June 2013 Newsletter

Posted By on June 21, 2013

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him . . .  Psalm 103:13 (NIV)

 

We Should Have Been There

Pastor Robert Fleischmann –  National Director, Christian Life Resources

His name is Kermit Gosnell. He operated a Philadelphia abortion clinic called the Women’s Medical Society. The center reeked of animal urine and feces from cats permitted to roam the facility. Photographs reveal a gruesome collection of the severed body parts of aborted children.

In January 2011, Gosnell was arrested and charged with eight counts of murder. One death came as a result of a patient seeking an abortion.The other seven deaths involved children born alive and then killed. In addition, the abortionist was charged with illegally prescribing medication.

The manner which he aborted late-term babies is to disturbing for me too describe. Suffice it to say, these children could feel pain and had been moving. The intent was to born them dead. In at least seven instances he apparently failed, and additional measures had to be taken.

It is a small leap in logic to go from taking life in the womb to taking life outside the womb. The horrible nature of late-term abortions and the deplorable conditions of the Gosnell abortion clinic certainly captures our attention. But even if the clinic had been pristene and had Gosnell only performed abortion procedures legal under Pennsylvania state law, the deafening silence of each child who dies in an abortion is still lost in the discussion.

Since 1983 Christian Life Resources has been proclaiming the humanity of unborn life. We have shared Psalm 139 and Psalm 51. We talk about the eternal consquences of sin and share the account of a Savior who died for all people – born and unborn.

We did not reach the women of Philadelphia who entered the Women’s Medical Society. We were not there to tell them about God’s Word on unborn life. We were not there to offer the alternative for single mothers that we operate in Colorado. There is much more to do.

The story about Kermit Gosnell is a bitter reminder of what is really happening in the arena of abortion rights. We know better. We have the truth of God’s Word, and we need your help right now to reach more, do more and help more.

Gosnell Response: Guilty as Charged is Not Enough

By James Lamb – Lutherans For Life, May 14, 2013

Somehow it seems insufficient just to make a statement that Lutherans For Life is “pleased with the guilty verdict in the Gosnell trial” as if it is now over and we can move on. While we certainly give thanks that the crimes were acknowledged for what they were, “guilty as charged” does nothing to erase the horrors of mutilation and death that took place in his “butcher shop.” “Guilty as charged” does nothing to stop the murder of born babies that continues to happen in other abortion mills around the country. As Patricia Heaton tweeted, “Gosnell is just the less sanitary version of what goes on every day … the cheapening of human life. Lord have mercy.”

“Guilty as charged” does nothing to stop the murderous mutilation of unborn babies which society labels just the opposite of the Gosnell atrocities—“legal,” “a right,” and “good.” What a testament to the devil’s duplicity and man’s idiocy that the distance between “good” and “grotesque” is the few inches of a birth canal.

Lutherans For Life prays that the Gosnell case and verdict will raise people’s awareness, not just of one horrible crime that is now over, but of the continuing crimes against the sacredness of human life. The murder of children is still the murder of children whether born or unborn, whether in a squalid environment or a septic one.

And we need to raise more than awareness. We need to raise our voices as Christ’s people. For abortion does not just destroy someone, but someone created by God, someone for whom Jesus died, and someone God desires to call into an eternal relationship with Him. We need to raise our voices, not just because these children are precious, but because they are precious to God.

We need to raise our voices for those deceived by the great evil of abortion. The Gosnell trial reminded us that women die having abortions. For thousands more, something dies within them, something that is replaced with hopelessness and a deep-seated regret. We need to raise our voices so that those so wounded will know that the cross of Jesus paid for their sin, that the empty tomb of Jesus gives them victory and a living hope, and that the ascension of Jesus means He rules over all things and will never forsake them.

“Guilty as charged” is not enough. Lutherans For Life will continue with its mission “to equip Lutherans to be Gospel motivated voices For Life.” We will continue to provide Word-based resources so that hearts and lives will be changed. We will continue to pray that lives so changed will influence our culture by calling wrong things wrong, by loving our neighbor, and by pointing people to the Lord of Life not the god of death for rescue from their problems.

 

Will you Stand with Shepherds United in Defense of Traditional Marriage?

Shepherds United will host a traditional marriage rally at the Allen County Courthouse lawn on July 1 at 12:00 p.m. The rally will feature local clergy members speaking on the Biblical, societal and religious liberty implications of governmental attempts to redefine marriage. The rally will also include a reaction to the Supreme Court decision on marriage cases, expected to be handed down the week prior. The Allen County Courthouse lawn is at the corner of S. Clinton St. and East Berry St. in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For more details visit: www.shepherdsunited.org.

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Now that abortion really is ‘murder,’ will America continue to justify it?

Posted By on May 17, 2013

Is there really that much difference between what happened in Philadelphia and what happens here?Cathie Humbarger

 

By Kevin Leininger   of The News-Sentinel
Thursday, May 16, 2013 – 8:12 am
 

You can’t kill somebody who isn’t alive. So perhaps Allen County Right to Life Executive Director Cathie Humbarger is right when she calls a Philadelphia abortionist’s conviction on murder charges a victory in the pro-life movement’s long struggle to make Americans “aware of the horror of abortion.”

Certainly testimony of one baby “big enough to walk to the bus” and another “swimming” in a toilet and  “trying to get out” before having their spinal cords cut – ignored for most of the trial by many major news outlets – exposed an aspect of a “woman’s right to choose” many defenders of abortion on demand work very hard to obscure. . .

To read the entire article click on the following link:  http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130516/NEWS/130519750/1005#

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Sidewalk Counselor Training

Posted By on May 13, 2013

Sidewalk Counselor Training

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May 2013 Newsletter

Posted By on May 13, 2013

“Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is (alive). And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” – Ronald Reagan 1982

Please pray for a culture of life in America. Pray that one by one, family by family, women and men will say No to abortion.

 

“A look into the Womb”

Living Lessons – Dr. Jean Garton

Science has found its way into the world that was your home and mine for the first 9 months of our lives, and what we “see” is that human life in the womb differs from life outside the womb only in its degree of development and dependence.

One thing is clear: those first 9 months were the most eventful you’ll ever experience. Your biography began at conception, and in that fertilized egg that you were – no bigger than a grain of sugar – were the coded instructions for all you are today. Did you wear braces? Do you were eyeglasses? The need to straightened teeth or correct vision was already being shaped on Day One of your life. By 24 days your heart was beating and by day 30 days your blood (not your mother’s) was flowing in your veins. By 6 weeks your brain waves could be recorded; by 9 weeks you were sucking your thumb; and by 10 weeks your perfectly formed body even had the fingerprints which are your legal identity today.

“For You created my inmost being: You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. . My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place…All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139: 13-16)

 We pray: O creator, we praise You for making us – in Your image!

 

Abortion Clinic Suggests “Flushing” Baby Down Toilet if Born Alive

by Steven Ertelt | Bronx, NY | LifeNews.com | 4/28/13

In a new undercover, investigative video, a staffer at an abortion clinic in Bronx, New York is shown on film telling a customer to flush the body of a baby born alive following a failed abortion down the toilet.

The video shows how the kinds of gruesome late-term and live-birth abortions done at abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell‘s “House of Horrors” abortion clinic are not limited to his abortion facility alone.

The pro-life group Live Action today released an undercover video of an abortion counselor at a clinic describing, in gruesome details, what is done with a baby that survives an abortion attempt. This is the first in a series of videos Live Action will release videos , found at www.liveaction.org/inhuman, that will show a number of late-term abortion clinics engaging in illegal and inhuman practices, as well as explaining in explicit detail what happens to the victims of late-term abortion.

“Dr. Kermit Gosnell is not an aberration, ” said Lila Rose, Founder and President of Live Action. “The gruesome and brutal practices exposed in Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ are business as usual for the abortion industry in America. Nationwide, it’s just another day at the office.”

In the video, the abortion counselor is caught on tape describing, in gruesomely precise terms, how late-term abortions happen. She details what is done with a baby after the abortion and advises to “flush” the baby down the toilet if he or she is delivered at home before the final stage of the two- or three-day abortion procedure.

“If it comes out, then it comes out. Flush it. … if anything, you know, put it in a bag or something or somewhere and bring it to us.”

When Live Action’s undercover investigator asks what happens to the baby after the abortion – or what the clinic would do if, after the abortion, the baby is moving – the counselor says:

“If it did come out in one piece, it’s very small. So they would still have to put it in a container – like, a jar – with solution and send it to the lab.”

When asked what happens if the baby after the abortion is breathing or twitching, the Bronx counselor responds:

“The solution will make it stop. It’s not going to be moving around in the jar … that’s the whole purpose of the solution.”

“It’ll automatically stop. It won’t be able to…not with the solution.”

Rose is calling on the New York state government and health officials and U.S. prosecutors to investigate the Bronx clinic and conduct a statewide investigation into other abortion clinics that perform late-term abortions.

From the letter her group sent to Health Commissioner Shah: [W]e have reason to believe that abortionists and staff at Dr. Emily are operating under conditions that endanger women and children to the point of disease and even death. We therefore ask you to use every resource at your disposal to initiate health inspections of the Dr. Emily Woman’s Health Center.

“These abortion clinics are abusing human life in unimaginable ways,” Rose said, “but our society has become so numb to what is going on behind their doors. Babies born alive from a failed abortion should not be put in a jar of toxic solution, or flushed down a toilet. How could anyone condone this kind of inhuman and brutal treatment of a helpless, innocent little child?”

Gov. Pence Signs Chemical Abortion Bill into Law

beckyrogness@protectinglife.com – May 1, 2013

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Gov. Mike Pence signed Senate Bill (SB) 371, a bill that establishes health and safety standards for chemical abortion facilities. SB 371 also addresses informed consent measures. SB 371 cleared its final legislative step with a concurrence vote of 35-14 in the Senate on April 11, 2013.

“We heartily thank Governor Pence for affixing his signature to SB 371,” said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “SB 371 is a victory for Hoosiers. It is important that abortion facilities adhere to common sense standards for health and that women are provided with appropriate informed consent materials.

“Through the passage of SB 371, we believe a situation like the Gosnell ‘House of Horrors’ can be prevented in Indiana. The law requires that chemical abortion facilities undergo inspection and licensing, in the same fashion as surgical abortion facilities. This crucial oversight mechanism will help ensure chemical abortion facilities are ready to adequately care for any woman who experiences complications following her procedure.

“While SB 371 only affects one current abortion facility that does only chemical abortions, it also prevents additional facilities from moving into Indiana and setting up shop without any oversight.”

Portions of SB 371 go into effective on July 1, 2013 and on January 1, 2014, as specified in the law. SB 371 was introduced by Sen. Travis Holdman (District 19). Reps. Sharon Negele (District 13), Bob Morris (District 84) and Matthew Lehman (District 79) sponsored SB 371 in the Indiana House.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

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Kermit Gosnell and Planned Parenthood: Pro-Infanticide Buddies

Posted By on April 22, 2013

by Anna Higgins | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 4/19/13

The horrors that have been revealed by witnesses in the murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell are almost unspeakable. It appears the disgusting conditions found at his facility were just the tip of the iceberg.

As we hear further testimony, we have discovered that babies born alive were routinely killed with scissors. One worker testified that she heard a baby scream as it was killed and another worker said she witnessed a baby “jump” when it was stabbed with scissors. Just as disturbing is the fact that these gruesome deaths could have been prevented had this abortion facility been inspected by the state of Pennsylvania. Despite numerous complaints, it is reported that Gosnell’s house of horrors remained uninspected since 1993.

According to the Grand Jury Report, the political powers that be in Pennsylvania decided that inspections should be avoided because they would pose a “barrier to women.” These facts together are so appalling that they should disturb any human being on the most visceral level, no matter his political affiliation.

In the midst of the Gosnell trial, another shocking infanticide story broke.Alisa LaPolt Snow, lobbyist for the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, testified in opposition to a bill that would require life-saving treatment for infants born alive following a failed abortion. She complained that such born alive infant protection acts “insert politics where it doesn’t belong.” Administering life-saving treatment to a live infant interferes with “a woman’s ability to make her own personal, medical decisions.” It is hard to imagine a policy that could be less political than saving the life of a struggling infant who is alive outside the womb. Legislators were shocked by these statements, as well they should have been.

The response of Americans to these horrific stories of infanticide has also been shock and outrage. Until last week, however, there was almost no way to gauge the opinion of the public because the mainstream media had remained virtually silent, largely refusing to cover these stories. Thanks to grassroots efforts from astute citizens, concerned non-profit groups, and a few courageous congressmen, the media seem to have gotten the message that silence in the face of such important human rights events is unacceptable.

Rep. Chris Smith held a special speaking panel in the House of Representatives on April 11 to address this very issue. One speaker, Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, gave a very eloquent summary of this egregious violation of journalistic responsibility. He noted of the Gosnell debacle, “The loss of these lives should scar the consciences of people everywhere … Gosnell is a predator who should be publicly exposed and denounced.” As for the media, Rep Stutzman hit the nail on the head, asking, “How is it in our day of constant news, not a single major news outlet has reported [on the Gosnell trial]?” He also made a very poignant point that gets to the heart of why this story had gone unreported – perhaps it is that our national conscience has been seared by the deaths of 1.2 million children by abortion every year.

Perhaps we have become so accustomed to accepting abortion as a “choice” rather than the death of a unique human being that infanticide has become simply a natural and acceptable extension of the “abortion right.” This Pennsylvania abortion facility is not the first, nor will it be the last, to be revealed as unsafe and unsanitary. In fact, many facilities around the country have been found to be in violation of basic health and safety standards. Just last week a Planned Parenthood in Wilmington, Delaware closed its doors when two employees released statements that the facility was performing abortions in an unsafe and unsanitary manner. The local TV station covered this story extensively, to their credit. However, these violations continue to go largely unreported in the media.

Every American should be incensed that he cannot trust the media to cover, in a neutral manner, serious events affecting human rights without heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. We are constantly bombarded with stories of celebrities and athletes, yet this important story – the perpetration of violence against children – was largely ignored. We must remain vigilant and demand that all stories affecting our families and our values be given fair coverage. Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, along with several conservative leaders signed on to a letter authored by the Media Research Center demanding that networks stop censoring coverage of these events. It is our hope that the media continues coverage of the Gosnell trial in a fair, impartial manner and that stories so obviously important to the national interest are never again pushed to the wayside.

LifeNews Note: Anna Higgins writes for the Family Research Council blog

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April 2013 Newsletter

Posted By on April 22, 2013

“Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is (alive). And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” – Ronald Reagan 1982

Please pray for a culture of life in America.  Pray that one by one, family by family, women and men will say No to abortion.

 

Time to Speak in the Church

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most positive, powerful, life-affirming, and life-changing message in the universe. The Gospel speaks directly to these issues of life and death. The Gospel, in the board sense, speaks of what God does that gives value to human life. It may seem backward, but when it comes to speaking up for the sanctity of human life in the Church and convincing others to do the same, we need to start with the Gospel, not the prohibitions of the law. Only when we understand the value that God gives to life will be able to realize fully the weight of the law against harming human life.

Abortionist at Center of Maryland Death Investigation Licensed to Do Abortions in Indiana

Lifeline Report March 2013

On February 7, Jennifer McKenna Morbelli of New York allegedly died of abortion complications after ungoing a late-term abortion performed by LeRoy Carhart at his Germantown, Maryland facility. Her daughter, Madison Leigh, was 33 weeks along. Carhart’s abortion ties to Indiana span more than two decades.

Third -trimester abortions are a multi-day process. On the first day, the abortionist injects a lethal drug into the baby’s heart, causing death. On the remaining days, the mother prepares for labor to remove her now deceased baby. Only four abortionists perform late-term abortions in the United States. Regularly, out-of-town mothers spend nights at a hotel and return to the facility during the day. In this case witnesses saw Morbelli grow paler and weaker each day she returned to Carhart’s facility.

Carhart is well-known for his willingless to perform late-term abortions. At the recent Sundance Film Festival, Carhart was featured as a “hero” in an abortion documentary. Carhart has also publically indicated his desire to advance his abortion business; in 2010, he said he would open facilities in Indianapolis and other cities around the country.

In 1992, Planned Parenthood of Indiana hired Carhart to perform abortions at its Bloomington location after searching for an abortionist for two years. After spending many years primarily doing abortions in Nebraska, Carhart returned to Indiana after his 2010 statement about advancing his abortion business. Carhart peforms first trimester abortions at Affiliated Women’s Services in Indianapolis. Carhart’s Indiana license expires June 30, 2013.

“Indiana Right To Life is concerned about Carhart performing abortions in Indiana,” said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right To Life. “Reports about Morbelli’s death indicate that Carhart was unreachable when Morbelli started to experience chest pains and other effects from her abortion. This alleged disregard for a patient’s health and safety is alarming. We believe this woman’s death justifies the State of Indiana revoking Carhart’s abortion license until a full investigation is complete.”

The Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Montgomery County Police Department are investigating Morbell’s death.

“We understand Morbelli desired an abortion for her daughter because of recently discovered fetal abnormalities,” continued Fichter. “We want all pregnant mothers who receive the same news to know that a better outcome for both mother and child exists by bringing the baby to term with support of perinatal hospice and palliative care. We will continue to highlight these resources in Indiana.”

Chemical Abortion Bill Passes House Public Policy Committee

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Senate Bill (SB) 371 passed the Indiana House Public Policy Committee by a vote of 8-5. SB 371 introduces health and safety standards into the chemical abortion industry that currently lacks state oversight.

SB 371 requires that chemical abortion facilities meet the same licensing requirements that other abortion facilities are subject to. The requirements deal with reporting standards, physician oversight, cleanliness standards and building accessibility.

When chemical abortion drugs are used up to nine weeks of pregnancy, past the Food and Drug Administration’s seven-week guideline, complication rates drastically rise. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the failure rate of the chemical abortion drug is 8 percent at 7 weeks, but the failure rises to 23 percent at 9 weeks. When the abortion is incomplete, facilities needs to be prepared to deal with a woman experiencing uncontrollable bleeding, infection or other potential side effects of the abortion drug. The licensing requirements in SB 371 will establish that chemical abortion facilities maintain an environment appropriate for dealing with these conditions.

During the committee hearing, SB 371 was amended to include informed consent provisions, change the date by which facilities must have licensing, remove ultrasound requirements and prohibit the Indiana State Department of Health from grandfathering facilities that were not given grandfathered status in previous laws.

“We applaud the House Public Policy Committee for prioritizing women’s health in Indiana,” said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “While not all the amendments that passed were supported by Indiana Right to Life, we’re pleased that SB 371 brings crucial oversight to the chemical abortion industry. SB 371 strengthens current abortion law in Indiana by not allowing any abortion facility to operate without oversight.”

SB 371, was authored by Sen. Travis Holdman (District 19) in the Senate and it passed on Feb. 26, by a vote of 33 to 16. Reps. Sharon Negele (District 13), Bob Morris (District 84) and Matthew Lehman (District 79) are sponsors of SB 371 in the Indiana House. With today’s committee passage, SB 371 can now advance to a vote in the Indiana House.

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