It’s a simple question: “Does the president believe that a 15-week-old unborn baby is a human being?” This life-or-death question should elicit a quick, no-brain response from any Catholic, but the president’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, didn’t answer directly:
“Are you asking me if the president supports a woman’s right to choose? He does.”
President Joe Biden
America’s most prominent Catholic, President Joe Biden, didn’t correct the record. He has stated in the past that he accepts his church’s teachings on life, which suggests that he does believe a 15-week old unborn baby is, in fact, a human being. But he won’t sign any laws that prevent another human being from killing the little one in the womb, even in the most inhumane way.
While Mr. Biden ducks questions on the humanity of a 15-week old unborn baby, two other prominent Catholics are speaking out on the issue.
Justice Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
On the judicial front, Justice Clarence Thomas, who spent 4 years in Catholic seminary, asserted that,
“The notion that anything in the Constitution prevents States from passing laws prohibiting the dismembering of a living child is implausible.”
Thomas was reacting to the Court’s decision last week not to hear a case about protecting unborn babies from dismemberment abortions. Alabama passed a law protecting babies from this inhumane procedure; the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against it; and last Friday, the Court refused to hear an appeal of that decision.
Thomas strongly dissented with letting dismemberment abortions stand in Alabama:
“Earlier this Term, we were confronted with lower court decisions requiring States to allow abortions based solely on the race, sex, or disability of the child. Today, we are confronted with decisions requiring States to allow abortion via live dismemberment. None of these decisions is supported by the text of the Constitution. This case serves as a stark reminder that our abortion jurisprudence has spiraled out of control.”
Because many prominent Catholics in the public square, such as President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aggressively promote unfettered abortion laws, many Catholic priests, bishops, as well as the laity, question whether these Catholics should receive communion.
Bishop Robert Barron
Bishop Robert Barron
In response, more progressive Catholics call for “dialogue” on this contentions issue. Bishop Robert Barron pushed back with a charitable, but somewhat pointed response published by the New York Post:
“But here is my honest question: What precisely is there to dialogue about? It’s a question I’ve posed to politicians in the past.”
Bishop Barron has a huge following. He was born into a Catholic Democratic family in Chicago in the late 1950s. He related his experience of speaking to the current crop of Democrats at the Library of Congress two years ago. He attempted to dialogue:
“Would they, I asked, consider the banning of third-trimester abortions? Absolutely not, came the reply. Would they, I pressed, be open to restricting partial-birth abortion, the procedure by which a pair of scissors is inserted into the brain of a baby already in the birth canal? No way, they said.
All right, I wondered, would they be agreeable to supporting born-alive legislation, designed to protect the life of a baby who has miraculously managed to survive an abortion? No, they said. And lest you think this intransigence was peculiar to this particular group, recall that, just a few months ago, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) made a born-alive proposal, and it couldn’t muster enough votes to break the Democratic filibuster.”
As Bishop Barron pointed out, ‘dialogue’ suggests a 2-way street. Sadly, the Democratic Party is intractable on this issue, and our Catholic president has placed his faith in the power structure of a political party at the expense of his soul.
[Wanna dance? Be sure to get your tickets to our upcoming summer dance under the stars on July 23rd!]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2021
Survey of likely voters reveals race within margin of error.
Des Moines, IOWA – A poll of likely voters commissioned by the Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders and completed by Public Opinion Strategies earlier this month reveals support and opposition to the proposed Protect Life Amendment to the Iowa Constitution in a virtual tie – 45 to 47 percent, respectively, within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percent.
When asked whether Iowans “should be given the opportunity to vote on the amendment,” however, an overwhelming 84 percent of voters said yes.
What’s more, when poll respondents had the opportunity to hear arguments in favor of the amendment, a significant number moved to support, resulting in a net 50-40 percent of voters favoring passage of the Protect Life Amendment.
“This poll affirms what we have known for months,” said Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Iowans for Life and chair of the Coalition. “When Iowans have the opportunity to understand what’s at stake and what the amendment is actually about – protecting babies’ lives from efforts to legalize abortion to the day of birth and forcing Iowans to pay for it – they support the Protect Life Amendment. Everyday Iowans do not want unelected, activist judges turning our state into an extremist abortion destination.'”
“The Iowa Supreme Court’s 2018 radical decision in Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds laid a foundation to undo every protection Iowa mothers and unborn children have from unregulated abortion extremism,” added Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader, a Coalition member organization. “But as this poll affirmed, Iowans are appalled by painful and grisly late-term abortions. They can’t imagine being forced to pay for it. And if the courts are going to push that on us, then we will pass the Protect Life Amendment to ensure We the People, and not activist judges, determine what kind of state Iowa will be.”
Public Opinion Strategies conducted the poll of 500 likely Iowa voters from June 1-3, 2021. An executive summary of the poll’s results revealed the following highlights:
- Support for the Protect Life Amendment is neck-and-neck, within the margin of error.
- A large majority of Iowa voters want to vote on the Protect Life Amendment.
- 81% of Iowa voters indicate they believed there should be legal limits to abortion.
- A significant majority of Iowa voters oppose taxpayer funding of abortions.
- The data demonstrates ample low-hanging fruit in support of passage.
- Passage has the intensity advantage.
- The data suggests an information campaign would result in a significant increase in support for the measure.
The June 1-3 poll differs significantly from the Selzer & Co. poll conducted for the Des Moines Register/Mediacom and released in March, which polled general population Iowa adults (rather than likely voters) and did not poll the amendment’s actual language as passed by the Iowa Legislature.
A copy of the executive summary from Public Opinion Strategies, including additional details on each summary highlight, can be downloaded here: http://www.thefamilyleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/210611-Protect-Life-Amendment-poll-summary.pdf
For more information about the Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders, visit: https://iowaprolifeleaders.com/
Contact: Drew Zahn
Drew@TheFamilyLeader.com; 515-263-3495, ext. 109 (office), 515-835-9645 (cell)
Drew Zahn, Communications Director
The FAMiLY Leader
P.O. Box 42245
Urbandale, IA 50323
515-263-3495 x109 (desk)
515-835-9645 (cell)
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Mystery surrounds the term ‘natural family planning’ (NFP). And yet properly implemented, it is a healthier, more effective method for loving couples to embrace intimacy as they plan their future families with God’s help. Iowans for LIFE is proud to provide new Natural Family Planning resources on our website.
This blogpost provides you with a quick overview:
What is NFP? Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a science-based, natural and highly effective method that couples can use to either achieve or avoid pregnancy. It is a scientific method based on understanding the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Not only is it healthier, it is the ethical way to plan a family since it does not rely on artificial contraceptives, many of which act as abortifacients. (Meaning they kill the fetus)
Together, couples learn to read the signs of fertility, and then learn how to apply this knowledge through a variety of methods.
Why is NFP a pro-life cause? Plain and simple, contraception increases abortion.
Contraception gives women a false sense of security. And that false sense leads to taking greater risks. Over half the women who go into the clinic for an abortion were using some kind of contraceptive method the month they became pregnant.
According to Maggie DeWitte, the executive director of IFL, “we will not get rid of abortion until we tackle the contraceptive culture.” When it comes to the current abortion crisis we are in, contraception is “the first cause.”
Does NFP work? That’s the wrong question. NFP practitioners are open to life, where as contracepting couples are typically trying to suppress new life. As Catholic writer, Jen Fulwiler expresses it, “Both the pleasurable and procreative aspects of the sexual act are good; to intentionally sever either aspect is bad.”
Modern methods of NFP are rooted in a solid scientific understanding of the variations in fertility throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle which is key to managing pregnancy.
When learned and used consistently, these methods have been shown to be 95-99.5% effective for avoiding pregnancy(depending on the method).
And better yet, practicing NFP can also successfully aid couples who wish to achieve pregnancy.
Why not contracept? Contracepting involves profound ethical and medical considerations. Many couples don’t realize that some forms of contraception are abortifacients. In other words, they don’t just suppress fertilization, they change the endometrium, preventing implantation of the embryo, effectively killing a new human being. Medically, the World Health Organization, lists the Pill as a Group 1 cancer-causing agent. NFP is totally natural, totally safe, and ethically sound.
Iowans for LIFE is proud to present these comprehensive Natural Family Planning resources for couples interested in discovering the beauty of NFP.
[Wanna dance? Be sure to get your tickets to our upcoming summer dance under the stars on July 23rd!]
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Senate Democrats have introduced the The Women’s Health Protection Act. If passed, the law would gut just about all existing state-by-state restrictions on the books, including those laws that previously passed Supreme Court scrutiny.
The Charlotte Lozier Institute highlights the devastating impact this bill would have on abortion laws already on the books:
- Could Be Interpreted to Impose a Heightened Burden of Proof on Many if Not Most Abortion Laws Ever Enacted
- Would Trump 20-Week Laws in a Very Large Percentage of Cases
- Would Create a Special Protection in Federal Law for Sex-Discrimination Abortion
- Would Jeopardize Laws Limiting Performance of Abortions to Licensed Physicians
- Would Authorize Federal Court Attacks on Abortion Clinic Health and Safety Standards that Protect Women
- Could Have the Effect of Deterring Health and Safety Inspections of Abortion Clinics
- Would Jeopardize Limits on Late Abortions
- Would Jeopardize Prohibitions on Taxpayer-Funded Abortion—Including the Hyde Amendment—as well as Abortion Training
- Would Jeopardize Health and Safety Regulations Governing the Use of Abortion Drugs
- Would Jeopardize Health and Safety Regulations Governing the Practice of Telemedicine Abortion
- Would Jeopardize Sonogram and Fetal Heartbeat Test Requirements
- Would Jeopardize Mandatory Reflection Periods that the U.S. Supreme Court Has Upheld
- Could Be Interpreted to Trump State and Federal Conscience Protections
Even if Iowa eventually passes the Protect Life Amendment (2 more steps to go), the dishonestly named Women’s Health Protection Act would gut current laws on the book, such as our ban on 20 week abortions, and shut the door on future regulation.
This law would leave the U.S. with one of the most permissive abortion climates in the world, surpassing even that of dictatorial nations such as China and North Korea. At least China has banned sex-selective abortions.
The Hyde Amendment is in the news. President Biden calls for ending it in his new budget proposal even though he supported it throughout his many years in the Senate. Iowans for LIFE supports the Hyde Amendment because it quantifiably reduces the incidence of abortion, especially within minority populations. Let’s take a quick look:
First of all, what does the Hyde Amendment do? It bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. The Amendment is actually a rider to appropriation bills and must be renewed each year by Congress.
How long has it been in effect? Since 1976.
Does it work? Yes. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, “the best research indicates that the Hyde Amendment has saved over two million unborn children” since 1976. The American Civil Liberties Union said with the implementation of the Hyde Amendment, Medicaid abortions immediately dropped from 300,000 per year to a few thousand.
Do abortion advocates agree? Yes. The Guttmacher Institute says their own studies show that if a state does NOT fund Medicaid abortions, the abortion rate for women on Medicaid is 1.6 times that of women who aren’t. However, when states do fund Medicaid abortions, the rate increases to 4 times that of women not on Medicaid. These results are consistent with other public policy: when you subsidize something, you get more of it.
Abortion advocates claim the Hyde Amendment is discriminatory. Is this true? It is a matter of perspective. Yes, Hyde discriminates against women of color in the view of many abortion rights advocates. This is the view of Kathryn Kolbert, lawyer and co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Julie F. Kay, a human rights attorney. Together, they authored, “Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.” They wrote in the L.A. Times:
“A disproportionate number of those affected by the funding ban each year are women of color: Twenty-nine percent of Black women and 25% of Hispanic women of reproductive age were enrolled in Medicaid as of 2019, compared with just 15% of white women. The lack of funding uses the government’s power of the purse to put abortion out of reach for Medicaid recipients while still fully funding childbirth.”
So how can Hyde not be discriminatory? Using Ms. Kolbert’s and Kay’s numbers, you can see that a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic babies will be saved thanks to restrictions on federally-funded abortions. Both groups have birth rates below replacement level, according to Statista. Preventing these racial groups from dying off due to abortion-driven extinction is a noble goal of any caring society that values diversity, tolerance, and inclusion.
So are you saying a Hyde Amendment ban is racist? We know that if Hyde ends, Black and Hispanic abortions will spike. The late Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, acknowledged the racist underpinnings of the abortion movement in a 2009 interview with the New York Times Magazine:
“Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding of abortion.”
Is there any evidence to support Ginsberg’s concern that Roe v Wade was motivated at least in part by racism, to reduce “growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of”? Yes. One of the attorneys, Ron Weddington, who successfully argued Roe v Wade admitted as much in a letter he wrote to then-president Bill Clinton in 1993:
“I don’t think you are going to go very far in reforming the country until we have a better educated, healthier, wealthier population…. Start immediately to eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of our country [through abortion]…. There, I’ve said it. It’s what we all know is true, but we only whisper it, because as liberals who believe in individual rights, we view any program which might treat the disadvantaged differently as discriminatory, mean-spirited and…well…so Republican. Our survival depends upon our developing a population where everyone contributes. We don’t need more cannon fodder. We don’t need more parishioners. We don’t need more cheap labor. We don’t need more poor babies.”
If President Biden is successful in getting Congress to abolish the Hyde Amendment, the result is predictable: a sudden, sharp increase in the number of black and brown babies who are aborted accompanied by a faster decline in African-American and Hispanic birth rates. What could be more ‘systemically’ racist than public policy that compels white taxpayers to fund black and brown abortions?
More readers of Iowans for LIFE’s blog shared their thoughts on the placards displayed by abortion apologists that say, “Keep your Rosaries off my ovaries.
Lisa, mother of three and grandmother of one, reacted like this:
“The pro-abortion protest slogan “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries” gives an apt glimpse into the misguided mindset of abortion apologists. Disrespect for prayer and Our Lady aside, it betrays the myth that pro-life supporters and Catholics presume to impose faith and pro-life values on others when nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is, that’s an unborn human life in a pregnant woman’s womb, and she is already a mother, whether abortion supporters choose to recognize or honor that life or not.
It is flat out false to say that “pro-lifers only care about the baby” when it’s also a fact that in the U.S. alone thousands of pregnancy help organizations assist and support countless women and families facing unplanned pregnancy with material support and more, saving communities hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
Another fact? There are consequences, temporal and eternal, for taking a life. Catholics and other pro-life advocates wish to save unborn life in the womb but also the eternal lives of all. It’s just a terrible shame that those swept up in the “choice” lie are unable or unwilling to see that. Provocative posters won’t save you from hell. We care about you, your ovaries, and every last part of you, body and soul – in the the same we care about the little girl who you may carry in your womb – who also has ovaries and a soul. “
Jeane, mother of six, and grandmother of a bunch more, said:
“When I see a sign saying “keep your rosaries off my ovaries” I feel a profound sense of sadness about the confusion in the culture among many who believe the wrong things about both the Catholic Church and the dignity of women. As the original Christian faith the Catholic Church has brought us the bible and all of its teachings from Jesus regarding the equality and dignity of women. The living Catholic Church has brought both education and healthcare to millions of girls and women all over the world for centuries. The consistent teachings of our faith regarding contraception and abortion have ONLY upheld women. This beautiful faith informs women that their fertility is not something that needs fixing or canceling. When women respect themselves men are much more likely to respect and honor the gift that a woman is.”
Another Jean, mother of 4 and grandmother of 6, had an entirely different reaction:
“One of the first things that came to mind was “Try it, you’ll like it”. The Rosary must be working for them to mention it specifically. When I pray the Rosary for the women contemplating an abortion, those who have had an abortion, and the babies aborted, I ask God and the Blessed Mother to envelop them into their loving arms and cradle them with the love only a Mother knows.
I came across this quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen: “The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.
-Archbishop Fulton Sheen
And another: “Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
“The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.” -Saint Padre Pio
***
Abortion apologists are misguided on so many fronts. What is the best thing you can do to help? Say a Rosary on their behalf.
[Read an earlier blogpost for more reactions. Don’t forget to get your tickets to our summer dance.]
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“According to a recent CBO report, the principal driver of slow growth since 2008 has been a sharp slowdown in the growth of the labor supply,” writes William Galston in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal about our nation’s labor shortage.
Mr. Galston once worked in the Clinton administration before joining the Wall Street Journal. Prior to that, he worked for the Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and John B. Anderson presidential campaigns, all of whom embraced and promoted abortion rights.
Mr. Galston continues:
“The distant future looks no brighter. The total fertility rate needed to maintain a stable population is about 2.1 children for every woman. In 2020 the U.S. rate dropped to 1.64, the latest in a long decline. The workforce of the 2030s and 2040s could be smaller than today’s, a prospect that other advanced economies are also facing, including China.”
Labor shortage causes
Why does the United States have a labor shortage? There are several reasons, according to demographers, economists, and politicians, but abortion is never considered as a viable reason.
Iowans for LIFE has written on how this trend affects Iowa directly. Now the trend is increasingly receiving national attention.
For example, Gretchen Livingston, writing for Pew Research, explains what she sees as the primary drivers for declining birth rates:
“Fertility – however it is defined – is influenced by a variety of demographic, social and economic factors. Among the more important contributors to fertility levels are the age composition of childbearing women (most births occur between ages 20 and 34); the share of childbearing-age women who are married (married women are more likely to give birth than unmarried women); the economic climate; and the share of childbearing age among women who are born in another country (foreign-born women have higher birthrates than U.S.-born women).”
Each is a viable contributing factor for declining fertility. But don’t you think that 62 million abortions since the Roe v Wade decision might have affected fertility rates in our country, not to mention the size of our labor force today?
Fertility rates have dropped since Roe v Wade
In 1973, the year of the Roe decision, our nation’s fertility rate was 2.029 births per woman; the number dropped to 1.779 last year. The replacement birth rate is 2.1 live births per woman.
Human abortion is certainly one factor in the decline of human capital in the U.S. How could it not be?
Pro-lifers view human abortion through the prism of human rights. We accept the revelations of science that humanity begins at the instant of fertilization, and that these unique lives are entitled to the legal protections of the 14th Amendment.
Whatever your views on abortion rights, at the very least we can agree that in light of a growing labor shortage, it is a prescription for economic decline.
[Be sure to get your tickets to our summer dance on Friday, July 23rd!]
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If you’ve ever read some of the placards on display at abortion rights rallies, you’ve bound to have seen the one that says:
“keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”
Amazon even sells T-shirts with the slogan, as you can see above.
Iowans for LIFE asked some pro-life Catholic women (a phrase which should be redundant, but sadly isn’t) for their reactions.
Maggie, a mother of 4, refutes its entire premise:
“This quote is trying to imply that religion has nothing to do with the abortion argument. Religious views can play a big part in how someone determines their belief system. But the abortion issue is much more than just a religious issue, it’s a human rights issue.
We legislate morality all the time. We say it’s wrong to rape, we say it’s wrong to murder; and in that same way we say also it is wrong to kill an unborn child in your womb.
But as a Catholic, mother of four, and a pro-life activist, the rosary is a prayerful devotion that carries great meaning for me personally. The idea that Mary, the mother of Christ, can and does intercede for me to her Son is very comforting. She is the greatest role model of what it means to be a mother, to suffer and sacrifice for your children, and follow God‘s will. So for me, I not only want Mary all over my ovaries, but every organ in my being and every part of my entire life. Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!”
Alex, a working mother with 2 small children, talks about the danger such a mindset poses to one’s very soul:
“My initial reaction is how abhorrent and vile, but then I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that we are to be forgiving and compassionate. We should pray for the conversion of people who support abortion, for abortion workers, for the neutral even.
Living under the premise that this is a fantasy world and there will be no consequences to our choices and actions, that sin can simply be erased in the blink of an eye because of how we feel about something at any given moment, is dangerous for the soul.
We need to have standards to hold ourselves up to, namely those values that the church gives us, the words that Jesus spoke and was crucified for. We need to thank God that we have been given the gift of faith and pray for the conversion of those who have not yet recognized it, made all more powerful through praying the rosary to our Blessed Mother.”
Ironically, what the abortion proponents often don’t understand is that these prayers are loving, targeted towards those affected by abortion at all levels. That’s the point made by Jean, mother of 3 and grandmother of 2:
“When we pray the rosary outside of abortion facilities we are praying for:
The child within – the unique human being created at conception.
The woman who is considering abortion – that she choose life instead.
The woman who will suffer emotionally and spiritually from the loss of her child – that she knows that she will be supported, healed and forgiven.
The father of the child within – that he takes responsibility for the life that was created.
The family and friends of the child within – that they can be supportive and loving.
The abortion workers who participate directly or indirectly with taking a life – that they find honorable work in health care or their chosen field.
The many caring organizations that support life and women in crisis – that those women in crisis seek their true help.
One of the first things that came to mind was: “Try it, you’ll like it”. The Rosary must be working for them to mention it specifically. When I pray the Rosary for the women contemplating an abortion, those who have had an abortion, and the babies aborted, I ask God and the Blessed Mother to envelope them into their loving arms and cradle them with the love only a Mother knows.”
Jean quoted a few Catholic sages to underscore exactly what the Rosary is all about:
“The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.”
-Archbishop Fulton Sheen
And another:
“Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
“The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.” -Saint Padre Pio
Amen.
Get ready for an evening of magic. Iowans for LIFE is proud to announce a summer fundraising dance at the beautiful Jasper Winery on Friday, July 23rd.
We all know how intense it is to be involved in the pro-life cause. IFL believes that is vital to our mental health to come together with like-minded people and kick up our heals!
The Jasper Winery
Pro-lifers who have fun together find themselves rejuvenated, ready to take on the culture of death with renewed focus.
Mark your calendar for the social event of the summer. You’ll enjoy live music provided by The Fabulous Rivieras, who’ll play your favorite classic rock music from the 50s and 60s.
IFL will provide appetizers, sweets and beverages.
The Jasper Winery will offer a cash bar featuring beer and wine and both indoor and tented outdoor space.
Dress casually and be sure to participate in our live auction and dance contest. It’s going to be a night to remember!
Here are the details:
DATE: Friday, July 23rd, 2021
TIME: 6:30 – 10PM
PLACE: Jasper Winery, 1450 E. 33rd Street, Des Moines 50317
TICKETS: $25 per person available online: www.IowansForLife.org.
(or mail your check to IFL, 1450 E. 33rd Street, Des Moines, IA 50317)
Get ready to bust out! Join us!
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By GABRIELLE PARKHURST
Gabrielle Parkhurst
What does being pro life mean to me? It means bringing a solution to the endless amount of black women getting abortions everyday. When I think of being pro life, I can’t stop at just making sure a woman considering an abortion has the baby and then move on. I want to make sure she is also taken care of. I often think of the phrase ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child and I truly believe that. I want to bring solutions to the table to show the woman that she does have choices other than ending the life of her child.
In the midst of the rise of Black Lives Matter, something that never sat right with me on the issue was how we can march, protest and riot over certain issues, but never discuss the number one killer of Black people in America, which is abortion.
That we defend such a racist platform as Planned Parenthood’s which, was created to slow the black population down from creating young kings and queens because we were seen as an inconvenience to the world, blows me away.
Our leaders and ancestors have fought way too hard for our freedom and for the future of our children for us to sit by and continue to watch millions of innocent lives be taken.
We need to help uplift these women and make them feel like they are more than just a statistic and to know their baby is not a burden. We need to rally in our churches and create a safe haven for those that are lost and be the light they can run to in hard times.
We do not need to shun, ridicule or judge these women in their darkest moments, but be the light at the end of their darkest time in life and show love, hope and a way to be filled with joy in knowing that her and the child will be okay.
Many people might wonder what they can do to be a part of the solution. Please consider:
Volunteering at your local pro-life ministry.
Start a pro-life ministry.
Get involved with foster care.
Become a Guardian Ad litem.
Demand more from your government officials. Beyond anything else, pray for these women and children. Be the solution and make a difference in these women’s lives so that when we discuss Black Lives Matter, we are including the unborn black lives: the biggest victim of all.
***
[Thanks to Gabrielle Parkhurst for submitting her essay to IFL as part of our Black Voices on Black Lives series. She lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with her husband. She is the founder of New Horizon Fellowship , which is a pro-life ministry aimed at protecting the women and children in her community.]
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