CONTENT WARNING:
This post contains explicit information and
graphic images on the topic of abortion, aborted fetuses and violent activities
(bombings, injuries, murder) which may be offensive or traumatic to some. Reader discretion strongly advised.
Please note that I am a Christian; therefore, the reader can
draw their own conclusion as to my position regarding abortion. Nevertheless,
the reader should also be aware of the fact that although I am a survivor of a
failed abortion (the result of a rape), there was a time that I seriously considered having an abortion myself,
at the age of nineteen.
That being said, I would like it understood that every effort
has been made to compose this section in a diplomatic and candid manner. Every
effort has been made to present facts about both sides of the abortion issue in
a style that is not opinionated, hard-hearted (crass), antagonistic, defamatory
or condemnatory.
Abortion Rate Statistics
The Guttmacher Institute (formerly tied to
Planned Parenthood Federation as a former research affiliate), reports that
while the abortion rate has steadily declined in the U.S., their research also
reveals a decline in the overall birth rate as well.
Guttmacher
attributes the decline to an increased usage of contraceptives such as the
pill, IUDs and hormonal implants. Richard Doerflinger wrote an essay for Public
Discourse, an online publication for the Witherspoon Institute.
Although he agreed with the Guttmacher
report about contraceptives, Doerflinger is convinced that the 4% decline of
abortion providers (closing of certain clinics), as well as the enforcement of
particular pro-life laws, greatly contributed to the decreased number of
abortions.
Duly noted is the fact that while both
reports agree on the abortion rate being the lowest in three decades (as of
2011), they disagree in part as to the reasons for the decrease. It is not
surprising though, as the Guttmacher Institute writes from a pro-choice
perspective. Doerflinger’s article,
which appeared in an online publication for the Witherspoon Institute, writes
from a pro-life stance.
Richard M. Doerflinger
is the Associate Director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities for the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In a separate report, Carole Joffe PhD, a
professor and sociologist at the University of California, agrees that
anti-abortion education and laws, as well as contraceptive use have most likely
contributed to the decrease.
Cheryl
Sullenger, a writer for Operation Rescue asserts that incidents of
documentation and reports exposing abortion abuses, increased enforcement of
existing laws and the retirement of aging abortionists have added to the
decline.
However, with more mothers and abortion
providers pushing for the right to gender-specific abortions, debates on the
issue have escalated exponentially in both Canada and the United States.
Shweta Krishnan, a writer for the Indian
Journal of Medical Ethics (India), wrote that heated debates about eugenic
and sex-selective abortions are anticipated due to a clause in the MTP
Amendment Bill 2014 that was passed.
Some people believe that the controversy
over abortion began in the 60s and 70s when feminists and pro-life activists
clashed and began to protest publicly; however, the conflicts began long ago.
In the early 1800s, illegal abortions were being
performed by untrained doctors at times with disastrous consequences for the
mother, such as serious infections, sterilization (infertility) and even death,
most often due to unsanitary conditions and botched procedures by careless,
unskilled and often unlicensed people.
The economic conditions during the Great
Depression caused a rise in illegal abortions in both the United States and
Canada. The use of the drug thaliadomide, as well as the rubella measles
epidemic, caused fetal deformity. It brought
the abortion debate back into the political arena in the 60s, which was front
page news for the media and a cash cow for various syndicates.
Some examples of early pro-abortion
activities in Canada:
● Between 1926-1947, it was reported that
an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 Canadian women died as a result of bungled illegal
abortions. Activist Ruth Bullock (Vancouver) was known to assist women in
getting illegal abortions.
● Dr. Robert McCallum performed abortions
from 1948 until his arrest in 1967, which was the same year that the then-Federal
Minister of Justice Pierre Trudeau tabled a bill to “ease laws against abortion, divorce, and decriminalize homosexuality
and contraception.”
● Dr. Henry Morgentaler secretly began
doing abortions in January, 1968. In 1973, Morgentaler publicly announced that
he was an abortion practitioner and performed an abortion on W5 TV. He was
subsequently charged, but freed ten months into his sentence. In 1976, all
charges against Morgentaler were dropped.
● That same year, Morgentaler began
training doctors (30) in abortion procedures. In 1983, he opened illegal
abortion clinics in Winnipeg and Toronto.
In 1988, the Canadian Medical Association approved a policy that
recognized the right to abortions outside of hospitals, along with approval for
full Medicare coverage.
● In 1991, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled
that a fetus is not a person with legal rights until it is born alive.
● In June, 2005, Dr. Henry Morgentaler was
awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws degree at the University of Western
Ontario. His speech was followed by two standing ovations.
● In 2008, Morgentaler was named a member
of the Order of Canada, and recognized “for his commitment to increased health care options
for women, his determined efforts to influence Canadian public policy and his
leadership in humanist and civil liberties organizations.”
The statements of doctors who supported
abortion were often quoted, such as: [Abortion]…”an act of desperation by women who did not deserve to die in a back
alley and who should be dealt with more humanely.” Locked horns and emotional outbursts were
common amongst the speakers, both pro and con.
Reasons that women choose to abort,
according to surveys:
● Birth control (contraceptive failed)
● Unwanted pregnancy (incest, rape, inconvenient;
unplanned; abusive relationships; father unknown (multiple partners, one-time
occurrence); relationship ended; extramarital affairs)
● Financial (borderline or below poverty
level; cost of raising a child; lack of steady income; unemployed)
● Status (not in any relationship,
unmarried, interruption in education or career)
● Health (drug addiction, alcoholism,
chronic illness, endangerment to woman’s health, possible birth defects
(usually not known until second trimester), mental illness or mental
instability)
● Age (too young or too old)
● Forced (parents, partner or spouse force
decision)
There may be other reasons or underlying
factors, but these were the most common reasons women choose abortion.
Violence of
Extremists
Much to the chagrin of groups on both
sides, the issue of abortion has attracted extremists who have, at times, taken
matters into their own hands, with deadly consequences. Death threats, bombings, arson, assaults and shootings
have been reported in the past, and new reports say that threats, intimidation
and harassment at abortion clinics
has increased.
There are extremists on both sides, true,
but those who profess to be Christians, (often labeled Christian right or Christianist),
have also committed atrocities. However,
true Christians do not promote or condone violence or threats in any way, shape
or form.
Such extreme activists (terrorists) do not represent the majority of
Christians any more than ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, et al represent all Muslims.
Yet, some people tend to put both under an umbrella and group them all
together. That is the reality.
Urban Dictionary has three definitions
under “Christianist”.
The submissions for the online dictionary are contributed by visitors to the
site and are not necessarily submissions from experts. Two out of the three
definitions:
● A member of the Christian faith who seeks
to use a religion of peace and tolerance for political or personal gain. (Jerry
Falwell, Pat Robertson-Republicans)
● One who claims to be a follower of Christ
and His teachings, but who actively engages in acts and deeds that are contrary
to His teachings. (A pastor who calls for
the murder of someone whose political beliefs are disagreeable to him (or her)
is a Christianist, not a Christian.)
A Christianist is likened to terrorists
(extremists) and as such not considered a true Christian, nor can it be said
that they follow sound biblical doctrine or beliefs.
Examples of extremism (terrorism):
Reverend Paul Hill (49), a white Presbyterian
minister and anti-abortion activist, used a shotgun to kill Dr. John Britton
and retired USAF Lt. Col. James Herman Barrett (a volunteer bodyguard and unarmed escort)
in December, 1994.
 |
| Britton kept a gun for protection. Ironically, his policy was 'first and ask questions later'.    |
Paul Hill belonged to the Christian right
(sometimes called ‘religious right’) militant Army of God, a violent
anti-abortion organization formed in the 80s. Hill was charged with first degree murder and
was sentenced to death row. On September
3, 2003, he was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison.
Excerpt from an exhaustive report posted by
the Clark Prosecutor:
“Paul Hill, the defiant former minister who called himself
pro-life yet gunned down a Pensacola abortion doctor, was put to death
peacefully by injection Wednesday night.To the end, the man who became the first killer of an abortion doctor to be executed in the United States showed no remorse and, in his final words, spurred antiabortion activists to follow his lead.
''If you believe abortion is a lethal force, you should oppose the force and do what you have to do to stop it,'' he said, strapped to the gurney at Florida State Prison, his face without expression. “May God help you to protect the unborn as you would want to be protected.'' Source: Clarkprosecutor.org
Other violent anti-abortion incidents:
1983: Augusto Dantas attempted to assault Dr. Morgentaler with gardening shears. The following month a fire was set in the bookstore below his clinic in Toronto, Ontario.
1994: John C. Salvi killed two receptionists at a Planned Parenthood clinic – Brookline, Massachusetts
1993: Dr. George Tiller was shot by Christianist (Christian Right terrorist) Shelly Shannon. Although shot five times, he survived. He was killed in a separate attack in 2009 by another Christian Right terrorist, Scott Roeder.
1995: Dr. Hugh Short (Hamilton, Ontario) was shot by James Kopp and wounded in the elbow while at home.
2015 (the most recent violent protest): The following link is to a video of the March-for-Women protest that took place in Argentina on Monday October 12, outside the Cathedral of Mar de Plata.
User discretion advised as it contains scenes of violence and partially-clad (bare-breasted) women, along with their clothed supporters as they assault praying men, as well as the police who were guarding the building. It was posted on Youtube by Life Site News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0BsB0BOgGo
Indeed, numerous bombings, assaults,
shootings, firebombs etc have taken place over the years in both Canada
and the United
States.
House of Horrors
On the flip side of the coin are horror
stories about heartless abortion doctors and staff at various clinics. One such
story covers the case of Dr. Kermit Gosnell (74) who murdered infants born live
after failed abortion procedures.
The report about the actions and deeds of Kermit
Gosnell are so sordid and grim that his clinic, Women’s Medical Society, was
dubbed the “House of Horrors”.
Conor Friedersdorf, staff writer at The
Atlantic wrote about Gosnell’s case and the testimonies given. The report
contains such morbid details that only snippets will be presented here. You
have been forewarned. The link to the original article and a Wikipedia profile
are provided if a reader is interested. The
Atlantic and Wikipedia
Friedersdorf writes that “an NBC affiliate’s coverage includes
testimony as grisly as you’d expect.” Gosnell
was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder for performing full-term
abortions in his Philadelphia clinic, and the death of 41 year old Karnamaya
Mongar . Testimonies describe cruel beheading (separating the brain from the
body), slit necks and snipping spinal cords of fetuses.
It was stated that in over 40 percent of
the abortions performed, the fetuses were between 24-30 weeks (seven to seven
and a half months) gestational age. Babies were killed once they were brought
forth from the womb if they were still alive.
Gosnell’s fee ranged from $1,600 - $3,000
US. Although he performed abortions on any ethnic group, Gosnell was said to be
racist mostly toward Asian and African-American mothers. The outcome of his
trial was life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Prime Minister
Trudeau’s Viewpoint
In May 2014, Life Site News posted an article,
written by Pete Baklinkski that was a very informative and in-depth report on
the subject of abortion. It not only detailed statements that Liberal leader
Justin Trudeau made during interviews, but also included excerpts from
representatives of the Catholic church who opposed what Trudeau was saying, taken
from sermons (homilies), as well as from their numerous articles or open
letters.
Below are excerpts from that thorough
report. I will provide the link afterwards.
Trudeau answered questions regarding
gender-specific abortions with carefully selected words in order to divert
controversy, but at the same time, he made it clear that he stood for people’s
rights and would not take them away through legislature. He stated that it is his duty to see that
legislation respects those rights.
Full Transcript of Trudeau’s pro-sex-selection abortion stance:
MARISSA SEMKIW: A woman comes to you. She says she's pregnant
with a girl and she wants to terminate the life of the child because it's a
girl. What would you say to her?
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: My position has been very clear. The Liberal
Party is the party standing up for people's rights. And the Liberal Party will
always be the party of the Charter. So we will continue to stand up for
people's rights and not legislate them away.
MARISSA SEMKIW: So to be clear, you wouldn't discourage her from
having an abortion because it's a girl?
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: My role as the leader of the Liberal Party is to
make sure that Canadian legislation respects peoples’ rights and that's what I
will continue to do.
MARISSA SEMKIW: Yesterday you said you were happy with the
status quo on abortion. But right now the status quo is that it's perfectly
fine to abort a child because it's a girl. Do you have no qualms with that?
JUSTIN TRUDEAU: I will leave discussions like that between a
woman and the health professionals that she encounters. I don't think the
government should be in the business of legislating away people's rights. And
that's why the Liberal Party is steadfast in this position.
(Note: In a separate interview, at another time,
Trudeau had stated that he was against abortion, yet he digressed in that
interview by referring to women’s rights. In this day and age, it is called
double-speak.
In the olden days, it used to be called, ‘speaking with a fork tongue’, or ‘speaking out both sides of the mouth’. One cannot have it both ways, or sit on the
fence. One can only sit on a fence for
so long. The day comes when they will have to dismount on one side of the fence
or the other. BP)
There
is a video where a nurse speaks of a time that a child was born alive. The
doctor put 15 weeks on the documents, but all attending staff knew the baby was
closer to 30 weeks. When the infant (girl) came out crying, the nurse was told
to put the baby in a room and leave it.
Read the full story at LifeSiteNews
Where is the love for creation and life
itself? When Trudeau lapsed from
Catholicism, did he abandon the fundamental beliefs? His upset during the campaign in 2011 over
the tenets of his faith being questioned makes me wonder if he felt a tug of
conviction. He adamantly professed his faith and took offense when scrutinized.
Has he fallen away from the faith? Does he
know the Living God of the Bible, or Jesus the Christ? There is no way that a
true disciple of Jesus (Yeshua) would condone homosexuality, abortion or
same-sex marriage. Yet at the same time, a true disciple of Christ would want
to reach out and offer hope.
They would point to the One, the only One
who truly understands; who can deliver from bondages and torment; who can heal
all sorrows and grievances, who alone can lead to repentance and salvation; who
loves and forgives. Jesus is the way,
the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by Him. (see Jn
14:6]
Of course, Trudeau’s faith is between him
and God. It is that way for all of us who believe; however, if one is going to
make a public confession, do they not know that their faith will be tested? Our faith will be tried whether we are in the
public eye or not.
You Shall Know Them
by their Fruit
How many times have we witnessed or heard
of someone who seems calm, cool, collected and humble, only to become prideful,
arrogant, bitter, short-fused and cruel under stressful conditions, such as in
times of calamity or great tribulation?
How many times have we witnessed or heard
of someone who seemed weak and foolish in times of great suffering, only for
them to rise up in meekness and strength, not forsaking faith or God? The
testing of our faith can surprise even us at how we react or whether we will
continue to cleave to and trust God, or not.
Keep pressing on. Keep rising up. Don’t
give up. Hold fast to your faith! God
knows where we stand, but we need to know where we stand. How we think that we will act in any given
situation, compared to how we actually do act, may be two different
things.
Trials and tribulations bring it all out
and to the surface. We all suffer times of regret, sorrow, grief and pain. The
reality and normalcy of that is not being dismissed or taken lightly.
Times of great trial and pain are often how
we grow and learn. Yet, what is the outcome? Do we allow bitterness to take
root, or do we strive all the more to cling to God in faith and hope, trusting
Him for strength, for wisdom, for guidance, for everything, confident that He
will see us through and make a way where there seems to be no way? Our fruit (or lack thereof), whether good or
rotten, will be revealed as we walk our walk.
Mr. Trudeau stated that he prayed every
night, but perhaps that comment referred to the time of growing up at home, and
not at this point in his life. Would the heart of a godly man not be to pray
for people?
No one is saying that a politician must do
so publicly. In fact, no one has to pray publicly, but sadly, sometimes those
that do so only do so for show – to show how “righteous” they are, like the
Pharisees. Now please do not misconstrue the meaning of my words. It is fine to
pray publicly if the heart is right, but it is not imperative to proving you
are a Christian.
Yet, I cannot help but wonder. The leaders
who profess a firm belief in God, and particularly Christianity, do they
privately pray for wisdom to make the right choices over the nation and the
people over which they are to rule?
To attend Pride parades for the LGBT
community and lead them to believe in any way, shape or form that God
understands and condones homosexuality, and that it is simply an error in genes,
is dangerous ground for anyone who claims to follow God and abides in Christ. One would have to question what ‘god’ they
follow.
We all make plans for another day because
we simply assume that we have another day, but what if this was your last
day? Many people think this is all there
is, this life, here and now. They do not consider there is an eternity. What a
sad existence if this world that we now live in was all there is, but it is not.
Justin Trudeau has been put in a position
where he can reach out to the lost and warn them, but then again, it is not the
way to win popularity. Many, including some of the religious, might want
Trudeau crucified (assassinated), if he adamantly stood for Christian morals
and values.
Ah, but Trudeau did say that “church and
state must be separated”. Even Solomon,
who was considered the wisest in all the lands at the time, made a clear
separation between God and politics. In fact, in the end, he departed from God
and turned to idols.
Solomon had been given a gift of great
wisdom and understanding by God, with which he ruled over Israel as king. He
was also instructed not to marry foreign wives because he was told that they
would turn Solomon’s heart from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and cause
him to worship their false gods (idols).
When Solomon was offered the daughter of
Pharaoh of Egypt, he accepted. She was only one of the wives that he built
temples and altars for, so that his wives and concubines could have special
places of worship for their gods.
I realize that religion and politics do not
mix, or so the adage goes. Perhaps that is why God was not pleased when His
people wanted a human ruler over them besides God. God cannot lie; He does not
sin. Man does.
We have strayed so far from truth. We do
not want to offend people, so we become people pleasers, rather than pleasing
God. Many are accepting everything in
the name of unity and love, and compromising with the world in order to keep
peace.
Others are rebelling against certain things
with such hatred and bitterness that God is pushed even further away. The
example that they lead by causes many to despise God, his Son Jesus (Yeshua) and
all Christians.
It
takes courage and great love to speak the truth to those that you know will not
necessarily receive it, but what if they do?
Some have been led to believe that there are certain sins that a “loving
God” will accept.
False prophets and teachers have told
damnable lies and deceive the lost and the captive. They present a god of love
that accepts everything and even goes against His own word. Now, because of those lies, we have
homosexuals who are ordained ministers, who have been taught that what they do
is admissible and acceptable by God. They speak of God’s love, mercy and grace
but never about His justice or judgment, never about hell or the second death. deceiving
others.
God is love and He is good; this is true.
He is a God of mercy and grace, but He is also a holy God, who will never
condone sin. When people truly repent and turn from unrighteousness, He is
faithful and just to forgive.
The precious blood of Christ Jesus washes
us clean. Yes, we are to walk in love, but agape love, the kind of love God has
for us, will only speak truth. The narrow way is not a popular path, but it is
the right way.
If we do not tell people the truth, then
their blood will be on our hands and we will be accountable to God – and saying
that we did not want to offend a person will mean nothing come judgment
day. Selah
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves; [Rom 1:24]
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their
error which was meet. [Rom 1:26, 27]
You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. […]
[Lev 18:22]
The Prime Minister and Abortion
Trudeau
announced last spring that no new
anti-abortion candidates would be allowed to run for the Liberals in the next
federal election. Incumbent Liberal MPs who oppose abortion can re-offer, but
must vote in favour of a woman's right to choose if the matter again comes
before the House of Commons.
At a speech in Toronto last month,
Trudeau said that for Liberals, "the right of a woman to control her body
is more important than the right of a legislator to restrict her freedom with
their vote." Excerpt: Huffington Post -
Canada
The
following excerpt is from a group against abortion:
“In 1967, the Justice Minister of Canada
presented a bill to liberalize Canada's abortion law. It would still be a
crime, of course; but the woman could apply for special permission from a
therapeutic abortion committee of three doctors at a hospital, who would judge
whether her life or health was in danger. The Justice Minister who presented
the bill was Pierre Trudeau,
destined to become one of Canada's most famous and charismatic prime ministers.
Trudeau
(Pierre) not only succeeded
in liberalizing Canada's abortion law, his bill also legalized homosexuality
and contraception, both of which had been completely illegal up until then.
When he introduced his bill, Trudeau uttered what is probably his most famous
line: "The state has no business in
the bedrooms of the nation!" and "what's
done in private between adults doesn't concern the Criminal Code." Excerpt: ProchoiceActionNetwork-Canada
(emphasis
mine-BP)
Do you hear the echo down the
corridors of history? Pierre Trudeau made the above statements in 1967. The
emboldened statement above about the ‘state’ and ‘bedrooms’ is the exact same
phrase that his son, now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed publicly - 46
years later.
At the time, Pierre Trudeau
made the statement, Justin was not even born yet, which suggests that he has
studied his father’s career and comments closely.
Ah, but wait! Another website
states that Pierre Trudeau used the above statement explaining homosexual acts
between two consenting adults.
Pierre Trudeau used the expression,
"There (sic) no
place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation", to respond to
reporters and explain that homosexual acts between consenting adults
should be legalized and removed from the Criminal Code. The quoted words are
attributed to Trudeau have not only turned out to be a lie, but were actually
taken from an editorial in The Globe and Mail from Dec. 2, 1967.
[Note* - BP edit: Emphasis is mine. Please note that in the first
article, that PM Justin Trudeau takes his father’s statement, which was originally
used by Pierre in validating the liberalizing of Canada’s abortion laws and contraceptives; however, Justin used it to reference
“gay rights”, which has been renamed (is also known as) the LGBTTQ rights.]
Created
by God
Did not
He that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? [Job
31:15]
As you
know not what is the way of the
spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is
with child: even so you know not the works of God who makes all. [Eccl 11:5]
Thus
saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that makes all things; that stretches forth the
heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by Myself; [Is 44:24]
Because
He slew me not from the womb; or
that my mother might have been my grave,
and her womb to be always great
with me. [Jer 20:17]
For You have possessed my reins: You have covered me in my mother's
womb.
I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Your
works; and that my soul knows right well. [Ps 139:13, 14]
And you shall not let any of your seed pass through the fire to
Molech, neither
shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. [Lev 18:21]
To be continued in part FOUR
for His glory
Bonita dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com