at this point we do not know who acted and for what purpose or motive.
Let this event remind this nation why abortion is ultimately a destructive act for all involved. Let us pray for the end to abortion in our nation and throughout the world.
Cross-posted: Jacubczyk on Life
Categories:
Abortion,
Commentary

A 21 week fetus grasps the finger of surgeon during spinal bifida surgery

Read this beautiful story of a little 21 week fetus that reached out and grabbed the finger of his surgeon! Click here to read the story and see this beautiful amazing picture!

Thank you Congressman Sensenbrenner and Congressman Smith

From Pro Life Blogs
Congressmen to Obama: Stop Efforts to Rescind Conscience Protection Will Reduce Abortions
By Georgia Kijesky on May 23, 2009 7:57 AM No Comments
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Washington, May 19 - In response to President Obama's commencement address last Sunday at the University of Notre Dame, today Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Congressman Chris Smith(R-NJ),, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, held a press conference in Washington, D.C. and sent a letter to President Obama calling on him to publicly forgo rescinding the Bush Administration conscience protection regulation.
In the letter Sensenbrenner and Smith write, "You indicated that you wanted to 'honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion.' Given our agreement in regard to a conscience clause, we respectfully request that you put an end to your Administration's review of the Bush Administration rule that enforces existing conscience protection laws and completely forgo the rescinding of this rule. In addition, we urge you to commit to defending conscience protections in future rulemaking that affects both individual and institutional health care providers."
The letter goes on to state that, "We should reduce the number of abortions by continuing the restrictions on abortion funding... We urge you to use all the tools at your disposable to keep conscience protections in place and reduce the number of abortions in the United States."
Congressman Sensenbrenner and Congressman Smith are heartened to share common ground with the President on the issue of conscience and want to work toward a better solution that protects life and the rights of health care employees.
"If this Administration wants to be the Administration of choice, then all people need to have their choices protected," Sensenbrenner said. "The religious and moral views of health care workers should be respected. Workers should have the right to refuse to participate in an abortion procedure without the fear of losing their job or being discriminated against."
"We're simply asking President Obama to ensure that his deeds match his words," said Rep. Chris Smith, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus. "This past weekend President Obama said that he believes we should 'honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion," Smith noted. "To make that happen, Mr. President," Smith added, "simply stop all your efforts, and those of your Administration, to rescind the current conscience regulations that protect the fundamental right to prolife healthcare workers--and Catholic Hospitals--to refuse to participate in procedures that they find morally reprehensible. Protecting conscience is the truly pro-choice position and respects the diversity of opinion in our society as well as the sanctity of life."
In 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule that prohibited recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and health care aides who refuse to take part in medical procedures in which they have religious or moral objections. The rule implemented existing conscience protection laws that ensure medical professionals cannot be denied employment because they do not want to provide abortions. Although federal law has long forbidden discrimination against health care professionals who refuse to perform abortions or provide referrals for them, the regulation required institutions that get federal funding to certify their compliance with laws protecting conscience rights, promoted education within the medical community regarding their rights, and provided an avenue of recourse in the event of discrimination through the Office of Civil Rights within HHS.
It was at the end of February, when the Obama Administration announced that it began "reviewing" the regulations implementing conscience laws, the first step toward rescinding the rule altogether. At that time, as part of a bipartisan effort, Sensenbrenner and Smith joined in a statement expressing their concern about the President's review of the clause.
Categories:
Abortion

Even an self proclaimed AntiChrist can see it!

Read Jill Stanek's page here.

Denver Post columnist converts to pro-life, almost
We may be seeing the house of cards starting to fall. Recent polls indicating a growing nationwide affinity to the pro-life position prompted self-described "atheist and a secular kinda guy" Denver Post columnist David Harsanyi to announce in a column yesterday he's lining up with the new majority:
After a life of being pro-choice, I began to seriously ponder the question. I oppose the death penalty because there is a slim chance that an innocent person might be executed and I don't believe the state should have the authority to take a citizen's life.?

So don't I owe an nascent human life at least the same deference? Just in case?
You may not consider a fetus a "human life" in early pregnancy, though it has its own DNA and medical science continues to find ways to keep the fetus viable outside the womb earlier and earlier.
But it's difficult to understand how those who harp about the importance of "science" in public policy can draw an arbitrary timeline in the pregnancy, defining when human life is worth saving and when it can be terminated.
The more I thought about it, the creepier the issue got....
I'm sure it was difficult for Harsanyi to write that column, beginning to distance himself from his culture on its cornerstone point. Then again, gaining a sense that one's belief is not only noble but popular may embolden more, hence my thought we may be seeing the house of cards start to fall. Harsanyi is not quite there, but he's on his way:
Now, I happen to believe... that the right to life and liberty is the foundation of a moral society. Then again, I also believe a government ban on abortion would only criminalize the procedure and do little to mitigate the amount of abortions.
I wrote this as a comment response to Harsanyi:
There is no law that has not been broken. But we do not stop making them. It would appear that laws against child porn have done little to mitigate child porn, but we do not abandon the law and forsake the children.
At any rate, I think your premise is faulty. Laws restricting abortion have indeed mitigated it - from parental notice before a minor aborts to 24-hour waiting periods before abortions. It stands to reason that making abortion illegal will lower the number of abortions.
[HT: Dougy, moderator Chris]