tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14090100104823244162024-03-13T13:11:56.517-05:00Let Me LiveWesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-9376035085784598312015-04-11T09:29:00.000-05:002015-04-11T09:46:15.484-05:00SC Bill H.3851 Threatens Birth Options<br />
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While this blog focuses on abortion, we occasionally address other life-related, birth-related, or freedom-related issues. The South Carolina legislature is considering a bill, <a href="http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess121_2015-2016/bills/3851.htm" target="_blank">H.3851</a>, that would add burdensome regulation to birthing centers that provide midwife-assisted deliveries. Below is a legal analysis of this poorly-written bill that has the potential to shut down most independent birthing centers.<br />
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This freedom is of great concern to me personally, as our last three births have been attended by our midwife, Cynthia "Sandy" Glenn at Carolina WaterBirth, and we couldn't be happier with the level of care. This photo is of our midwife with our children.<br />
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The legal analysis below was provided to Sandy Glenn and is shared with her permission. If you live in SC, please read the analysis and contact your state legislators.<br />
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TO: Sandy Glenn, CPM, LM<br />
FROM: Susan M. Jenkins<br />
The Sanchez Law Firm, PC<br />
DATE: April 7, 2015<br />
SUBJECT: Analysis of H. 3851<br />
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Although H. 3851 differs in some respects from the draft bill I analyzed in February, it still contains several provisions that are of no benefit to South Carolina birth centers, and some provisions that I would consider harmful for birth centers. In general, the most significant problems are:<br />
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1. Accreditation will be required as a qualification for licensing for birth centers, but will not grant deemed status in terms of operations. That is, while you will have to be accredited or to have applied for accreditation in order to be licensed, you will also have to be inspected and comply with all DHEC's rules in order to operate your birth center. That means that you will incur a major financial burden of accreditation fees and costs without gaining any advantage in terms of dealing with DHEC. Accredited birth centers will not be relieved of any of the burdensome DHEC regulations or inspections.<br />
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2. No other facility, not even hospitals, surgi-centers, or nursing homes, all of which deal with sick or injured patients, is required to be accredited under SC law. This sends a message that birth centers alone, of all types of licensed facilities, are so dangerous that they must not only be licensed but also must answer to a private regulator, an accrediting body! That birth itself is more dangerous than open heart surgery or laser eye surgery or hospice care with dangerous drugs. Yet birth centers are the safest facilities, with clients who are NOT sick or injured at all, but perfectly healthy, who are experiencing a normal life function, not an<br />
injury or disease.<br />
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3. The bill is poorly drafted, with many ambiguous and confusing provisions, including a definition of "licensed midwife" that differs from the definition in the licensed midwife rules.<br />
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4. Although the bill repeals some of the stricter provisions of the statute, it permits DHEC to retain those same exact provisions (including the requirement of the consulting physician coming to the birth center to authorize a transfer, that are already in effect. Nothing in this bill tells DHEC to change the regulations that are identical to the provisions of the statute that would be repealed by this bill. That allows DHEC to continue to enforce those rules.<br />
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5. The bill requires a physician to sign off on the birth center's policies and guidelines. No doctor will do that. No medical malpractice insurer will allow their covered doctors to do that.<br />
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6. The bill confuses the concepts of consultation, collaboration (which it calls "medical management") , and referral (transfers and transports to the consulting physician). The birth center's "on call consultant," when he/she is consulted, can either require "medical management" or a transfer. But sometimes consultation does not require either, but is sought simply to ask a question or check on something.<br />
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7. The term "medical management" is not defined in the bill. But the concept of medical management is outside the scope of practice of midwives and also outside the appropriate licensed scope of services of birth centers. The midwife's standard of care should not be supplanted by a medical model just because the midwife asked for a consult. This would, ironically, violate AABC standards and CABC indicators.<br />
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Section-by-section:<br />
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SECTION 1. Amends section 44-89-30 (definitions):<br />
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(1) "accreditation": this is a very confusing and ambiguous definition. Which "board"or "boards" is it talking about? Which "board" is it that "recognizes standards"? It does not make any sense. Read it out loud and you will realize that. Also, why reference the Board of Health and Environmental Control, rather than the Department? Does that Board have any expertise in accreditation, or even in birth centers, rather than DHEC itself?<br />
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(2) "Birth center". - this should be amended so that only facilities licensed as birth centers can call themselves birth or birthing centers, not hospital unit.<br />
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(5). "Consultant on-call physician" - this definition is a problem because it requires the consultant to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 45 miles of the birth center. This will permit hospitals to close down birth centers and/or avoid receiving transports by denying clinical privileges to consulting physicians. Hospitals WILL do this. It gives them a weapon for eliminating a competitor birth center. At present, birth centers may transport to any hospital, but this definition is part of a set of requirements in this bill that will limit birth centers to only transfer to the hospital where the consultant has admitting privileges, and that consultant will have to admit birth center transport patients in his/her name. This gives the local hospitals veto power over birth centers in their area. It also prevents birth centers from opening in areas of the state that lack hospitals. So, counties that are already underserved for maternity care will have even fewer facilities because no birth centers can open there either.<br />
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(8) "licensed midwife" - this definition requires LMs who work in birth centers to be CPMs, even though CPM is not required for LM license. Will this statute change the LM rules also? Ask Lesley if that is the intent, because there is no definition of LM in the midwifery law, only in rules. It will bar non-CPM LMs from working in birth centers.<br />
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(9) "national standards" - this calls for the "board" [BoardHEC] to "recognize" national standards. What knowledge of National Standards does the Board have?<br />
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SECTION 2. This section of the bill amends section 44-89-60 of the birth center law as follows:<br />
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(A)(1) This subsection repeals 4 specific requirements for DHEC to include in its rules. DHEC will no longer be required to enforce these as rules. However, it does not PROHIBIT DHEC from having such rules. It leaves it up to DHEC whether to still include these in the rules. Also, DHEC is specifically still required to "receive reports from, regulate, investigate, and inspects all birthing centers and records". DHEC will still have full power to promulgate rules, substantive and procedural.<br />
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(A)(2). this section requires new birth centers to include an application for accreditation along with its application for licensure, and it must prove that it is accredited within on year. Note that, despite have to be accredited, the birth center must ALSO "comply with the regulations." Being accredited will not relieve birth centers from also complying with all DHEC regulations.<br />
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(B) This new section requires all birth centers to be accredited in order to be licensed and in order to operate. However, it only provides "deemed status" for purposes of licensure, NOT for operations. Accredited birth centers must still "operate in accordance with all applicable statutes and regulations. So, what benefit is there to the birth center in getting accredited? It will still have all the burdens of DHEC regulations and inspection, it will now have to have its practice guidelines signed by a physician, and it will have all the extra expenses and fees of accreditation. !ironically, AABC's national standards and CABC's indicators do NOT require a physician to sign off on the center's practice guidelines, but accredited centers in SC will not be able to take advantage of that less restrictive standard, because they must also comply with this new law and all DHEC rules. So, this bill would enact the worst of both worlds, and none of the benefits.<br />
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In contrast, a new birth center law in New Mexico makes accreditation voluntary, but allows accredited birth centers to base RELICENSING on accredited status, meaning that only unaccredited centers would get inspected and have to satisfy the rules to get relicensed. SC should follow the NM example.<br />
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(C)(1). This section deals with the so-called "consultant on-call physician," who must "provide consultation regarding medical management". I have NO IDEA what that is supposed to mean. How can this physician consult on Medical management" when birth centers are not supposed to provide the medical standard of care? A birth center that provides the medical model rather than midwifery model,would be acting outside its licensed scope of services and would violate AABC's National Standards, and thus violate accreditation standards. So, it places accredited birth centers in an impossible position. This bill must define what is meant by medical management (inducing labor using pitocin or cytotec? Administering drugs or anesthesia? Using electronic fetal monitoring? Cutting episiotomies? Using forceps? Forcing Vaginal exams? Timing based on Friedman's curve? Forceps delivery?<br />
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How can LMs provide any of these in a birth center? Why even use this term?<br />
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This section also requires the consultant physician "to accept transfers of mothers and babies who require care outside of the scope of the birth center." This essentially means that all transfers of care must go through the consultant physician, and be admitted by the consultant, rather than directly to the hospital from the birth center. This is contrary to standard birth center practice, including AABC National Standards and CABC indicators, which allow transport to ant hospital so long as in accordance with the center's policies and procedures. Now, the consultant will also have to accept and admit all transfers, which will discourage nearly all physicians from acting as consultants. Even worse, the consultant must SIGN ("provide written approval of") the birth centers policies and procedures. Neither AABC nor CABC require this, but being accredited will not changed this requirement. This provision will kill birth centers in SC because no physician will do these things.<br />
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(D)(1) to (4) These subparagraphs, and the entire bill, for that matter, use the terms "guidelines," "policies," "procedures," or "practice guidelines" interchangeably without ever defining any of the terms or explaining which ones the consultant must pre-approve and sign. This is another sloppy, badly drafted, and, as a result, ambiguous aspect of this bill.<br />
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(E) This subsection also contains terms that raise warning signals. It speaks of "consultant on all physicians" in the plural, as if you are expected to have many, and it also requires the birth center to invite physicians and administrators to participate in these biannual meetings. It uses confusing terms, such as referring to hospitals as a "transferring facility," although the hospital is the RECEIVING facility. It invites the nearest competitors to get deeply involved in the details of running the birth center. Surgi centers and nursing homes transfer to hospitals but do not have to comply with anything like these restrictive anticompetitive requirements.<br />
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(F) This subsection is a complete disaster, representing terrible policy choices as well as being poorly written. It is obviously intended to provide an exemption from vicarious liability for consultant physicians, but it doesn't. These are the problems with this subsection:<br />
- it exempts the physician from liability for his/her OWN acts or omissions, AFTER the transfer, but does not exempt him or her from vicarious liability for the midwife's or birth center's acts or omissions.<br />
- it is completely unheard of, inappropriate, and very poor policy to give the physician a complete exemption for what he or she does wrong. NO states do this. This is not how to write this types of exemption. Usually in these laws, you protect the physician from liability for any acts or omissions that occurred before the transfer, but hold him/her responsible for his/her own actions after accepting the patient. This provision is entirely too broad.<br />
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This provision also puts all the liability on the birth center, even for what the physician does. If the birth center doesn't have much insurance, the patient will have no recourse, even if the injury was 100% the physician's fault.<br />
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The other problem with this subsection is that it only protects the consultant physician, who gets off Scott-free, but not the hospital, not any other physicians or staff involved in post-transfer care. The state Trial Lawyers Association will freak out when they see this, and can be expected to oppose it. The hospitals, on the other hand, won't like being left out.<br />
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(G) This subsection requires birth centers to share confidential patient information with hospitals and physicians who may not ever have provided care for the patients whose records they will see. Again, there is no reason why birth centers should be considered so dangerous, such risky facilities that would justify extreme provisions such as these. No other facilities are forced to do things like this. What is so intrinsically less safe about birth centers - compared to facilities that provide major surgery, treatment of life-threatening illness, administration of dangerous drugs - that birth centers should have to go to these ridiculous extremes to maintain a license? No other state requires all these "protections."<br />
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Wesley Wilson is the President of <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/">Let Me Live</a>,
a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value
of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let
Me Live <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx">pro-life billboard campaign</a>. <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/donate.aspx">Donations </a>are tax deductible. Please connect with us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/letherlive" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/LetMeLive_USA" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div>
<br />Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-5021543940348943612013-08-01T00:33:00.002-05:002013-08-01T00:35:37.485-05:00Abortion Restrictions, Maternal Death, and Abortion Rates. Do Abortion Laws Make A Difference?<img alt="" 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" /><br />
<br />
Abortion advocates insist that restriction of abortion (1) will kill women and (2) won't reduce abortion. Both claims are false.<br />
<br />
I will ignore the inflammatory nonsense that laws restricting abortion access have the malicious purpose of killing women. But do they have that unintended side effect? How could you tell? You could look at maternal death rates before and after significant changes in abortion regulation. But that could be inconclusive if changes in medical technology or practice occurred at the same time.<br />
<br />
So let's do a simple comparison. Take the 10 states with the most restrictive abortion laws, and the 10 states with the least restrictive abortion laws, and compare maternal death rates. There could be other factors of course, but it's a starting point. <a href="http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/download-files/2013-who-decides-report-card.pdf" target="_blank">NARAL already grades states by their abortion laws</a>, so using their guidance we will pick LA, ND, MS, SD, KS, UT, ID, MO, NE, and KY as the 10 most restrictive, in that order, and CA, WA, CT, HI, MD, OR, ME, VT, NJ, and NY as the 10 least restrictive, in that order.<br />
<br />
If abortion advocates are right that laws restricting abortion access kill women, we would expect a significantly higher maternal death rate in the states with restrictive abortion laws. What does the data show? No correlation. <br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="7" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="44"></col><col width="86"></col><col width="58"></col><col width="56"></col><col width="63"></col><col width="73"></col><col width="59"></col></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="51" width="44"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="86">State</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="58">NARAL grade</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="56">NARAL State Rank</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="63">Maternal Mortality Rate</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="73">Maternal Mortality State Rank</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" style="border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000;" width="59">Abortion Rate</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="205" rowspan="11"><b>Most restrictive abortion laws</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">LA</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">50</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">17.9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">44</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">16.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">ND</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">49</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">10.3</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">25</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">11.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">MS</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">48</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">19</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">47</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">4.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">SD</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">47</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">17</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">5.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">KS</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">46</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">7.1</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">19.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">UT</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">45</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">9.9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">21</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">6.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">ID</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">44</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">15</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">39</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">MO</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">43</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">12.7</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">36</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">6.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">NE</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">42</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">17</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">KY</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">F</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">41</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8.1</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">14</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">5.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>Median – restrictive</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>F</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>45</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>9.9</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>21</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#3DEB3D" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>6.3</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="17"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="205" rowspan="11"><b>Least restrictive abortion laws</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">NY</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A-</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">10</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">18.9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">46</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">37.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">NJ</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A-</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">16.5</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">41</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">31.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">VT</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">2.6</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">2</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">12.5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">ME</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">7</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1.2</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">11.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">OR</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">6</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">6.5</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">17.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">MD</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">5</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">18.7</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">45</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">HI</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">4</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">13.9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">37</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">22.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">CT</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">3</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">7.5</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">11</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">24.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">WA</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A+</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">2</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">9</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">17</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">18.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">CA</td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">A+</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">1</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">12.5</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">35</td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">27.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>Median – permissive</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>A</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>5</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>9</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>17</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#83CAFF" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;"><b>22.6</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="17"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="17"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><b>US Overall</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><b>D</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><b>N/A</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><b>12.1</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><b>N/A</b></td>
<td align="RIGHT" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"><b>19.6</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="17"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT"><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" colspan="7" height="34">NARAL grades from <a href="http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/download-files/2013-who-decides-report-card.pdf">http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/assets/download-files/2013-who-decides-report-card.pdf</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" colspan="7" height="32">Maternal Mortality Rates (2001-2006) per 100,000 live births from <a href="http://hrc.nwlc.org/status-indicators/maternal-mortality-rate-100000">http://hrc.nwlc.org/status-indicators/maternal-mortality-rate-100000</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" colspan="7" height="33">Abortion Rate per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 (2008 data) from <a href="http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0103.pdf">http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0103.pdf</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br />
In fact both the restrictive states' median maternal mortality rate and the permissive states' median maternal mortality rate are below the national average. Maternal mortality rates are higher among African-Americans, so states with higher African-American populations have higher maternal mortality rates, regardless of abortion restrictions. Laws restricting abortion access don't kill women. There is no correlation.<br />
<br />
What about abortion rates? Do abortion restrictions decrease the number of abortions? Look at the abortion rate column. Yes, there is a correlation between abortion restrictions and abortion rates. The 10 least restrictive states have a median abortion rate nearly 4 times the median abortion rate of the 10 most restrictive states.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, restrictive abortion laws make no difference in maternal death rates, but they make a significant impact on abortion rates, just as pro-life activists have long believed.<br />
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Wesley Wilson is the President of <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/">Let Me Live</a>,
a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value
of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let
Me Live <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx">pro-life billboard campaign</a>. <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/donate.aspx">Donations </a>are tax deductible. Please connect with us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/letherlive" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/LetMeLive_USA" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</div>
Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-73719201478966577442013-07-31T22:10:00.000-05:002013-07-31T22:10:42.518-05:00Be The VoiceEarlier this year I had a layover in Atlanta on a flight back from a business trip. There is something about looking down at the clouds from above that changes your perspective. On this flight I wondered how God views the world He made. Does he look at the beauty and cleanliness of the upper atmosphere and delight in His creation?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8U42QUwVtUzoL9yln7GIxyVFigDXgwNuRVr7YJVMAu-ZGMjA5nEFk_BFACTayf_YPBf7klQwaZXhu7aGgp4WjzK3BXRz-FpkCkugv2-9HvohnVngL-RWrfTixf4beR6-Yluc3o5CFus/s1600/abovetheclouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8U42QUwVtUzoL9yln7GIxyVFigDXgwNuRVr7YJVMAu-ZGMjA5nEFk_BFACTayf_YPBf7klQwaZXhu7aGgp4WjzK3BXRz-FpkCkugv2-9HvohnVngL-RWrfTixf4beR6-Yluc3o5CFus/s320/abovetheclouds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Or is the beauty of nature ruined by the wickedness of man? As He looks down on the habitations of men, is it all ruined by the strife and violence that He sees? Does the blood of the innocent crying out from the ground prevent Him from enjoying the good?<br />
<br />
As I thought on these things, I flew into Atlanta, with its familiar downtown skyline. This is a city where thousands of babies are aborted every year. It's a city where Let Me Live has invested thousands of dollars in billboard advertising to turn women back from abortion. When I think of Atlanta, I think of the abortion clinics we target with our billboards and the thousands of women who make the fateful decision there to end the lives of their young ones.<br />
<br />
At the Atlanta airport I found my way to my next flight in another terminal, and passed this poster:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64dIH3gmc2J1TGcd6XG-pDKU91RYTQ4xfgpVwNJaW9E2r7dtpxGYcnk5EoCkcZR2rKYgJAm3yx1TFfyComG8aHejB9E854M5LzzkTSYhP1FRN208_Idp9GqNf9iz6xs1UU_1u4M-mm4E/s1600/Be+the+Voice+WWF+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64dIH3gmc2J1TGcd6XG-pDKU91RYTQ4xfgpVwNJaW9E2r7dtpxGYcnk5EoCkcZR2rKYgJAm3yx1TFfyComG8aHejB9E854M5LzzkTSYhP1FRN208_Idp9GqNf9iz6xs1UU_1u4M-mm4E/s320/Be+the+Voice+WWF+Poster.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<br />
"Be the voice for those who have no voice."<br />
<br />
Should someone speak for the baby elephant? Perhaps. How much more must we speak for the protection of the baby humans.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Deliver those who are being taken away to death,<br />And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold <i>them</i> back.<br />
<span class="reftext"></span>If you say, “See, we did not know this,”<br />Does He not consider <i>it</i> who weighs the hearts?<br />And does He not know <i>it</i> who keeps your soul?<br />And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:11 (NASB)</blockquote>
Be the voice. Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-16714235870281155882013-07-10T16:16:00.000-05:002013-07-10T16:16:48.579-05:00Why "Pro-Choice" Men Support a "Woman's Right To Choose"Ben Sherman of Burnt Orange Report (which claims to be "Texas' largest group political blog, written from a progressive/liberal/Democratic standpoint") is stunningly honest when he writes about <a href="http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13734/brochoice-how-hb2-hurts-texas-men-who-like-women" target="_blank">How #HB2 Hurts Texas Men Who Like Women</a>.<br />
<br />
HB2 is the hotly-debated abortion bill that would regulate many Texas abortion facilities out of business if they don't have hospital admission privileges to protect their patients' lives.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For those of us guys who like girls -- you know, <i>like</i> them like
them -- and want to have relationships with them that may last anywhere
from a few minutes to many years, we need to think about how this bill,
by curtailing the bodily autonomy and sexual freedom of women, hurts us,
too. We need to stand with women in their fight to control their own bodies.
</blockquote>
A few <b><i>minutes </i></b>to many years? Sounds like he's more interested in his freedom to control a woman's body than in defending her "bodily autonomy."<br />
<br />
Sherman continues:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><i>You</i> want to decide when and if to have kids</b>. This bill
will force thousands of Texas men into unplanned fatherhood by making it
impossible for women to access an abortion in the event of an unplanned
pregnancy. Even if you want to have kids, you probably don't want an
accident to make you a father before you're psychologically ready and
able to care for a child.</blockquote>
If you're not "psychologically ready" for a child, maybe you're not psychologically ready for a sexual relationship. And then we get to Sherman's main need for accessible, legal abortion.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Your sex life is at stake</b>. Can you think of anything that kills
the vibe faster than a woman fearing a back-alley abortion? Making
abortion essentially inaccessible in Texas will add an anxiety to sex
that will drastically undercut its joys. And don't be surprised if
casual sex outside of relationships becomes far more difficult to come
by.</blockquote>
So abortion must be easy to get, because it's harder to have casual sex without establishing a relationship first. (Remember, Sherman's relationships might last only a few minutes. Does this mean he will have to at least buy her dinner before he takes her to bed? I'm feeling sorry for this poor oppressed man already!) <br />
<br />
But wait! I thought abortion isn't used for birth control. That's what the left likes to tell us. Mr. Sherman thinks abortion <i>is</i> birth control, and he has the statistics to prove it.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Almost half of all pregnancies are <a href="http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Unintended-Pregnancy-US.html" target="_blank">unplanned and unintended</a>.
Of those, over 40% currently end in abortion. What happens to those 40%
if this law passes? </blockquote>
What happens to those 40% of unplanned babies if abortion isn't legal? Most of them get to live! And their mothers don't grieve the rest of their lives over a decision they were pushed into by their uncommitted, I-want-a-relationship-that-lasts-as-long-as-my-next-orgasm so-called boyfriend who was unprepared to be a man but too much of an animal to keep it in his pants!<br />
<br />
Men like Mr. Sherman who don't value women except for their own personal pleasure want abortion legal so they can play around with a woman's body, and if she gets pregnant, leave unsupported with no choice but abortion. And they have the nerve to say they are "pro-choice."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Wesley Wilson is the President of <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/">Let Me Live</a>,
a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value
of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let
Me Live <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx">pro-life billboard campaign</a>. <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/donate.aspx">Donations </a>are tax deductible. Please connect with us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/letherlive" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div>
Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-21884011232658424832012-11-10T10:18:00.002-05:002012-11-10T10:18:39.127-05:00After the election, now what?In light of President Obama's re-election, our pro-life efforts must be redoubled at the state and individual level. The abortion debate in this election cycle was over the 1% of abortions due to rape, mostly ignoring the reality of abortion as birth control and abortion forced on women who feel they have no choice. The reality of abortion was successfully kept off the table by the mainstream media.<br />
<br />
We must keep educating, imploring, and arousing the people to the moral and ethical necessity of protecting all innocent human life. Our laws and our leaders reflect the morality of our people--or at least the lowest common denominator of our morality as a people. When the people demand protection of the unborn, the politicians will comply.<br />
<br />
The type of moral transformation we need requires more than just awareness and education, which are essential. It also requires a true moral and spiritual awakening which comes only through deep penitence and prayer.
The path open to us is not one of political power (although we must not give up in that arena either). It is one of personal piety and pouring ourselves out for the victims of abortion, born and unborn.<br />
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Wesley Wilson is the President of <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/">Let Me Live</a>, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let Me Live <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx">pro-life billboard campaign</a>. <a href="http://www.letmelive.org/donate.aspx">Donations </a>are tax deductible. Please connect with us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/letherlive" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</div>
Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-10461996769138524322012-11-09T09:15:00.003-05:002012-11-09T16:53:39.525-05:00Did Voters Reject the Pro-Life Position?After Mitt Romney's defeat at the hands of President Obama, the GOP is trying to figure out what hit them. A president who has overseen a bad economy, an unpopular overhaul of the health care system, and two stunning disasters (and ensuing coverups) in which the administration's mismanagement resulted in the deaths of Americans (Benghazi and "Fast and Furious") should have been easy to defeat. Or that's what Republicans thought. And he won.<br />
<br />
It's easy to critique mis-steps in the Romney presidential campaign. Armchair quarter-backs never throw interceptions. There was the 47% comment, the self-deportation comment, the too-combative tone here, and the too-conciliatory tone there. But were there deeper problems--fundamental positions Romney held that were simply rejected by voters? <b>Was the fatal flaw Romney's pro-life position, or even the broader pro-life position of the Republican Party as a whole?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.caintv.com/TimefortheGOPtorethinkabortion-744" target="_blank">Dan Calabrese thinks so</a>. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In a winnable red state Senate race, Missouri's Todd Akin makes an
astoundingly stupid statement about rape and pregnancy. He is toast. In
just-as-red Indiana, Senate candidate Richard Mourdock makes a slightly
more defensible but still incredibly stupid statement about rape and
pregnancy. It ultimately costs him the race, and all the conservative
triumphalism over the primary takedown of Richard Lugar turns to
gnashing of teeth as the seat flips to the Democrats.<br />
<br />
Why did these fiascos occur? They occurred because the standard
Republican position on abortion, while admirably principled, becomes
almost impossible to defend when a skilled and determined questioner
starts drilling down into the details. Ask a pro-life Republican what
kind of prison sentence they would recommend for a woman who gets an
abortion? Good luck getting a clear and confident answer. Rape and
incest? I'm with you when you say that God still loves that baby, but
get into the details of how you enforce the law that forces the woman to
carry the child to term when she doesn't want to? It's a disastrous
debate moment just waiting to happen....
<br />
<br />
How, then, might Todd Akin or Richard Mourdock have answered that
question about rape and pregnancy if not hogtied by the right-to-life
movement to find some way to defend an all-encompassing abortion ban?
Maybe like this:<br />
<br />
"Rape is an unspeakable evil, and I cannot imagine the anguish of a
woman who finds herself pregnant as a result of being raped. Now, do I
believe the child conceived as a result or rape is loved and valued by
God? Yes. Do I believe that child deserves death? No. Any woman in that
circumstance who would choose to bear that child and give birth would be
a hero in my eyes, and should be a hero in everyone's eyes. But as far
as the law is concerned, there is no way we will ever see a political
consensus in favor of a law that would force such a woman to make that
choice, and I have no intention of trying to create one."</blockquote>
<b>Was the presidential election a referendum on abortion?</b> The Obama campaign tried to make it a referendum on contraception and abortions for rape victims, using the "War on Women" rhetoric. Romney of course never opposed contraception at all, nor abortion in rape cases, yet the rhetoric of his opponents implied he was an anti-contraception Catholic who wanted to ban it for everybody. Calabrese's advice wouldn't help Romney. Romney already followed it and still lost.<br />
<br />
The fatal problem for Republicans Tuesday appears to be that they were unable to mobilize their conservative base. <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2957146/posts" target="_blank">Rush Limbaugh said</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We didn't lose the election on Tuesday because we're pro-choice or
pro-life; we did not lose the election because single women hate us and
don't like us. That's not why we lost. We might not be getting a
majority of those votes, but when three million of our own people don't
show up, it doesn't matter who on the Democrat side we're not getting. </blockquote>
<b>Abortion wasn't the key issue that kept conservatives home.</b>
Romney failed to convince conservatives that he would reduce the size
and scope of government significantly. He spent more time in the debates
telling the American people all the programs for which he was going to
preserve or increase funding, and many conservatives felt his vision was
a more fiscally-responsible implementation of socialist policies than
the president's implementation, but not a fundamentally conservative
vision.<br />
<br />
Independent (former Republican) voter Jody Luck <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/jody-valenzuela-luck/post-election-thoughts-or-why-ive-gone-independent/10152238068145398" target="_blank">wrote on her Facebook page</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[N]o one president or politician is going to be able to reverse
the laws already in place. It is a non-winnable issue in the short
term. By even engaging in these discussions, we merely open up
politicians to be attacked by “the others.” When conservative
politicians are asked about their pro-life stance, the clear answer
should be that it is already the law of the land and not within the
presidential scope of power to change it. I have heard several
commentators this political season remark that instead of the
Republicans forcing the focus to be on the economy, they allowed the
Democrats to continually turn the focus on “women’s rights.” I honestly
believe that conservatives did lose votes on this point.<br />
<br />
Again, this <i>is</i> an issue that should be
legislated since it does do measurable harm to another person, however,
it is not within any one politician’s scope to correct it, so to lose an
election over this point seems <b>short-sighted.</b> It’s a
process. We need conservative representatives in place so that when a
conservative president is elected, he is free to appoint and have
approved, conservative judges. </blockquote>
While Luck is right that no politician can abolish abortion in the short term, she is wrong about candidates needing to disengage from the issue or downplay it.<br />
<br />
First, if we elect politicians who don't make their pro-life position clear, it will be a non-issue, and there will be no political progress, because politicians know that we, the pro-life voters, don't expect anything from them on this issue.<br />
<br />
Second, if a Republican presidential candidate abandons the pro-life message, the pro-life voters will stay home or vote third-party. The Whigs tried that on the slavery issue, and that's why the Whig Party is in the history books, and the Republican Party is alive today.<br />
<br />
Third, one politician (particularly the president) can take at least one significant step to fight abortion by cutting funds to Planned Parenthood, and Romney pledged to do that.<br />
<br />
Fourth, conservatives lost votes on the abortion issue not because
they were pro-life, but because they allowed their opponents to define
the issue.<br />
<br />
<b>So how should pro-life candidates define the issue in a way that is truthful and convincing?</b> <br />
<br />
Calabrese is right that anyone who takes a principled pro-life stand
needs clear, medically-accurate, reasonable, and compassionate answers.
Pro-life candidates need to turn the debate back from the hard cases
like rape/incest/fetal anomaly to where the law is, and go on offense. "I believe all life
is sacred, regardless of the circumstances of conception, but my
opponent wants abortion to be legal as a method of birth control through
all three trimesters, and he even supported the barbaric practice or
partial-birth abortion."<br />
<br />
<b>Pro-life candidates
shouldn't hang their heads and stand courageously as martyrs for an extreme cause. No.
Show how extreme the opposition truly is.</b> Don't let the debate
linger on the hard cases. Take it back to the majority of cases.
President Obama repeatedly criticized Romney for wanting to defund
Planned Parenthood, falsely claiming they perform mammograms. Romney
looked like the extremist and failed to demonstrate that Obama is the
real extremist, shoveling tax money to an organization that is
documented to cover up sexual abuse and sex trafficking; an organization
that urges minors to try group sex and other risky practices; an
organization that makes most of its money from killing babies; an
organization that was founded to control minority populations and still
kills a disproportionate number of black babies.<br />
<br />
Republican
candidates get used to debating the minor differences with each other
in primaries, and when a pro-life candidate goes up against someone like
President Obama, he forgets that the issue is not the exceptional
cases. <b>The issue is that the pro-abortion opponent thinks every baby
is fair game for the abortionist's suction machine and scissors. That's
extreme.</b><br />
<br />
<b>To the extent that this election was a
referendum on abortion, it was ruined by candidates who failed to frame
the debate and allowed the opposition to incorrectly define the
differences in their positions.</b><br />
<br />
Pro-life candidates must think through and defend their positions better, largely by going back on offense against the extremism of the pro-abortion position, but they must not abandon the pro-life cause. Doing so would be both moral cowardice and political suicide.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">,
a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and
value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about
the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span> </div>
Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-63081943106942414562012-10-26T07:25:00.003-05:002012-10-26T07:41:23.019-05:00Creepy Obama Ad Compares Voting to Sex -- With the PresidentIf you haven't seen the controversial Barack Obama ad, "Your First Time," perhaps you should. It gives some insight into how the abortion president and his campaign think. Viewer discretion advised.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/o6G3nwhPuR4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
The Obama campaign seems to be shifting this campaign to the more divisive social issues, with President Obama repeatedly aligning himself with Planned Parenthood and claiming they perform mammograms. (They don't.) Taxpayer-funded birth control activist Sandra Fluke has hit the campaign trail, drawing crowds of <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/oct/21/picket-sandra-fluke-gives-get-out-vote-speech-10-p/" target="_blank">10 people</a>. Planned Parenthood's own Cecile Richards is on the <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/blog/planned-parenthood-ceo-takes-leave-to-schlepp-full-time-for-obama/" target="_blank">campaign trail full-time</a> with President Obama. (She apparently takes Mitt Romney's <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/10/romney-reiterates-defunding-planned-parenthood-138063.html" target="_blank">pledge to defund PP</a> seriously.)<br />
<br />
The social issues ignite disinterested voters to come out and vote against the impending calamity if an opponent wins. Will this ad help with college-age females? Maybe. It might push some senior citizens away also.<br />
<br />
This ad is more evidence of the desperation in the Obama campaign. Romney is beating them on jobs and the economy, which is the defining issue of this election cycle. The foreign policy record may be easier to defend, but it's hardly a strong issue for the president. So he will rally his side with this? Voting is like having sex, so the first time you do it should be with Barack Obama? Am I the only one who finds this a little creepy? What if this were a Clinton ad? Hmmm.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, this is also the closest that the Left gets to an abstinence message: Wait for someone who actually cares about you--not enough to marry you, but enough to pay for your birth control.<br />
<br />
What a disgustingly crude political ad! It may play well among 20-year-olds who think it's funny, but it's not winning any votes from senior citizens.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">,
a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and
value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about
the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div>
Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-50858222728286553052011-10-21T17:11:00.000-05:002011-10-21T17:11:01.017-05:00Herman Cain, Piers Morgan, Abortion, and the No Money for Planned Parenthood PledgeAnyone following the presidential campaign closely will have heard about Herman Cain's confusing interview with Piers Morgan on abortion and homosexuality, as well as a few other issues. Cain appears to go from opposing abortion under any circumstances to saying it is (and presumably should be) up to the mother to decide whether to abort in cases of rape or incest. Here's a bit of that interview:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPKYYDefMV4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
So it seems he is taking the "personally opposed, but thinks it should be legal" approach. Does that work with any other crime--theft, vandalism, rape, other types of murder? I wouldn't do it, but it's ok if you do?<br />
<br />
Fortunately, Cain issued a clarification:<br />
<blockquote>If you listen to the line of questioning, it is clear that Mr. Morgan was asking if I, as president, would simply "order" people to not seek an abortion.<br />
<br />
My answer was focused on the role of the President. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The President has no constitutional authority to order any such action by anyone.</span> That was the point I was trying to convey.<br />
<br />
As to my political view on abortion...again, I am pro-life. End of story. <br />
<br />
<strong>As President, I will appoint judges</strong> who understand the original intent of the Constitution. Judges who are committed to the rule of law know that the Constitution contains no right to take the life of unborn children.<br />
<br />
<strong>I will oppose government funding of abortion.</strong> I will veto any legislation that contains funds for Planned Parenthood. I will do everything that a President can do, <em>consistent with his constitutional role,</em> to advance the culture of life.</blockquote>Obviously Cain needs to do better in his interviews so he doesn't leave these issues ambiguous. You can only misspeak and clarify so many times before people stop supporting you. In his defense, during this interview Morgan cut him off several times as he attempted to explain himself.<br />
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Did you notice the pledge on judges? That looks pretty good to me. Equally welcome is the pledge to <b>veto any legislation that funds Planned Parenthood</b>. I don't think a president has ever done that, and it's about time.<br />
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While Cain needs to communicate his pro-life position more clearly, I am encouraged to see these significant statements. Incidentally, Cain is the only presidential candidate that I've seen bringing up the racist roots of Planned Parenthood and the abortion movement. That's not something you see from people who don't care about abortion. So I can overlook an off comment here and there.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">#</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div><br />
Disclaimer: Let Me Live does not endorse or oppose any candidates. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not represent an official position of Let Me Live or its board of directors.Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-33862819679696837562011-09-23T11:12:00.000-05:002011-09-23T11:12:26.760-05:00Census Data on Minorities and MarriageA recent Associated Press <a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20110623/D9O1HG5G0.html">story talks about the census data showing that white babies are no longer a majority</a> of American births. The racial component dominates the headline, and is interesting in itself. I suppose Planned Parenthood can start panicking that their schemes to keep blacks in a permanent minority status through birth control and abortion are failing.<br />
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The troubling part of the report is not the racial aspect, but the marital statistics.<br />
<blockquote><span id="article"><span id="intelliTXT"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span id="intelliTXT">Among African-Americans, U.S. households headed by women - mostly single mothers but also adult women living with siblings or elderly parents - represented roughly 30 percent of all African-American households, compared with the 28 percent share of married-couple African-American households. It was the first time the number of female-headed households surpassed those of married couples among any race group, according to census records reviewed by Frey dating back to 1950.</span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>More single-parent homes of any racial group means more social problems, crime, poverty, addiction, and abortion. Our culture must learn to value marriage again. Ultimately, that comes as a result of spiritual awakening, but we can also promote the value of marriage by modeling good marriages in our own homes and teaching abstinence and proper values.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">#</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-39348495927383163452011-09-23T06:50:00.000-05:002011-09-23T06:50:27.093-05:00Ron Paul: "Too many laws already" to protect babies in early pregnancyLast night's Google/Youtube/Fox News debate in Orlando, Florida, focused on jobs and the economy, but there was one question on abortion. It went to Ron Paul: "Congressman Paul, you have said that you believe that life begins at conception, and that abortion ends an innocent life. If you believe that, how can you support a rape exception to abortion bans, and how can you support the morning after pill? Aren't those lives just as innocent?"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/k0pJoB94uiQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Where the issue of abortion should be legislated--state level or national level--is one thing. It's quite another to say that unborn lives don't deserve protection because "we have too many laws already." He says laws against the morning-after pill (not clear if he includes older unborn babies conceived through rape in this) are too hard to enforce. A pragmatic answer to a question of principle. Hmmm. These drugs are only on the market because the FDA has approved them. If you ban the drug, the supply goes away. Sounds pretty easy to enforce to me.<br />
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Let's also be clear. The morning-after pill doesn't treat a disease that a rape victim might have. It kills a baby that may have been conceived. Rep. Paul confuses the issue by suggesting the pill might be used to treat a sexually-transmitted disease.<br />
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He closed with this statement: "Only the moral character of the people will eventually solve this problem, not a law." In a representative government like ours, laws are a reflection of the moral values of the people. Morals are where we need to start, but morals lead to laws against evil. Murder should not be legal in any form.<br />
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Perhaps the most disturbing part of this video is the amount of applause Paul received. He should have been booed off the stage for his impassioned defense of murder under pretense of futility or federalism.<br />
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We in the pro-life community have much work to do so that Americans can no longer claim to be "pro-life" while accepting the slaughter of the unborn for any reason.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">#</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div><br />
Disclaimer: Let Me Live does not endorse or oppose any candidates. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not represent an official position of Let Me Live or its board of directors.Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-29780048596510324552011-06-14T10:55:00.000-05:002011-06-14T10:55:24.340-05:00GOP Debate Question on Rape and Incest Abortion ExceptionsThe Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire last night brought no surprises about the candidates views on abortion. What was said was good. I was a little disappointed in what was not said by some of the candidates. A perfect example is Rep. Bachmann's response to the question whether she was comfortable with Tim Pawlenty's opposition to abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HvMeslMn8zs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>What she said is good, but she could have distinguished herself had she actually answered the question. She evidently either thinks a rape or incest exception is ok, or she doesn't think she can frame the argument in a winning way. Unfortunately nobody else on the stage distinguished themselves on it either.<br />
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How would you answer if you were running for president? What about this for an answer.<br />
<blockquote>Rape is a horrible crime, and rape victims deserve our greatest compassion and care. They deserve to not be pushed into compounding the horror of rape with the murder of their unborn babies. I have friends who were conceived in rape. You can't tell me that they deserve to be dead. Let's punish rapists, not their victims or their children. Abortion is, in fact, one of the greatest tools of a sexual abuser, because it lets him cover up his crime, and many abortion businesses will not follow the law and report on an under-aged victim of sexual abuse. Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses cover up rape, incest, and other sexual crimes, enabling the abuse to continue. As President, I will not sign any budget with one penny of funding for Planned Parenthood.</blockquote>Don't expect that answer this election season, but any of these candidates would at least sign most pro-life legislation--something President Obama clearly won't do.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">#</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-84095736967789771662011-06-10T22:29:00.002-05:002011-06-10T22:31:59.318-05:00Rainbows and JusticeEarly evening brought a thunderstorm to our neck of the woods, and afterwards my daughter and I saw a rainbow as we drove to the store. I took the opportunity to explain the theological significance of the rainbow. I'm sure it went in one three-year-old ear and out the other, but I didn't give her the typical Sunday School explanation, because that tells only half the story.<br />
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Most readers of this blog know that God judged the world for the sin of mankind with a worldwide flood that destroyed most living creatures, except for those saved by Noah's ark. When the flood ended, God set the rainbow in the sky as a sign of His promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood. That's all true, and that's where the Sunday School lesson stops.<br />
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There's more to the story. The rainbow marks a transfer of judicial responsibility. God's judgments in this life tend to be general, affecting a whole group of people, not just the guilty party, so God doesn't like to operate that way. (See the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13.)<br />
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God promised not to judge the world in that manner ever again, but He passed the responsibility for punishing evil to mankind. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." With that simple commandment, God established the first and most basic law of civil government. If man will punish evil in this world, God won't have to step in with Divine judgment. So the two sides of the covenant--God's promise not to destroy the earth in this manner, and man's responsibility to execute murderers--are closely connected.<br />
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Sometimes I read discussions online (especially on pro-life websites) about noted heinous criminals, and I am appalled at the number of Christians who are against the state killing a convicted mass murderer. I'm not advocating individuals taking that responsibility on themselves, but civil government has that role, and both Paul and Jesus endorsed the exercise of that authority. (See Matthew 15:4 and Romans 13:4.)<br />
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For Christians who think that Jesus did away with all that Noahic covenant stuff, I have one question. Have you seen a rainbow lately?<br />
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I saw a rainbow today, so I know the covenant responsibility is still there. Even if I didn't see the rainbow, God made this covenant an "everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." Notice, it's not just with all mankind forever. It includes all the animals forever, too. In other words, God's mandate to do justice is here to stay.<br />
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Yes, the rainbow is a sign of God's promise. It's also a sign of our responsibility to seek justice.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">#</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a href="http://www.letmelive.org/billboards.aspx" style="font-style: italic;">Let Me Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-56419702558286827352011-04-28T10:25:00.002-05:002011-04-28T14:05:40.306-05:00Open letter to SC State Senator Larry Martin on Rape and Incest Abortion FundingFrom the South Carolina Citizens for Life:<br />
<blockquote><b>COLUMBIA, S.C</b>. (Wednesday, April 27, 2011) --A move to strip funding for rape and incest abortions from the state employees’ health insurance plan failed by one vote Wednesday in the Republican-controlled South Carolina Senate. Senators Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, and David Thomas, R-Greenville, offered the amendment during debate on the 2011-2012 state budget.</blockquote><blockquote>In what is known as Part 1B, Section 80C of the state budget, the state employees’ health insurance coverage reads in part: “No funds appropriated for employer contributions to the State Health Insurance Plan may be expended to reimburse the expenses of an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or where the mother’s medical condition is one which, on the basis of the physician’s good faith judgment, so complicates the pregnancy as to necessitate an immediate abortion to avert the risk of her death or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function, and the State Health Plan may not offer coverage for abortion services, including ancillary services provided contemporaneously with abortion services.”</blockquote><blockquote>The Bryant-Thomas amendment would have removed the six words “in cases of rape; incest or” leaving the rest of the House-passed language intact....</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>Senator Joel Lourie, D-Richland, moved to table (defeat) the Bryant-Thomas amendment. The motion to table passed by one vote. Those who voted <i>against</i> tabling the amendment were voting in favor of the Bryant-Thomas amendment.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>To see how your senator voted, click <a href="http://www.scstatehouse.gov/php/votehistory.php?KEY=2602" target="_blank">here</a>. </blockquote> My State Senator, Larry Martin (not to be confused with Sen. Shane Martin who voted the other way), voted to table the pro-life amendment, so I sent him the following letter.<br />
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<blockquote>Dear Senator Martin:<br />
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I am disappointed in your vote to table the Bryant-Thomas amendment which would have banned state funding of abortions of pregnancies conceived in rape or incest. The amendment, which lost by one vote, would have changed the language of Part 1B, Section 80C of the state budget. Your vote made the difference.<br />
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Let me speak directly. You voted to use my tax money to kill babies whose fathers are criminals.<br />
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The SC GOP platform says: "We believe that the unborn and the newborn child have a fundamental right to life which must not be infringed. Accordingly, we believe that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection should apply to unborn children."<br />
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According to our party's platform, your vote was both unconstitutional and immoral.<br />
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I have appreciated many of the positions you have taken and your support for other pro-life laws. Please explain why you voted to table this amendment.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
Wesley Wilson</blockquote>Update: Senator Martin responded promptly:<br />
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<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11.0pt;">Mr. Wilson:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11.0pt;">Thanks for your email and for your question about my vote on the amendment. The language in the budget proviso regarding the limited instances that involve rape, incest, or the life of the mother, in which the state health plan will pay for an abortion, is the longstanding policy of the state. It goes back to the 1980s when the pro-life US Congressman, the late Henry Hyde from Illinois, was successful in implementing the same policy for Medicaid reimbursement. The Hyde Amendment is a well settled policy in this important area, and the state health plan reflects that policy. It is something that I have supported for many years going back to my service in the House, and I’m almost certain that there are other votes in previous appropriations bills. Lastly, there are a limited number of individuals and families that are covered under COBRA policies that pay the entire employer/employee amount for their health insurance coverage under the state health plan. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11.0pt;">Thanks again for your email as it is good to hear from you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11.0pt;">Regards,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 11.0pt;">Larry Martin</span></div></blockquote><br />
I appreciate Senator Martin's prompt and cordial response. The Hyde Amendment was a huge step toward stopping the government funding of abortion. At the time, the political reality apparently required that the rape and incest exception take precedence over the sanctity of human life. That's politics. Better to compromise and stop paying for 99% of the murders than lose the vote and be unable to stop any of them. At least that's the theory. (Some readers will disagree, and I respect your views.)<br />
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I am thankful for the Hyde Amendment. I think Henry Hyde probably took all the ground he could at the time. What Senator Martin is saying, however, is that the Hyde Amendment is the goal, not just a step in the right direction. In South Carolina, where the electorate is strongly pro-life, and the state government is completely in Republican hands, this isn't a matter of compromising to make progress. <b>Senator Martin apparently thinks that tax money really should be used to murder babies in the 1% or so of unwanted pregnancies resulting from rape and incest.</b><br />
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For the record, the House version of the budget last year did not allow funding for rape and incest abortions, but the Senate defeated the pro-life measure. This year, both the SC House and Senate versions fund those abortions.Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-74522212819681480732010-03-01T01:00:00.000-05:002010-03-01T01:04:08.965-05:00How to End AbortionEver since Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton forced legal abortion on the entire United States, pro-life people have been trying to end it. Not to minimize the efforts of persuading individuals to keep their babies (after all, that's what our billboards are all about), at some point we need a law that bans abortion. Here are some ways to get there.<br /><br />1. Supreme Court<br />The most obvious solution is to change the Supreme Court justices until they will overturn the laws and court decisions upholding abortion, and either ban it or allow states to ban it. We've been trying that ever since 1973. We're closer than we've ever been, but with the current administration, any progress looks blocked for several years.<br /><br />2. Constitutional Amendment<br />An amendment to the U.S. Constitution either banning abortion or allowing states to ban abortion is another obvious solution. But constitutional amendments require overwhelming popular and legislative support. This cannot happen until a large majority of the people demand an end to abortion.<br /><br />3. U.S. Congress<br />If Congress simply bans abortion, the Supreme Court will rule it unconstitutional (see point 1). But Congress could first <a href="http://www.eagleforum.org/column/2006/jan06/06-01-25.html">remove it from the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 3, Section 2</a> of the Constitution, opening the door to either state bans or a federal ban.<br /><br />Congress could also declare that personhood under the 14th Amendment vests at fertilization, and therefore abortion is banned. This <a href="http://www.montanaprolifecoalition.org/PowerPoint/roevwadeexcerpts.pdf">undermines the reasoning of Roe vs. Wade</a>. It is difficult to say what the Supreme Court would do with such a law. But with the current composition, it is likely the majority would find some reason to overturn it.<br /><br />Both of these questions should be asked of every candidate for U.S. Congress (House or Senate).<br /><br />4. State Legislatures<br />The state legislatures can pass a law or constitutional amendment declaring that personhood vests at fertilization, and therefore, abortion is illegal. (Doing it outside the context of abortion, as some current "personhood legislation" does, doesn't really accomplish anything, because it will not be interpreted by the courts to apply to abortion unless the law is explicit.) Just like a federal ban based on the personhood of the unborn, a state law would likely be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.<br /><br />Then the state legislatures would have the opportunity to assert their 10th Amendment reserved powers and defy the U.S. Supreme Court and federal government. That would require the legislature and governor being willing to go without federal money for roads, education, unemployment, welfare, and every other kind of federal aid. It might require a willingness to call up the National Guard to resist Federal Marshals ordered to keep abortion facilities open.<br /><br />Such a move would require a governor and a majority in the legislature with unusual courage. It would require a majority of citizens to stand with their state leaders and deal with the loss of federal funds. I don't think it would require secession--just a state (or a few states) willing to assert their constitutional powers (popularly called "states' rights").<br /><br />Every candidate for state representative, state senator, or governor, should answer whether he is willing to stand up to the federal government to protect the unborn.<br /><br />5. Revival<br />I've listed every plan I'm aware of to make child murder illegal in our country, or even in a single state. All approaches require widespread popular support, which can only come as a result of spiritual renewal, or revival. Revival is not a fifth option I am suggesting. It is necessary for any of the approaches above. So let's get on our knees before God; then go out and arouse our friends, neighbors, and families to a holy hatred of this child slaughter; and pursue not one of these strategies, but all of them.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">#<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span></div></div>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-46764780183998120412010-02-28T23:30:00.001-05:002010-03-01T00:13:16.135-05:00The Life or Health Exception SmokescreenSometimes people will object to protecting human life starting at fertilization on the grounds that abortion needs to be available when the mother's life is in danger, the mother's health is in danger, or the baby's health is in danger. Let's look at these in reverse order.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Baby's Health</span><br />Many mothers have been told they need to abort the pregnancy (kill the baby) because the baby has a health problem (Down syndrome, missing a vital organ such as the brain, or even a mild health problem), is at risk for a health problem, or would be placed at risk if the mother received treatment for something like cancer.<br /><br />If the baby is certain to have a health problem, does it justify taking his or her life? No. Human life is valuable not because of our abilities, but because we are made in the image of God. Humans have intrinsic worth apart from their abilities. Murder is still murder whether the victim is disabled or not. Sometimes a baby with a serious condition will be stillborn. Sometimes the baby dies within hours or weeks of birth. And other times the doctor was wrong (or perhaps he was right, but God healed the baby) and the baby is completely normal.<br /><br />If the baby is simply at risk for health problems, or the baby would be placed at risk by the mother's treatment (more on this when we look at the mother's life), there is also a chance (sometimes the vast majority of the time, depending on the treatment) that the baby will be fine.<br /><br />For most people, aborting because of the baby's health is about the inconvenience to the parents of having a disabled baby. How many really say, my child would be better off dead than living with the condition that the doctor believes he has or might have? Probably not many.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mother's Health</span><br />Allowing abortion to protect the mother's health is a smokescreen for permitting nearly all abortions, because health can be defined to include mental health, which can include stress--and what baby doesn't increase stress?<br /><br />But using a narrower definition of health, abortion is still unacceptable. How can you justify killing one person to prevent possible health problems to another? You simply can't.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mother's Life</span><br />If a mother's life is endangered by carrying a baby to term, is abortion justified? Let's look at some examples.<br /><br />1. In an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, the baby attaches outside the uterus, typically to the fallopian tubes. Without intervention, both the mother and baby will die. There is no competing interest between the mother and baby. The baby will die. The baby must be removed to save the mother's life. This is not a standard abortion procedure. Many would not consider it abortion.<br /><br />2. Some mothers have been diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. Many (especially in early stages of pregnancy) are told they need to abort. Why? Not because the pregnancy endangers the mother, but that the treatments could endanger the baby. So kill the baby to prevent possibly harming or killing the baby. That only makes sense to someone more concerned about liability and lawsuits than their patients.<br /><br />Doctors cause two tragedies when they tell a woman if she takes a treatment, she needs to abort her baby. First, some women will kill the baby, when both mother and baby could be fine. Second, some women refuse lifesaving treatment, when both mother and baby could have been fine.<br /><br />3. Eclampsia <a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/preeclampsia-eclampsia">usually occurs after viability</a>, so delivering the baby (usually by C-section) is a good option.<br />Christina Dunigan documents that even pro-abortion doctors, as well as other groups of gynecologists,<a href="http://realchoice.blogspot.com/2010/02/since-they-wont-let-it-go.html"> find no need for abortion to save the mother's life:</a><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>Planned Parenthood Medical Director Mary Calderone wrote "[M]edically speaking, that is, from the point of view of diseases of the various systems, cardiac, genitourinary, and so on, it is hardly ever necessary today to consider the life of a mother as threatened by a pregnancy." Dr. Alan Guttmacher, another former leader of Planned Parenthood, said in 1967, "Today it is possible for almost any patient to be brought through pregnancy alive, unless she suffers from a fatal illness such as cancer or leukemia, and if so, abortion would be unlikely to prolong, much less save life."<br /></blockquote><br />Again, quoting from the U.K.-based <a href="http://www.spuc.org.uk/students/abortion/mothers">Society for the Protection of Unborn Children</a>:<br /><blockquote>In 1992, a group of Ireland's top gynaecologists wrote: "We affirm that there are no medical circumstances justifying direct abortion, that is, no circumstances in which the life of a mother may only be saved by directly terminating the life of her unborn child." (John Bonner, Eamon O'Dwyer, David Jenkins, Kieran O'Driscoll, Julia Vaughan, 'Statement by Obstetricians', <i>The Irish Times</i> 1 April 1992)<br /><br />When Dublin's National Maternity Hospital (where 10% of all births in Ireland occurred) investigated the 21 deaths of pregnant women there between 1970-1979, they found that not a single one of those deaths could have been avoided by abortion. (<i>Irish Medical Journal </i>1982 vol. 75, pp. 304-306)</blockquote><br /><br />What if there were ever a situation where one life was weighed against another--where either the mother or baby could live, but not both? Such a situation does not appear to exist. Some have argued that the mother could view killing her baby as self-defense, and therefore justifiable homicide. But that isn't a debate we need to have until we find a case it could apply to.<br /><br />To reiterate, treating the mother is morally acceptable, even if harm occurs to the baby as a result. And removing an ectopic baby whose life cannot be saved, in order to save the one life that can be saved (the mother's), is perfectly ethical. Once again, the SPUC says it well:<br /><blockquote>Direct abortion is the deliberate killing of an unborn child. Treatment to save the life of the mother that results in the death of the child as an expected but not intended side effect is not a direct abortion, <i>e.g.</i> in the case of an ectopic pregnancy. In this situation, the baby begins to develop in the woman's fallopian tube and has to be removed or the tube will rupture and cause the death of the woman. This involves the unavoidable death of the unborn baby but the aim of the operation is to save the mother not to kill the baby.</blockquote>Let's not get pulled into the trap of making exceptions where we excuse the deliberate killing of the baby.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">#<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span><br /></div></div>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-47094946143402706462010-02-04T21:38:00.004-05:002010-02-04T22:41:57.486-05:00SC Right to Life Act (Personhood) is Dead in HouseI attended the Constitutional Laws subcommittee hearing on the state House version of the Personhood bill (H. 3526) in Columbia, S.C., today.<br /><br />The subcommittee, chaired by <a href="http://www.scstatehouse.gov/members/bios/0463636308.html">Rep. Greg Delleney</a>, will almost certainly not recommend the bill to the next stage.<br /><br />I had hoped to speak in support of the bill, but the two members of the public who spoke took the entire hour, including the time they spent responding to questions and comments from the subcommittee. Several others also had hoped to speak. I was surprised there was no time limit which would have allowed more members of the public to have a say.<br /><br />Rep. Delleney made it clear that he wants to save babies' lives, but he did not see a convincing case that the definition of the right to life beginning at fertilization would save a single life. He said he is pushing two bills that will save lives immediately (Born-Alive Protection and 24-Hour Waiting Period) and he isn't going to jepoardize these bills by also pushing the personhood bill, which he views as merely symbolic.<br /><br />One speaker, Steve Lefemine, advanced a weak argument (the law is a schoolmaster, therefore this definition will lead people to value life more and abort less) to suggest the bill would save lives. The other speaker focused on the fact that the representatives would have to give account to God for the way they vote on this bill, so they must vote as they believe Jesus would.<br /><br />Rep. Delleney is right that this bill would not save any babies at first, because it does not specifically address abortion. I see it as more than symbolism because it sets the principle forth so that a later abortion ban could be backed up by our state law. An abortion ban could be successful under only two scenarios: the Supreme Court upholds it (requiring a change in the composition of the Court); or South Carolina declares abortion law to be a power reserved to the states under the 10th amendment, and defies the federal government. Lefemine hinted at the latter possibility.<br /><br />The possibility of a conservative shift on the Supreme Court prior to 2013 seems remote at best. And it is just as hard to imagine a scenario where a majority of state lawmakers and the governor would be willing to defy the federal government or Supreme Court--especially over abortion.<br /><br />Of course Congress (if the makeup changes dramatically in November) could remove jurisdiction of abortion law from the Supreme Court, but that opens up constitutional issues we have not yet encountered. Again, having such a law signed into law before 2013 would be impossible.<br /><br />I am disappointed in the subcommittee's decision, because the right to life should be declared to vest at fertilization, whether we can make meaningful policy changes yet or not. I hope to see the state senate go farther with their version (S. 450). (Rep. Delleney pledged to pass it through the state house if the senate passes it first.)<br /><br />But regardless of the success of a personhood bill, abortion will remain legal for at least a few years. For now we must save as many lives as possible through prayer, education, intervention, pregnancy centers, sidewalk counseling, and legislative restrictions such as Delleney is currently fighting for.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">#<br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-18861841653313210622010-02-02T20:37:00.004-05:002010-02-02T23:52:08.846-05:00Personhood -- Back on the Table in SCOn Thursday morning, a S.C. House subcommittee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the personhood legislation in our state, the Right to Life Act of South Carolina, <a href="http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/3526.htm">H.3526</a>. It states that legal personhood vests at fertilization.<br /><br />We know that medically and scientifically, human life begins at fertilization. From that moment, this brand new life is genetically 100% human. It is time that our state and nation declared that we will protect all human life from fertilization on.<br /><br />This legislation does not repeal the abortion laws of our state. It will not prevent a single abortion by itself. It does not put that principle in the context of abortion or any other specific area of law. It is more a statement of principle than policy. But as such it does lay the groundwork for an abortion ban at some later date that could stand up to scrutiny from the Supreme Court.<br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"></span><br />With this statement of principle in place, if enough state legislators get the courage to ban abortion outright, without exceptions based on the circumstances of conception, the ban could be upheld under portions of the reasoning of Roe vs. Wade.<br /><br />While the Roe vs. Wade decision made up a right to privacy that included the right to abortion out of whole cloth, the justices made a valid point when they criticized the Texas abortion ban currently in place. You can't logically say that all human life is sacred and deserves protection--unless that life began with the crime of rape. Either human life is sacred or it isn't.<br /><br />The <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=410&invol=113">Roe decision</a> includes this statement: "If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses,<span style="color: rgb(0, 85, 0);"><a name="157"></a> </span>for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [Fourteenth] Amendment."<br /><br />Of course the court decided that there was no clear definition of a child in the womb as a person under the law. The Right to Life Act currently under consideration provides just such a definition.<br /><br />Recognizing the personhood of the unborn does not automatically satisfy Roe vs. Wade, however, as some believe. The decision went on to say: "[W]e do not agree that, by adopting one theory of life, Texas may override the rights of the pregnant woman that are at stake."<br /><br />They then make it a balancing act between the right to have an abortion, the state's interest in protecting the mother's health, and the state's interest in protecting what they call "potential life," which in our day is of course recognized scientifically as very real and existing human life. The Planned Parenthood vs. Casey decision further affirmed a right to an abortion prior to "viability."<br /><br />Roe vs. Wade is an evil and poorly reasoned decision, especially when it extends the right to privacy from government intrusion to include a right to kill a child in the womb.<br /><br />The S.C. attorney general issued an <a href="http://www.christianlifeandliberty.net/Westlaw_Document_15_03_35_5392471.doc">opinion</a> on this personhood bill indicating that it would probably be upheld as constitutional by the courts, however, it would be held to not apply to abortion, because (1) it doesn't specifically mention abortion, and (2) the courts would interpret it so as to make it conformable to the Roe vs. Wade and Casey decisions.<br /><br />The personhood of the unborn should be declared, and it provides an important step in supporting a case to prohibit abortion, but it too is subject to judicial interpretation.<br /><br />So after enacting personhood legislation, we can ban abortion and either wait for the courts to decide whether they will allow it, or we as a state stand up for our laws and assert that the state has the power to ban abortion reserved under the 10th Amendment (as a power not specifically given to the federal government).<br /><br />The latter course would take courage on the part of our legislators--and probably our governor as well. And courage seems to be lacking among most politicians these days. It might also require some sacrifice on the part of the state's citizens, as federal funding for roads and education might be held back, but that sacrifice would be a very small price to pay in order to stop the killing of over 7,000 babies in South Carolina.<br /><br />Personhood is a logical and necessary statement that flows from under the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”). This declaration of personhood also follows from the medical knowledge we have today of life before birth. It follows from the biblical statements about life in the womb. And it follows the constitutional guarantee against depriving anyone of life without due process of law. <br /><br />This is only the first step down a road that our legislators must commit to with courage--or get out of the way and let real statesmen take their place.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">#<br /><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-82446179899954425072010-02-02T19:55:00.004-05:002010-02-03T09:14:12.627-05:00Devaluing Children (and Motherhood)Recently I had a conversation with a conservative friend I'll call Jay and a liberal acquaintance I'll call Nancy.<br /><br />Nancy does contracting work with various companies, and she had recently lost her main contract. She told us how much she liked her free time, but wasn't happy about losing the income. She said her husband asked her how she likes being a stay-at-home mom. She told him, "Don't call me that. That's not what I am!" She said she preferred to be considered unemployed.<br /><br />My friend Jay, whose wife is a homeschooling mom of five, said, "There's honor in taking care of children."<br /><br />Nancy replied that she doesn't look down on women who take care of their children, but it's not for her. She said, "There's a reason for daycare!" Then she talked about how in the summer she has a full-time babysitter for one child and how she keeps the other child in camps all summer.<br /><br />I didn't really comment to her, as nothing I could say would make her view her children differently.<br /><br />Yes, there is a reason for daycare, just as there is a reason for kennels. Some people use daycare for short intervals when they need someone to watch their children, much as others would use a kennel to care for their pets while they are on vacation.<br /><br />But if someone boarded his pet at a kennel for months at a time, it would make you wonder why he had the pet if he didn't want to spend any time with it. For people like Nancy who don't want their children near them any more than is possible, I wonder why they conceived children in the first place. Or why they don't make an adoption plan so their children can have parents who actually care about them.<br /><br />Nancy is not alone. Our culture views children as a bother and a burden, not as a gift from God. Is it any wonder that so many children have neither affection nor respect for their parents?<br /><br />No work that I do will ever be more important than the work of raising my children. While some families don't have the financial ability to have a parent take care of their children, I am thankful for the sacrifices my parents made to allow my mother to take care of and educate me at home. And I'm thankful for a wife who views our children as her most important responsibility.<br /><br />Truly, "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">#<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-30937443838841697242010-02-02T16:31:00.002-05:002010-02-02T16:40:17.473-05:00Video - Media Silence on 2010 March for Life in Washington D.C.<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/8knMYK-IX4U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/8knMYK-IX4U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br /><p>If you can't view the video above, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8knMYK-IX4U">here</a>.</p>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-36140718926561524462009-12-05T10:42:00.004-05:002009-12-05T12:53:03.979-05:00Leaving God out of Ethics: Dangers of the Woman-Centered ApproachIn an argument, most people who are trying to persuade their opponents will use arguments that make sense to their opponents--not necessarily the most compelling argument to them personally. It just makes sense to appeal to the reasons that matter to the person you hope to persuade. But if we spend all our effort making the secondary arguments convincing, we risk forgetting our primary reasons, and sometimes we lose the moral high ground.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slavery</span><br /></div><br />In the struggle for the abolition of slavery, some opponents of slavery tried to show the South that slavery was detrimental to their economic system in the long term. That argument may have persuaded a few slave-holders to liberate their slaves. But William Lloyd Garrison and other abolitionists had to convince the public of the evil of slavery before the tide would turn against slavery. Ultimately slavery was wrong because of how it harmed the slaves and because God declared man-stealing to be wrong, not because of the economic impact.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Homosexual "Marriage"</span><br /></div><br />The current debate over same-sex marriage is another example where the opponents of same-sex marriage risk losing the moral high ground when they spend most of their time showing how homosexual relationships are harmful to the people involved and to children in their home, or when they argue about where acceptance of homosexual "marriage" would lead. These are valid points, but homosexual marriage is wrong because homosexuality is wrong. And we know that because God said so.<br /><br />What is messed up in broader conservative thinking on the subject is this argument that I hear from traditionalists like Bill O'Reilly: People can do whatever they want in private, and that's fine. But don't call it marriage. Let's grant some kind of civil union that gives the legal rights of marriage, but save the term marriage for what it has always meant--a man and a woman.<br /><br />The real main objection to same-sex marriage is that it legitimizes a wrong behavior. If we really thought men having sex with men was a great thing, why not call it marriage? The logically consistent ground for my side to hold is that homosexuality is wrong because God said so. It's fine to research all the harmful effects and show those, but that's not what makes it wrong.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Abortion</span><br /></div><br />In the abortion debate, we care about both the mother and the baby (as well as the father if he is involved at all). We know that abortion is wrong because it murders an innocent baby. We also realize that abortion harms women emotionally, spiritually, and often physically.<br /><br />We are trying to persuade women not to abort their babies. When talking to them, it makes sense to take the woman-centered approach and emphasize how abortion is a bad decision for <span style="font-style: italic;">them</span>. Of course most pro-life counselors also share the facts of fetal development, and some pregnancy centers can show the mother her baby's heartbeat on ultrasound, so the mother can get all the information about how an abortion will impact her and her baby.<br /><br />The culture, however, will never be persuaded to turn against abortion simply because it harms women. If a woman wants to take that risk, why should we stop her, the argument goes. We must persuade our culture of the evil of abortion and the sanctity of life. The campaign against partial-birth abortion, while saving relatively few lives, did a good job of showing the horror of abortion and turning the public against at least some abortions. The pro-life case is one that is built on God and His absolute truth. We can appeal to the cultural acceptance of the self-evident truth that murder is wrong without making it a religious argument, but ultimately our conviction that murder is wrong is based on God.<br /><br />Let's use the woman-centered approach to persuade women and to show our true concern for women. But we should never be ashamed to say that abortion is wrong because it murders an innocent human life made in the image of God. That is the moral high ground.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">--<br />Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-61576200936057172382009-11-29T22:38:00.002-05:002009-11-29T22:55:48.629-05:00Update on Sarasota, Florida, abortion clinic closingIn August we passed on a LifeNews <a href="http://blog.letherlive.org/2009/08/lifenewscom-sarasota-florida-abortion.html">report on the closing of an abortion facility in Sarasota, Florida</a>.<br /><br />Jim Styer, the local pro-life advocate that the LifeNews article cited, provides this update:<br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Abortion office really is empty</b><br /></div><br />A final chapter finally is written.<br /><br />Earlier this year, we reported that the 2nd-trimester abortion mill in Sarasota apparently had closed. It was run by Matthew Kachinas, who except for a brief several months, had done abortions in Sarasota for well over than 15 years. This was the 3rd abortion facility in the community.<br /><br />Even though the office suite had closed, artifacts of the business still could be seen inside for several months -- reception-area furniture and magazines, office desks and equipment, files and business materials, even cards on a window ledge thanking the abortionist.<br /><br />In that interim, we wondered about the privacy of the files and patient records.<br /><br />However, a week ago, one of our periodic checks showed that the offices on S. Tamiami Trail finally were empty. And there are new lease/sale signs on the windows.<br /><br />Kachinas was reported this summer to have been doing abortions as a "circuit rider" elsewhere in Florida. I just checked the web and found no new info on him. If any of you come across him elsewhere in Florida, please let us know.</blockquote>Thanks for the update, Jim. Let's keep working and praying. Every abortion facility that closes is like a hit-man going to jail—there may be others out there, but at least there's one less option for murdering the innocent.<br /><br />--<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-59351413449971525662009-11-06T21:49:00.002-05:002009-11-06T22:16:06.798-05:00Now Who Wants to Put Mothers in Jail?You don't have to be in the pro-life movement long before people start trying to make you look mean-spirited and cruel. "You think abortion should be illegal? So you want to put women in jail just for having an abortion?"<br /><br />This time it isn't a pro-life activist saying women should go to jail for something that half the population believes should be legal. It's Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in her version of the Obama health care bill.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'arial','sans-serif';">Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.</span></blockquote>(Read the full <a href="http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=153583">press release here</a>.)<br /><br />The bill makes refusal to pay a felony in some cases.<br /><br />And let's not forget that part of those premiums include money for abortions, as <a href="http://republicanleader.house.gov/blog/?p=666">detailed here</a>.<br /><br />So some people of conscience will refuse to pay for abortions, and therefore will refuse to buy the insurance, becoming felons, which means they go to jail and can no longer vote in most states or own guns. Maybe that's the real Pelosi plan?<br /><br />Whether Pelosi has seen that outcome of her policy or not, this is certainly one of the bills that will be remembered as destroying individual freedom. If it passes. Let's pray that it does not. And if you have a Congressman who might even think about voting for it, call him or her immediately.<br /><br />--<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-73898991541164032942009-09-22T12:26:00.005-05:002009-09-22T12:56:02.568-05:00Spiritual PersonhoodIn one of David's great prophetic Psalms, we read these words of faith:<br /><blockquote>But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. <sup id="en-KJV-14215"></sup>I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. (Psalm 22:9-10)<br /></blockquote>David declares not only that God formed him in the womb and had a purpose for his life, as he says in Psalm 139, but also that God is <span style="font-style: italic;">his</span> God from the womb. It seems to indicate some form of spiritual relationship even in the womb. Perhaps this is merely an expression of David's lifelong dependence on God.<br /><br />Let no one claim that the Bible says spiritual life (when the soul joins the body) begins with the first breath at birth. The inspired writers speak of a spiritual union with God before birth. "Thou art my God from my mother's belly."<br /><br />To those preparing to denounce me as a heretic, I'm not implying anything about salvation before birth or denying the inheritance of the sin nature.<br /><br />"Thou art my God from my mother's belly." What a beautiful statement of spiritual identity before birth.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-60987385807866058562009-09-12T13:43:00.003-05:002009-09-12T14:01:02.465-05:00Book Review: Just Courage, by Gary Haugen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51L%2B8SxqApL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51L%2B8SxqApL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the Restless Christian</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">By Gary A. Haugen </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">(InterVarsity Press: 978-0-8308-3494-5, HB, 150 pages)</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> Would you rather be safe or brave? Do you want to have a life that is successful or a life that is significant? Gary Haugen challenges Christians with these questions in <i><span style="font-style: italic;">Just Courage.</span></i></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Gary Haugen is the founder of International Justice Mission, an organization that defends those who cannot defend themselves against injustice around the world—slaves, women and children imprisoned in brothels, the dispossessed, and the attacked.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Haugen sees a generation of Western Christians who are bored and dissatisfied with their Christian experience. Rejecting yesteryear’s pietism, they want something more. But they don’t know what that “more” is or how to reach it.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">However, “more” is found in following Jesus, and that “is about loving people in need.” (page 116) Drawing on Isaiah 1:17, Isaiah 58:10-11, and similar passages, Haugen defines justice from a biblical perspective, rejecting the popular Marxist redistributionist theory. Haugen notes that we can understand justice by looking at it its inverse, injustice, which is “the abuse of power—abusing power by taking from others the good things that God intended for them, namely, their life, liberty, dignity, or the fruits of their love or their labor.” (page 46)</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Using examples of those who have followed Jesus in the fight for biblical justice in the past, those who are fighting injustice today, and the needs of victims, Haugen asserts that Christians can find significance in their lives as they join with Jesus in loving needy people.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Though he presents the philosophical and theological arguments for promoting justice, this is not a dry theological tome. Rather it is an engaging, lively discussion based on the teachings of Jesus to inspire readers to venture outside their spiritual cul-de-sac into a world of pain and to make a difference. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Some groups will reject Haugen’s argument. Those who reject the teachings of Jesus as irrelevant in this dispensation will dismiss it. Those who embrace pietism will turn their backs on it, and those who want to look good in the world’s eyes will disdain it. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">For those seeking “more” Christ, more meaning, in their Christian walk, <i><span style="font-style: italic;">Just Courage</span></i> may hold the key for which they are searching. His appendices offer ways to partner with International Justice Mission, a list of other organizations involved in the issues of justice, and serious questions for reflection.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Remember what Lucy said in <i><span style="font-style: italic;">The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</span></i> when she hears of Aslan for the first time? She asks, "Is he quite safe?" The answer, of course, is, "No, he’s not safe, but he’s good." Even so, as we follow such a lion into the world, it will not be safe. But it will be good. Very good. (page 109)</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"></span></span></p></blockquote> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Reviewed by <a href="http://www.onlyinternet.net/boundtogether">Debbie W. Wilson</a></span></span></p><i>This review was originally published at <a href="http://www.christianbookpreviews.com/" target="fromBHR">ChristianBookPreviews.com</a></i> <!-- Included Footer Here -->Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1409010010482324416.post-15027355975071286002009-08-24T06:04:00.002-05:002009-08-24T06:08:29.422-05:00LifeNews.com: Sarasota, Florida Abortion Facility Closes, Had Done Second-Trimester Abortions<span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Good news about an abortion clinic closing in Sarasota, Florida. I couldn't find the story on their website yet, so here it is in full:<b><br /></b><b></b><blockquote><b>Sarasota, FL (LifeNews.com) --</b> One of the three abortion facilities in Sarasota, Florida has closed and it was the only one where 2nd-trimester abortions were done. Local pro-life advocate Jim Styer informed LifeNews.com of the news. "Up to 450 2nd-trimester abortions a year were done in the county, according to recent years' figures from the state. Last year, it was down to 129," he explained. Potential clients might go elsewhere, but the nearest second-trimester abortion center is at least an hour's drive from Sarasota, with Sarasota Memorial Hospital reporting it does second trimester abortions for "medical" reasons. The closed facility is Premier Institute for Women's Health, in the Gulf Gate Medical Center on South Tamiami Trail, north of Stickney Point Road. Styer says the abortion practitioner there, Matthew Kachinas, said in July that he is "on assignment" in various locations around the state for up to three weeks at a time. "This is the second time a Sarasota facility where Kachinas worked has closed and he reportedly had left or been dismissed from three other abortion facilities in Florida," Styer said. "Premiere has been closed for at least a few months. But it couldn't be determined for several weeks whether the closure might be temporary. An answering service continued to forward messages. Eventually, the web site was taken down, the phone number ceased service, the property was listed for sale or lease, and web searches didn't find any current information on the business or any references to Kachinas doing abortions elsewhere in the area."</blockquote>Let's pray and work for more clinics to be closed so it becomes harder to murder the innocent.<br /><br /></span>--<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wesley Wilson is the President of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org">Let Her Live</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.letherlive.org/billboards.php">Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Donations are tax deductible.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><br /></span>Wesley Wilsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16935408167225099171noreply@blogger.com0