April 2015 Newsletter
Posted By cmbuuck on April 15, 2015
Life Affirming News
Dear Friend,
Today, 208 years ago, the British Parliament ratified “An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.” This incredible milestone for Western civilization was spearheaded by William Wilberforce, a member of Parliament and the leader of a band of social reformers called “the Saints.”
But the abolition of the slave trade was no instantaneous thing. Wilberforce had been fighting for this since 1787. For twenty years.
At the time, it seemed impossible that slavery – an institution as old as mankind, firmly embedded in the culture – could ever be abolished. But here is what Wilberforce had to say, some years before, about “impossible” things:
“We are too young to realize that certain things are impossible…so will do them anyway.” William Wilberforce
We see exactly the same thing happening in the fight against abortion today. Young people are told that the slaughter of children in the womb is an institution that will never go away. They’re told to focus their efforts elsewhere. Yet young people are increasingly pro-life, and increasingly willing to take on the pro-life mission in powerful and dynamic ways.
Don’t believe us? Get this: the majority of our over 700,000 Facebook fans are between the ages of 13 and 24. That’s the target market for abortion corporations like Planned Parenthood – but these teens and young adults are listening to us, instead.
How will the naysayers react when “An Act for the Abolition of Abortion” is passed in our own time? Will they still say that ending abortion was an impossible thing? Remember: as long as you stand with us in protecting the weak and defenseless, you are one of the “Saints” working toward that day – when the evil of abortion is merely a bad memory in our country.
The mainstream in Wilberforce’s time thought it would be impossible to erase the institutionalization of slavery from their culture. We similarly hear our media and others telling us that abortion will be with us forever. But the increasing pro-life fervor of the upcoming generation says otherwise. With Millennials fighting for the weakest among us – and, before long, their children fighting the same fight – we’re going to see abortion ended. And much sooner than Planned Parenthood would like.
Yours in the fight for life,
Lauren Mertz, Live Action
Assisted Suicide Opponent Kara Tippetts Dies after Battle with Cancer
Christian Post / 3/23/15
Christian blogger Kara Tippetts succumbs to terminal breast cancer: had written an open letter to Brittany Maynard asking her to reconsider her November decision to end her life through assisted suicide.
Kara Tippetts, a 38-year-old Colorado Springs wife and mother of 4, died Sunday after battling metastatic breast cancer. The Christian blogger wrote about her experience with the disease, encouraging others to fight rather than take their own lives using assisted suicide.
Tippetts made headlines by reaching out to Brittany Maynard, who became a public figure for the assisted suicide campaign. Maynard ended her life on November 1, 2014.
Tippetts’ beliefs made her the poster face against the assisted suicide movement.
At Least 50 Belgians Euthanized Annually for Psychiatric Reasons
BioEdge / 3/21/15
Leading advocate in Belgian euthanasia says individuals with psychiatric issues are eligible for euthanasia in his country.
After a study released last week found nearly one in 20 Belgian citizens died using euthanasia in 2013, Dr. Wim Distelmans stated that between 50-60 Belgians are euthanized each year in the country for purely psychiatric reasons.
In a magazine interview, Distelmans indicated the group accounts for 2 to 3 percent of the 1,924 people whose lives ended by legalized euthanasia last year. Most are not old (in their 20s or 30s); had been medically diagnosed with mental issues since their childhood; and had a history of institutionalization.
Last year, a second official complaint was filed against Distelmans for euthanizing a woman who suffered from depression but was not terminally ill. Distelmans, an oncologist, has no formal psychiatric qualifications.
The rise of euthanasia cases with psychiatric patients can be explained in the increased willingness of doctors to offer euthanasia in places where the practice is legal. Dutch Minister of Health, Edith Schippers, reported that 45 psychiatric euthanasia deaths took place in 2013 in the Netherlands, up from 14 in 2012.