A billboard in Texas proclaims: “Abortion is self-care. Black women take care of their families by taking care of themselves.” The billboard is run by a pro abortion group that believes human abortion is the key to “transforming the lives of black women and girls.” Abortion is genocide to African-Americans, but it certainly isn’t “self-care.”
Iowans for LIFE claims that abortion is self-destruction to the mother and destruction to the innocent, unique human being she carries in her womb.
Renown African-Americans abhor abortion
We’re not alone, as a chorus of renown Black Americans remind us that abortion isn’t about skin color, it’s about human dignity.
Jesse Jackson recognized that abortion is genocide (that is, until he ran for president and his party ‘encouraged’ him to sell out). Here’s what he said in 1973:
Jesse Jackson
“Abortion is genocide. Anything growing is living. If you got the thrill to set the baby in motion and you don’t have the will to protect it, you’re dishonest.”
As Dr. Ben Carson said,
Dr. Ben Carson
“As a surgeon, I have operated on infants pre-birth. I can assure you they are very much alive.”
Star Parker
As political commentator Star Parker said,
“We’re going to look back as we did with slavery and say: How did we put up with this so long?”
Dr. Martin Luther King’s niece, Alveda King, views abortion through the prism of racism:
Dr. Alveda King
“Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants, we can justify getting that person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness.”
Dr. Clenard H. Childress claims the black community has been deceived by abortion:
“Abortion is the greatest deception that has plagued the black church since Lucifer himself.
Dr. Clenard H. Childress
Dr. Childress goes even farther in discussing abortion in terms of the African American community:
“The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.”
Abortion disproportionately harms Black America
Each of these prominent African-Americans understands that although the Black community comprises but 13% of the U.S. population, they account for 35% of all abortions.
This billboard demands an honest assessment of its claims:
Q & A
Is abortion really self-care for the mother? No, not according to medical researchers from the historically black Howard University, as reported in the Journal of the National Medical Association. Their research determines a link between abortion and an incidence of breast cancer in black women over fifty years of age:
“This retrospective case-control study examines risk factors for breast cancer in African-American women, who recently have shown an increase in the incidence of this malignancy, especially in younger women … An increased odds ratio was found for induced abortions, which was significant in women diagnosed after 50 years of age.”
Is abortion really good for Black families? Not if you consider that at least half of black pregnancies end in abortion, according to the pro abortion Guttmacher Institute.
Is abortion good for Black babies? No, since at least half are violently killed in the womb by abortion.
Is Black abortion good for the Black race in the United States? We guess it depends on your perspective. The fertility rate for African-Americans has dropped below replacement levels. Blacks aren’t replacing themselves. More Black people are dying than being born, which supports Jesse Jackson’s claim that abortion is genocide.
Black birthrate plunged during the Obama presidency
Ironically, under the first African-American president, the Black birth rate in the U.S. declined by 9.6% of expected births, due to a large extent on high abortion rates within the Black community. In other words, from 2008 through 2016, 700,000 fewer Black babies were born. Now that may be good news to the Ku Klux Klan, but is that really good news for Black families?
The first Black women admitted to Harvard Medical School, Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson, viewed the fight against abortion as not just the province of a few, but of us all, regardless of skin color:
Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson
“The fight for the right to life is not the cause of a special few, but the cause of every man, woman and child who cares not only about his or her own family, but the whole family of man.”
So the claim that human abortion is ‘self-care’ for Black women is some kind of sick joke that will leave a trail of dead Black babies in its wake. If we’re really honest, we can see that abortion is genocide.
By Maggie DeWitte
It’s time for the pro-life movement to think outside the box. That’s what Iowans for LIFE is doing at our October 24th annual fundraising banquet at Prairie Meadows.
Like most non-profits, IFL has followed a staid format in past annual fundraising banquets, characterized by a nice meal followed by speeches. Not this year.
Get ready for the most fun banquet yet!
Our event is called, “A Clash of Creeds, a conversation with Margaret Sanger, Ayn Rand, and St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, moderated by G.K. Chesterton.” The script was written by Tom Quiner.
Holy moly! A Clash of Creeds is anything but staid.
You will experience a conversation that will immerse you in profound ideas that inevitably lock horns on issues like sexuality, poverty, welfare, contraception, God, and abortion.
Each of our three “guests” are strong women in their own way, and Chesterton adds wit and piercing intellect to the conversation. Let me introduce you to each of these giants of the 20th century.
Introducing our “guests”
Margaret Sanger was a prominent eugenicist and proponent of birth control. She, of course, is the founder of Planned Parenthood, who relentlessly opposed the Catholic Church in the public square on women’s reproductive issues. Time Magazine named her one of the 20 most influential Americans of all-time.
Ayn Rand wrote an epic novel in 1957 called Atlas Shrugged which spelled out her libertarian creed called “Objectivism.” Although critics generally loathed the book, rank and file readers loved it, voting it their favorite novel of the 20th century. Her fans include the likes of Majority Leader Paul Ryan, Alan Greenspan, and Senator Rand Paul.
Both Ms. Sanger and Rand were atheists, a subject Chesterton explores with them in our “conversation.” Mother Teresa, of course, expresses a belief system in stark contrast to the former, grounded in the richness of her Catholic faith, and Chesterton brilliantly fleshes out each of their respective creeds with zeal in his own inimitable style.
How do you describe G.K. Chesterton?
G.K. Chesterton is a hard man to describe. Is he a poet? A novelist? A philosopher? A theologian? A biographer? An orator or a debater? After all, he is all of these and more. He famously debated the well-known attorney and atheist, Clarence Darrow. Rumor has it that he mopped the floor with his hapless adversary. Bishop Robert Barron loves the man, and describes him with relish:
Bishop Robert Barron
“Friends, G.K. Chesterton is one of the most sparkling and effervescent figures in the great Catholic tradition. This is, perhaps, most evident in his masterpiece of Christian apologetics, “Orthodoxy.” Every page of Chesterton is like drinking champagne. You’ve got to sip him … you can’t gulp him!”
Sanger. Rand. Mother Teresa. Chesterton. How would you like to get these four watershed figures from the 20th century together in one room to hear what they have to say to each other? That’s exactly what happens on October 24th at the Meadows Ballroom in Altoona, Iowa, 6PM to 9PM.
Don’t miss our annual fundraising banquet!
I promise, you have NEVER attended a pro-life fundraising banquet like this. Yes, for your modest admission fee, you’re going to enjoy a fabulous meal. But the real meal is a smorgasbord of provocative creeds presented theatrically in the words of four people who changed the world.
You can reserve a table of eight for $600 and sit with your friends. Or individual seats are $60 each. Seating is limited and ticket sales are off the charts for this year’s event. Please, don’t wait. Support the pro-life movement and order your tickets today at www.IowansforLife.org. We love questions. Call me today with yours: 515-255-4113.
[Maggie DeWitte is Executive Director of Iowans for LIFE, a non-profit pro life organization that embraces all the teachings of the Catholic Church on reproductive issues. IFL is a member of the Natural Journey Alliance, their parent organization.]
[subscribe2]
You’ve heard of straw polls, right? The Natural Journey Alliance (NJA) and Iowans for LIFE conducted an Iowa corn poll at our booth at the Iowa State Fair last week.
As people strolled by our booth, they were stopped in their tracks by our sign that asked,
“Do you believe the Iowa Supreme Court should have the ability to create Constitutional law? (or is that the job of the Iowa legislators and the people of Iowa?)”
We offered each adult of voting age a kernel of corn. Then they dropped it into one of three jars labeled “YES,” “NO,” or “I DON’T KNOW.”
The Iowa corn poll gives a glimpse of Iowa
This is far from a scientific survey. Still, it provides a pretty good glimpse into the way Iowans feel about how our state should be governed. Roughly 45% of the Iowa corn poll voters weren’t pro-life and 55% were. As you can see on the chart above, the vast majority want their elected officials crafting the laws that affect our day-to-day lives. In other words, they don’t want the courts usurping the checks and balances written into our Constitution by legislating from the bench.
7420 people voted in the Iowa corn poll at the Iowa State Fair
State Senator, Brad Zaun, stopped by our IA State Fair booth to say hi to Maggie DeWitte and vote in the Iowa corn poll
As background, NJA’s booth in the Varied Industries building at the Fair abutted that of the Meskwaki Casino. Meskwaki had some sort of give-a-way going which generated long lines of people … who then flowed right over to our booth when they finished up there. In other words, we had big traffic voting in our poll, 7420 Iowans in all, who were there, not because they were pro-life, but because circumstances put our booth next to one people were flocking to win a big prize.
They represent a pretty good melting pot of a state that wants to provide a woman with a three day waiting period before proceeding with an irreversible abortion; and who want to ban abortions when the unborn person in the womb can feel the pain of the procedure.
They represent a good melting pot of Iowans who want an end to abortions at that point when a baby’s heartbeat is detectable in the womb. And they represent pro-life AND pro-choice Iowans.
These folks may not agree on individual pieces of legislation. But they cherish the democratic process. In other words, the Iowa corn poll tells the Iowa Supreme Court to back off and stop legislating from the bench.
Iowa’s Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders sat in on critical court proceedings today regarding the Heartbeat Bill.
The Heartbeat Bill faces two legal issues. First, it is currently under a temporary injunction because of a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. Today, Judge Michael Huppert heard arguments on a second issue as to whether another pro-life group, Save the One, will be allowed to intervene in the case. Save the One opposes the exceptions for rape, incest, and fetuses “incompatible with life, which are included in the Heartbeat Bill.
Here is a statement released by Iowa’s Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders:
“We appreciate the sentiments of the Save the One organization, and we too seek a day when all unborn children are protected, regardless of their health or how they are conceived.
“We believe the passage of the Heartbeat Law is elevating the public discussion to a place from which there is no going back, and hastens the day when all unborn children are protected. For we know the child in her mother’s womb, regardless of physical disability or how she was conceived – she’s a baby.
“So we will support the efforts of the Thomas More Society to defend the Heartbeat Law, and we will continue to work until all life in the womb is treasured and protected.”
[Keep up with pro-life issues and news. Be sure to subscribe to the Iowans for LIFE blog.]
The Heartbeat Bill goes to court tomorrow. As you recall, Governor Kim Reynolds signed the most pro-life bill in the US into law on May 4th.
Governor Reynold’s Statement
Governor explained her support for this groundbreaking legislation in this statement:
“I believe that all innocent life is precious and sacred, and as governor, I pledged to do everything in my power to protect it. That is what I am doing today. I understand that not everyone will agree with this decision. But if death is determined when a heart stops beating, then doesn’t a beating heart indicate life? For me, it is immoral to stop an innocent beating heart. For me, it is sickening to sell fetal body parts. For me, my faith leads me to protect every Iowan, no matter how small.
I understand and anticipate that this will likely be challenged in court, and that courts may even put a hold on the law until it reaches the Supreme Court. However, this is bigger than just a law. This is about life. I am not going to back down from who I am or what I believe in.”
Challenged in court
As the Governor expected, the Heartbeat Bill, which outlaws human abortion at the point at which a heartbeat is detected, was immediately challenged in court by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.
The bill has its day in court tomorrow at 10AM in the Polk County Courthouse, Room 308. The Courthouse is located at 500 Mulberry Street in downtown Des Moines.
Although there is no planned rally, you are invited and encouraged to attend if you’re able. And if you’re not, join us in prayer in support of the attorneys with the Thomas More Society defending the bill. Pray for Judge Michael Huppert who is hearing the case. And pray on behalf of the unborn children and their mothers who are put at grave risk if this bill is struck down.
Analysts estimate that the Heartbeat Bill will save the lives of 30,000 to 40,000 human persons over the course of the next decade.
Thank-you for your past support. The fight is far from over. Continue praying when the Heartbeat Bill goes to court, and if you’re able, join us in the Courthouse tomorrow at 10AM.
[Keep up with pro-life issues and news. Be sure to subscribe to the Iowans for LIFE blog.]
[subscribe2]
Should abortion be legal or illegal? Iowans for LIFE works hard to support pro-life legislation that reduces the incidence of human abortion. For today, though, let’s set aside the question. Instead, let’s take the emotion out of the subject and consider THE foundational abortion ethics question: Is ending the life of a human fetus moral?
Dennis Prager discusses the question dispassionately in the Prager University video above. To answer it, one must answer additional questions, such as:
• Does a human fetus have any values and any rights?
• Is it moral for a woman to end the life of a fetus in her womb?
• On what moral grounds does the mother alone decide a fetus’s worth?
• Society protects a person after they are born; why should that be different BEFORE the human being is born?
• Why should one person, the mother, determine if another person, a fetus, has the right to live?
• Can a good society survive if it calls immoral things ‘moral’?
Prager unpacks abortion ethics in five compact minutes. This is worth viewing, especially if you consider yourself more of a ‘pro-choice’ person instead of a ‘pro-life’ person.
Abortion laws become less relevant when abortion ethics are clarified and people stop aborting. Is ending the life of a human fetus moral? Please … watch the video.
[Abortion ethics are discussed in dramatic fashion at our upcoming October 24th fundraising banquet: “A Clash of Creeds.” Get your tickets today.]
[subscribe2]
From 1980 to 1988, there were 1 million deaths due to the Iran/Iraq war.
From 1980 to 1988, there were 14 million deaths in the U.S. due to abortion.
Mass graves
Before the U.S./Iraq war began, there were an estimated 270 mass graves in Iraq.
It is estimated that those graves hold the bodies of 400,000 people.
In the U.S., our mass graves are found in the dumpsters behind Planned Parenthood. Millions of bodies have been disposed there.
In 2006, 846 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq. Thirty-four thousand Iraqi civilians died. One million, two-hundred fifty thousand babies were aborted in the U.S.
By 2010, the number of U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq had dropped to sixty. The number of Iraqi citizen fatalities dropped to twenty-four hundred. The number of abortion fatalities in the U.S. “dropped” to a mere one million, two-hundred thousand.
War casualties
In the entire 242 year history of the United States of America, we have lost 1.3 million people to war.
We lose that many to abortion in a single year.
Interestingly, the incidence of civilian casualties in Iraq dropped dramatically with our intervention and the ouster of Saddam Hussein, one of the 20th century’s more prolific mass murderers.
In the U.S., Planned Parenthood is the most prolific agent of death. They are supported with taxpayer money at the insistence of one political party, which views abortion as morally just and a Constitutional right.
Even more, the former president required Catholics and other faith-based organizations to violate their conscience and provide abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception for free to their employees in their health care plans, a policy reversed by the current administration.
What is the price of inhumanity?
Inhumanity takes a tremendous toll on civilization. Often, the killing is done in the name of hate.
In the U.S., it is a little different. It is far worse. It is done in the name of apathy and greed, for Planned Parenthood makes billions on the little backs of their victims.
What is the price of inhumanity? Civilization decays, one life at a time.
What is the solution? That is simple: God. We must remember we were made in His image.
Anything else? Yes, we must elect pro-life politicians.
Let us leave you with a question. Which is worse: war or abortion?
Do the math.
[The way you answer this blogpost’s rhetorical question may be a function of your ‘creed.’ Iowans for LIFE, in conjunction with the Natural Journey Alliance, will explore three dominant creeds at our October 24th banquet, “A Clash of Creeds.” Tickets now on sale.]
[subscribe2]
Even the Wall Street Journal is writing about Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. NFP is gaining traction as 50 years of cultural carnage wrought by the sexual revolution has become increasingly manifest.
“Fertility awareness method”
Writing in the WSJ today, Ashley McGuire expressed the relevance of the topic well:
Ashley McGuire
“The teachings on contraception found in “Humanae Vitae” are often described as arcane and anti-science. To the contrary, the science on female fertility is slowly catching up with the document. As Paul VI argues, there are natural ways to preserve a woman’s fertility while still respecting her and her family’s needs in limiting and spacing births. The church calls it “natural family planning,” though thanks to its increasing popularity with the organics crowd, “fertility awareness method” has become more widely used.”
Ms. McGuire is a senior fellow at the Catholic Association. She authored “Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female” (Regnery, 2017).
Another leading contemporary voice on NFP is Dr. Janet E. Smith, who spoke in Iowa just last week on the eve of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. Iowans for LIFE director, Maggie DeWitte attended and had this to say about Dr. Smith:
Maggie DeWitte, Dr. Janet Smith & Renée McGuire
“Dr. Janet Smith gave a powerful talk on the anniversary of Humanae Vitae in Cedar Rapids, last week sponsored by the Archdiocese of Dubuque Marriage and Family Life. She gave a thorough history of what was happening in the church and culture that led to the prophetic encyclical written by Pope Paul VI. She noted that all Christian churches were opposed to contraception prior to 1930, including John Wesley, Martin Luther, and Ghandi.
Dr. Smith weaved in the prophetic teaching of St. John Paul II as well and in particular his teaching on Theology of the Body and Love & Responsibility in 1958 and 1960.” Her talk fit right in with Natural Family Planning Awareness Week.
Writing in the June issue of the Columbia magazine, Dr. Smith contrasted the moral differences between artificial birth control and Natural Family Planning:
What is wrong with contraception?
SMITH: Those who use contraception treat fertility as a defect. They act to prevent a potential life-giving act from being life-giving. Moreover, contraception greatly reduces the meaning of the marital act, which by its very nature is meant to express complete self-giving and commitment. What expresses this better than saying, “I am willing to be a parent with you?”
Why is Natural Family Planning better?
SMITH: The nature of married love calls couples to give themselves wholly to one another in an intimate language that says, “I make a complete gift of myself to you. I want only what is good for you. I am willing to be a parent with you.” Couples using NFP acknowledge the gift of fertility and do not contradict the intimate language of the body, thereby respecting God’s plan for sexuality.
She contrasted the effect each have on relationships:
What are the harmful effects of contraception?
SMITH: The availability of contraception encourages promiscuity. It leads many men and women to engage in sexual relationships with persons they may not know well and have no intention of marrying, and sometimes with persons they don’t even like. Even when they have contraceptive sex with those whom they believe they love, the use of contraception can seem to make unnecessary such conversations as: “What happens if our contraception fails?” That question alone can put a relationship in danger! Contraception also facilitates cohabitation, which generally is bad preparation for marriage.
What are the beneficial effects of NFP?
SMITH: NFP fosters chastity and requires commitment. Those who have practiced abstinence before marriage find NFP easier than those who have been sexually active. They know abstinence can be an expression of love rather than a deprivation, and they generally have a larger “tool kit” for showing love and affection — e.g., going for walks, dancing, cooking together and cuddling. NFP also facilitates strong communication skills, which is one of the important glues for a relationship.
Take-away point from Natural Family Planning Awareness Week
Let us leave you with a final thought during Natural Family Planning Awareness Week: In last week’s talk here in Iowa, Maggie DeWitte was struck by the way Dr. Smith described the procreative nature of married life:
”You are participating with God to create a new immortal soul; how can you say no to that?” She stated that when looking for a future spouse you should ask yourself, “Would we be good parents together?” She called this conscience parenthood: we are aware that God has given us a gift of becoming a parent and in doing so you are helping God populate heaven.”
[This is Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. Be sure to read our Women’s Reproductive Health Resource Book for more detailed info on the subject.]
[subscribe2]
The Catholic view on contraception can be perplexing to the layman. And yet its goal is uninhibited intimacy.
The secular world certainly doesn’t understand it. But even evangelical and fundamentalist Christians, who agree with Church teachings on sanctity of life and marriage, can’t grasp Catholicism’s apparent animus toward artificial birth control.
A non-Catholic reader expressed the issue well:
“Sometimes, though, it seems the Catholic religion takes an odd stance (on contraception) that doesn’t seem to have a biblical reason.
I am sure you could point to a passage here or there that may support your argument, but I have personally never seen one.
I think if a man and his wife want to make love without the likelihood of creating a child, that they should be able to do so without condemnation from the church.
My wife and I decided we were going to have 2 children. At the time, I think it was the right decision, because we were not making a ton of money.
Now we make a good living and I wish we had more children, but I am still happy with the ones I have. And choosing not to have more allowed my wife to finish college and allowed us to make a good living. We may foster, or even adopt. I think there are many children in America who could use a good home.”
We asked Dr. Matt Halbach, Director of the St. Joseph Educational Center in West Des Moines, IA, if he could clarify Church teaching on the subject:
“Interesting topic.
All that I would add to it is that while to many the Church appears to be attempting to control sexual behavior through its teaching against contraception, in reality it is only trying to preserve the sacredness of the sexual act, which is supposed to be uniting and fruitful.
By identifying contraception as a barrier to authentic couple intimacy, the Church is only trying to help people experience sex in its most fulfilling and meaningful (natural) form: the way God intended it to be.
And what is this way? Four words: free (uninhibited), total, faithful, fruitful love-making. In other words, no barriers. No fear. The two are free to embrace the totality of each other and face their future with a trusting confidence in each other and God.
Uninhibited intimacy
Now, doing away with contraception is the first step to uninhibited intimacy.
What truly frees people to be themselves, to not feel like they have to protect themselves from each other or a potential child is . . . wait for it . . . marriage!
Who would have thought?
Marriage is the institution God has given us so that we can have the freedom to love (and make love) without fear. Now, of course, married couples do need to be responsible about their family planning, which is why the Church recommends various forms of NFP (Natural Family Planning).”
[This is Natural Family Planning Awareness week. Be sure to read our Women’s Reproductive Health Resource Book for more detailed info on the subject.]
[subscribe2]
By Tom Quiner
This is Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. Continue reading ONLY IF you see nothing wrong with artificial birth control, as I once did.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes Natural Family Planning Awareness Week to help people like me better understand the beautiful underpinnings of natural family planning as well as the consequences of artificial birth control.
Heaven’s Song
I was profoundly moved reading a book by Christopher West a number of years ago titled, “Heaven’s Song, sexual love as it was meant to be.” (You can purchase it in Des Moines at Divine Treasures Book Store.) And what exactly is Heaven’s Song? It is a foretaste of Heaven revealed in the marriage act between a man and woman who give themselves totally to the other, holding back nothing.
Sacramental marriage is meant to be an image of Trinitarian love. Through this we unveil the love of God to the world. The act of life giving love in the marital act is meant to be a mirror of the love Christ has for his Church.
In the marriage act, we are able to participate in creative, life-giving love, which is what the love of God is. This is a profoundly beautiful gift we should not say no to.
On the other hand, contraception is a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, also known as the “natural law.”
A foundation of barriers
Artificial birth control is built upon a foundation of barriers. As someone born into a mainline Protestant religion, I was raised believing that there was nothing wrong with artificially holding back the potential for God to fully reveal Himself through this marriage act.
I didn’t fully understand that God is Love, and that Love is creative. I didn’t understand that artificially denying the potential for God to be creative in the union between a husband and wife is working against God’s will, not with it.
What I also didn’t understand is that society’s acceptance of artificial contraception is the root cause of legalized abortion.
As background, I became pro-life while still Protestant. Pro-life positions struck me as simple matters of justice. Arguments that presented the pre-born as being less than human were simply illogical. Assertions by abortion rights advocates that suggested there was a difference between a human being and a person were simply weak straw man arguments.
It took me three decades to realize that when contraception fails, as it inevitably does, the resulting pregnancy is a ‘mistake.’ In fact, our previous president made it clear that he wouldn’t want his daughters saddled with such a mistake. He embraces the view that the human person in the womb is simply disposable if inconvenient.
Pope John Paul VI warned of the consequences of unfettered contraception half a century ago. He was right. Sixty Million abortions later, here we are.
Natural Family Planning benefits
By contrast, Natural Family Planning is safer (because it truly is natural), more effective than artificial birth control, and more affordable ($0). You can learn more in Iowans for LIFE’S “Women’s Reproductive Health Resource Book.”
I wish I had read “Heaven’s Song” before I got married instead of after my wife and I were beyond child-bearing years. It’s not too late for you.