Wednesday 30th, another life saved!

Hello Robert;

I would love you to ask our prayerful men and women to pray for Hannah* from
Mozambique* who would have had an abortion today, but went back home after I have approached her. She wants to keep her baby but the boyfriend doesn't. The lady and I came to consensus that she go home, then from that point she find her way out from him. This lady was emotionally moved and was deeply crying when I approached her and called her 'my sister' and said to her 'come I will help you.' I told her that God loves her and her baby that she should not worry because she is now in good hands.  I gave her all our information on how to reach us if need be. I pray God will take control of her situation.

From Sister Chinedum, HFSN.

* the lady's real name and country have been changed to protect her privacy. Sister Chinedum is a very experienced counsellor who has been helping women facing a crisis pregnancy, for many years. Thank you in advance for your prayers, and thank you sister!

China's war against the unborn

Excerpts from a talk by Reggie Littlejohn, Palace of Westminster (London, UK) 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., Committee Room 8. The topic is China's 1 child/forced abortion policy and practice.

On March 8, 2011 the world marked the milestone of the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. While we celebrate the great advance of women’s rights in many nations, women in other nations have seen a decline. As the president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, I am dedicated to the plight of the 100 million missing women who are victims of “gendercide,” the sex-selective abortion of baby girls. And let us not forget the women in China who are victims of the One Child Policy, which is enforced through forced abortion, forced sterilization and infanticide. I have been asked to speak about China's One Child Policy in the context of "Sexual and Reproductive Rights." The women of China have had perhaps their most fundamental sexual and reproductive right stripped away: the right to bear children.

Most people know that China has a One Child Policy. Very few people stop to think about how it’s enforced – through forced abortion, forced sterilization and infanticide. The coercive enforcement of China’s One Child Policy causes more violence against women and girls than any other official policy on earth. It is the largest women’s rights issue in the world today, affecting one out of every five women in the world.

The One Child Policy causes violence against women and girls in the following ways:

1. Forced Abortion. First, forced abortion is violent. Women are literally dragged out of their homes. These forced abortions can happen up the ninth month of pregnancy. Sometimes the women themselves die.

I am holding a photo of Liu Dan. In 2009, she was 21 years old and 9 months pregnant when family planning police grabbed her out of her home, dragged her pleading and crying to the local family planning office, and forcibly aborted her full term baby. They did this even though they already knew from medical tests that she had high blood pressure and that a forced late term abortion would be dangerous for her. After the forced abortion, she lay alone and unconscious in an operating room in the family planning center. Sensing something was wrong, her fiancé burst into the room at 3:00 a.m. to find her bleeding from the eyes, nose, ears and mouth. Even so, the family planning police refused to call for emergency help, until her family insisted. Help arrived too late. Liu Dan died, along with her full term baby.

I believe that forced abortion as it is practiced in China is official government rape. It is the violent, state sanctioned penetration of a woman to destroy her bodily integrity. A victim of forced abortion, like a victim of rape, is traumatized physically, emotionally and spiritually. She will never be the same again. Forced abortion tramples on the human dignity of women. Any discussion of women’s rights, of human rights, or of human dignity, would be a charade if forced abortion in China is not front and center. Rather, the Chinese Communist Party's forced abortion policy is systematic, institutionalized violence against women.

The brutality extends to family members as well. I am holding a photo of Xin Liu of Leiyang City, Hunan Province. His wife had an illegal, second child without a birth permit. On the evening of March 7, 2008, family planning officials burst into their home to collect the fine. Xin Liu asked them “to enforce the law in a civilized manner,” but the cadres refused. Instead, they beat him and his brother-in-law, then smashed a bottle over his head, at his temple. He fell to the floor, bleeding and unconscious. His 70 year old mother laid down, held him in her arms, and begged the cadres to take him to the hospital. They refused and kicked her in the abdomen. Xin Liu now suffers from permanent disability.

2. Forced Sterilization. Forced sterilization is also violent and can lead to life-long health complications.

3. Gendercide. Because of the traditional preference for boys, girls are selectively aborted, resulting in the snuffing out of little female lives. It is estimated that there are 100 million women and girls missing in the world today due to sex selective abortion. This is called gendercide, the sex-selective abortion of baby girls.

4. Sexual Slavery. Because of this gendercide, there are an estimate 37 million more men than women living in China today -- 37 million frustrated men who will never marry because their future wives were aborted before they were born. This gender imbalance is in turn the driving force behind human trafficking and sexual slavery, not only within China but also the surrounding countries, including North Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Mongolia and Thailand.

5. Infanticide. Regarding infanticide, in May of 2010, crematorium workers in Guangdong Province found an infant crying in a “medical waste” receptacle on its way to being cremated, reports Xinhua, China’s official news agency. The crematorium workers immediately sent the infant back to the hospital. Later that day, the hospital sent the infant back to the crematorium, dead. The hospital offered no explanation of the cause of death.

Also, read the chilling document called “Best Practices – Infanticide.” It’s a web-based discussion copied from the official website for Chinese obstetricians and gynecologists about how best to kill infants being born alive during induced labor forced abortion. [Note: To read this document, click here. http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=congressional.]

6. Female Suicide. China has the highest female suicide rate in the world. According to the World Health Organization, 500 women end their lives every day in China. I don’t think that the despair that leads to suicide is unrelated to the coercive enforcement of the One Child Policy.

Forced abortion. Forced sterilization. Infanticide. Gendercide. Sexual slavery. Suicide. These are the unintended consequences of the One Child Policy.

Chen Guangcheng. Not only are the women themselves persecuted, but those who stand up for them are persecuted as well. Blind activist Chen Guangcheng is a national hero in China, because he has had the courage to stand up against the hated One Child Policy. Chen exposed the fact that there were 130,000 forced abortions and sterilizations in Linyi County in 2005. For this he was jailed for four years and three months, tortured, and denied medical treatment. Last month a video featuring Chen Guangcheng was leaked to the West. The next day Chen and his wife, Yuan Weijing, were “beaten senseless” in retaliation for the release of the video. They were denied medical treatment. Women’s Rights Without Frontiers calls for the immediate, unconditional release from house arrest of Chen Guangcheng and his family, and for urgent medical treatment. Those in China cannot criticize the One Child Policy without putting themselves and their families at risk. [Note: To sign a petition to Free Chen Guangcheng, click here: http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/.]

The Universal Declaration of Human Dignity states that the origin of human rights lies in the fact that human beings are created by God in His image and likeness. “So God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Gen. 1:27. Because these rights come from God, they are inalienable – they cannot be taken away without besmirching the Creator Himself. And yet, under China’s One Child Policy, the female – who equally bears the image and likeness of God – is brutalized, torn and violated, treated as less than human.

China has not “relaxed” its One Child Policy. The Chinese Communist Party would have the world believe that the coercive enforcement of its Child Policy is a thing of the past. This is not true. As recently as September 27, 2010, China announced that the Chinese Communist Party has no plans to change the One-Child Policy for at least another ten years.

The Chinese Communist Party points out that they have created an exception – couples who are both only children can now have two children. As recently as March 18 of 2011, The Lancet journal reported that in the plenary sessions of the National People’s Conference and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, it was proposed that couples in which only one member is an only child may be able to have a second child. Also, certain other exceptions have long existed. In the countryside, couples whose first child is a girl are often allowed to have a second child in the attempt to have a boy. Further, certain ethic minorities are allowed to have more than one child. In addition, the wealthy can circumvent the policy by moving to Hong Kong for the birth of their second child, or by paying exorbitant fines – which can range from one half to ten times their annual disposable income. This option, of course, is not available for the vast majority of people in China, most of whom still live in the countryside. It can also create resentment among those who cannot afford to buy their way out of the policy. In addition, penalties for non-compliance may include the detaining of family members and the destruction of property, including the demolition of homes.

In my view, these exceptions do not constitute a “relaxation” of the policy. Rather, they are a mere tweaking around the edges. The problem with the one-child policy lies not in the number of children allowed. The problem lies with the coercive enforcement of the birth limit, whatever that limit might be. Whether a couple is allowed to have one child or two children, it is a human rights atrocity to drag a woman out of her home in the middle of the night, screaming and pleading, to forcibly abort her pregnancy, even in the ninth month -- and under certain circumstances, to sterilize her -- because she does not possess a government-issued birth permit.

Crime Against Humanity. In China, a woman’s body is not her own. It belongs to the state. A woman’s womb is the most intimate part of her body – physically, emotionally and spiritually. For the Chinese Communist Party to force its bloody hand right into a woman’s womb and crush the life inside her is a heinous crime against humanity. It must be stopped. [Note: To sign a petition to stop forced abortion in China, click here: http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=sign_our_petition.]

In my opinion, forced abortion, forced sterilization and infanticide as practiced by the CCP constitute "crimes against humanity," because they are widespread human rights atrocities perpetrated, or at least tolerated, by the regime against a civilian population.

The late Pope John Paul II once said, "A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members, and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying." The Universal Declaration of Human Dignity rightly affirms that human rights are inherent because we are made in the image and likeness of God. These rights are not within the authority of the State to give or take away. There is no more intimate part of a woman’s body than her womb. For the Chinese Communist Party to function as “womb police,” wielding the very power of life and death, is a violation of a woman’s innermost being – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Men also are deeply affected by this violence and loss of control, as are children. For China to enter its destiny as a nation, the Chinese Communist Party must turn from this most abhorrent of human rights atrocities and instead embrace the weakest and most vulnerable members of its society.

The tide is turning - global unity

Seeds sown for 40 Days for Life in South West England

Hi Robert,

Just thought I’d let you know how yesterday went – 6 of us went down in the end, and we were joined by 3 non-students from the local area. We found being on the roadside by the NHS hospital very fruitful, with 90% of drivers reading the signs and seeing the witness – a lot of supportive horns as well! It’s definitely spurred us on to move quickly with our plans for a pro-life society, and we’ll look to do something bigger for the autumn 40 Days for Life campaign 2011.

Thanks very much for your prayers – I’ll keep the campaign in mine.

All the best,

Matt

Helpers of God Precious Infants support 40 Days for Life UK

40 Days For Life is an opportunity for all people of good will who uphold the sanctity of life to come together and pray for men and women who are in crisis pregnancies.  It gives people the chance to stand up for their faith and express it publicly by praying for 40 days for the end of abortion and for an end to the culture of death.  40 Days For Life also allows people to pray and fast from home if they are unable to give public witness to the sanctity of life.

This powerful expression of one’s faith, helped to bring many ordinary Catholics to pray for their brothers and sisters in Christ who are in danger of being aborted.  Many people who came, saw for the very first time that the word “Abortion” is not just an arbitrary term but a horrifying reality.

40 Days For Life helps to put human faces on the word “Abortion”.  With so many people struggling daily with this life or death decision, 40 Days For Life offers hope, amidst the truth of what abortion really is.  In seeking to support mothers and fathers, 40 Days For Life aims, by an act of grace, to turn around the culture of death by publicly witnessing to the greatest gift that God bestows on His children.  Life!

Many thanks to Fr. Emmanuel CFR, Rose, and the rest of the leadership team at HGPI!

Canadian support for 40 Days for Life UK

"Effective action should be built on a foundation of prayer. 40 Days for Life provides a powerful complement of prayerful surrender to the Holy Spirit along with active engagement of the culture. When creatures surrender to their Creator, asking Him to use us as instruments to be salt and light, great fruit is borne. Thank you for your prayerful and active witness to transform the world from a Culture of Death to a Culture of Life."

Stephanie Gray, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform

What does abortion do to abortionists?

What Does Abortion Do to Abortionists

Martyrdom for Life

Building a culture of life is not something for the weak of heart; that is well known among those of us who have labored in the pro-life vineyard for so many years. However, it is also something that requires a complete understanding of what is at stake if we fail to do our utmost.

Archbishop Charles Chaput recently told a Fargo, North Dakota, audience, “If we really believe that abortion is an intimate act of violence, then we can’t aim at anything less than ending abortion. It doesn’t matter that some abortions have always occurred, or that some abortions will always occur. If we really believe that abortion kills a developing, unborn human life, then we can never be satisfied with mere ‘reductions’ in the body count.” He then expressed a series of “dos” and “don’ts” to the audience, articulating at one point, “In the America of our lifetimes, we may never be asked to shed our blood in witnessing for our faith. But we do see character assassinations, mud-slinging and lies used against good people every day in the public media. And we should be ready to pay the same price. Nothing, not even our good name, should stop us from doing what we know to be right.”

It is well known in pro-life circles that this sort of debunking based on fraudulent assertions comes about because we are doing the Lord’s work.  Because we are serving a Lord and Master whose laws and teachings are unwelcome in a culture that has waxed cold to the idea of sin for many, many years now, anything can and will be done to discredit our efforts.

We know that abortion is the ultimate crime against God. It is an act that is literally a direct assault on His very being since each and every preborn child at every stage of his or her development is God’s child created in His image and likeness. Each preborn baby, including the single cell human, is a reflection of God’s infinite love for all mankind.

This martyrdom of which the Archbishop speaks reminds me of the heroism of many men of God, most especially Cardinal John O’Connor who, during his lifetime, was maligned by many foes—including some of his fellow bishops. But as he told me on more than one occasion, such verbal weaponry never deterred him because not a single one of his antagonists had ever threatened to crucify him. And as he reminded us, Christ was crucified for us, calling us at that instant to suffer with Him and for Him in our own pursuit of Christ-like perfection.

This season of Lent, and particularly the 40 days for Life campaign, remind us of WHO it is we are struggling to protect. That child has no political party; he has no agenda; he is a human person whose life is more valuable than all the riches in the world and all the power in the universe.

Let us be refreshed and renewed by these powerful words spoken by the Archbishop: 

What we do in the world matters.  How we use our time matters.  And therefore the choices we make matter—precisely because we come this way only once, and the world will be better or worse for our passing. … Your commitment to human life matters eternally.  Some lives will only be lived because your voice made those lives possible. 

Let us prepare ourselves to move forward, without ever counting the cost.

2 abortion workers ready to quit the industry!

I'd like to ask you to keep one particular 40 Days for Life campaign in prayer. Because of the nature of this  situation, I'm not going to disclose the location. The bottom line is that a key employee at an abortion center wants out. The 40 Days for Life vigil volunteers are helping, so please pray for this situation.

If this employee leaves, then it's quite possible that another key person may also quit. And if THAT happens, well, the volunteer says the center might not be ableto keep operating with both of them gone.

"God is working miracles through this campaign," said the volunteer. Please pray for these employees!

(this was part of an email sent by Shawn Carey, 40 Days for Life central team).

40 Days for Life interview The Good Counsel Network

Stuart McCulloch and Conor Carroll: Pregnancy Care Centres. Learn how you can get involved in helping those in crisis pregnancies and offering tangible help to those in need.

Day 15 - do not be defeated by Satan!

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DAY 15 INTENTION
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 Pray that we will not become defeated by the enemy's
attacks but rather call on the name of the Lord who is
on our side and our help in time of trouble.
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SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------
What if the Lord had not been on our side when people

attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in
their burning anger. Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us
apart! Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and
earth. -- Psalm 124:2,3,6,8
 ------------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, 40 Days for Life
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The enemy attacks in many ways, but one of his
favorites is to slander us with hopes of tarnishing
our reputation and character, and ultimately to defeat our good work

for the Lord.  It is interesting to note however that it is usually
not the slander that causes harm to our testimony, but our response to the slander.
 Proverbs 24:10 says, "If you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small."

If we are applying God's truths to our lives moment by
moment, we are not swayed by the lies of the enemy and we will be strong.

Standing on the front lines, armed with God's truth, places you in the battlefield for the mind.

As you are prepared to present words of love, for the
sake of the unborn and for the distraught and confused
women and men who are entering the abortion
facilities, know that the enemy has prepared his
forces to attack your mind.

Unkind words from a protester, or vicious lies in the
local paper about who you are and what your mission
is, can indeed be hurtful.

But rather than give in to defeat, that is the time to
shine for the Lord, standing firm, as you call on Him
to defeat the enemy.

Remember the words of Romans 8:31, "If God is for us,
who can be against us?" Let's stand strong for those
who need us most.
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PRAYER
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Dear Lord, help us to ignore the verbal attacks of the
enemy and instead turn to You, our refuge and
strength. Help us to find shelter in the blessed promises and
provisions of Your Word.

Thank you that no enemy can defeat us, and we praise
You knowing that nothing can separate us from Your
love. In the name of Jesus, we come to You, Amen.

40 Days for Life Radio Interview

Day 14 prayer and reflection

DAY 14 INTENTION
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Pray for the mothers going into pregnancy help centers.
The personal care, the free ultrasound, the ongoing
practical help is designed to deliver them from those
who profit in shedding innocent blood.
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SCRIPTURE
------------------------------------------------------
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.
-- Matthew 11:28
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REFLECTION by Rev. John Ensor, Heartbeat International
------------------------------------------------------
"You have twins. That will be another $350." She did
not speak English. But she finally understood that
they were telling her to go get more money and return
for her abortion.

She had already given them her rent money. But they
were not about to give her a two-for-one deal. They
told her to get dressed and return with more cash.

A couple, who was praying outside, comforted her.
They brought her to their local pregnancy help center.

The staff quickly saw that her personal circumstances
were so desperate, and immediate, that they would need
direct and ongoing help from local Christians and
churches. They started making calls.

Then they did the ultrasound. It showed there was only
one baby, not two. This abandoned, immigrant, powerless
mother was being exploited. She would do whatever she
was told. Who would know? Who would care?

God calls us to "Rescue the weak and the needy; and
deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:4).

When you provide an alternative to abortion you are
not only rescuing innocent babies, you are delivering
mothers from the wicked: those who profit in the
shedding of innocent blood. Pray for those who rescue
and deliver daily at your local pregnancy help center.
------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
------------------------------------------------------
Father, hear our prayer! Snatch desperate mothers from
the fire. Bring them out of our abortion businesses
and into our pregnancy help centers. Deliver them from
evil. Use us to help them chose life and see your hand
of provision.

Day 13 prayer and reflection

Day 13 - March 21

Intention:

We pray for the strength to love those who do not love us.

Scripture:

But the Lord said "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and much livestock? Should I not be concerned about that great city?" -- Jonah 4:10-11

Reflection:

God doesn't value people and things like we do. Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful people. We love our dogs more than a terrorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate teenager's womb.

But God isn't like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were the capstone of God's creation. We were created on the sixth day after God had completed the land, the stars, the plants and the animals. Therefore, His love for us is greater than His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created thing. And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the most sinful people and seeks to bring them into His merciful arms. And it's a love that seeks to touch all of his created children: that desperate teenager, the baby growing in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists. So it's up to us to imitate God's merciful love by helping and praying for those who persecute us, and those who don't love us back.

Prayer:

Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of most difficult things you could ask of us. Please remind us that this is how you love and that if you ask it of us then you will give us the grace to do it. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dennis DiMauro
Lutherans for Life representative to the National Pro-life Religious Council

Day 12 prayer and reflection

Day 12 - March 20

Intention:

Pray to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, to end abortion in the UK.

Scripture:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.-- Ephesians 3:20-21

Reflection:

God's power working in and through His people is unlimited and far beyond our comprehension when we submit to God's Word and Spirit. He receives glory when we are obedient to His calling and faithfully serve Him in His strength.

Consider God's hand of providence on this nation because of the faithfulness of a few who were totally committed to God and His truths. It is interesting to note the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "Yours is the one great nation in all history which was founded on the precept of equal rights and respect for all humankind, for the poorest and weakest of us as well as the richest and strongest."

Mother Teresa, in addressing the Supreme Court of the United States said, "Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. I have no new teaching for America. I seek only to recall you to faithfulness to what you once taught the world. Your nation was founded on the proposition very old as a moral precept, but startling and innovative as a political insight that human life is a gift of immeasurable worth, and that it deserves, always and everywhere, to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect." It is time to restore that dignity and respect. Our God is able. Are we willing to remain faithful until His work through us is done?

Prayer:

God Almighty, Who is powerful and willing to supply, our hearts cry in unison for You to restore dignity and respect to human life, not only in America, but around the world. Lord, may our hearts remain faithful to your calling, and may You begin Your transforming work with me. Keep me ever mindful that with You Lord, nothing is impossible; without You, I can do nothing. To You be glory forever and ever, Amen.

Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" Talk Show

Another life saved, mum spared

A young woman got out of a car that had a Christian  fish pin on it ... determined to keep her abortion appointment at the facility where the 40 Days for Life vigil is taking place.  

A counselor tried to talk to her, but she just offered a crude gesture, hissed at the prayer volunteers and walked in. "We didn't give up," said Angela, the local 40 Days for life coordinator. "We kept praying." An hour later, she came out to smoke a cigarette and  saw members of a Bound 4 Life youth group who were praying at the vigil. "What are they doing?" the young woman asked. Angela answered, "They are praying for your baby." The young woman flipped her cigarette towards Angela and went back inside. Another hour passed -- another hour of constant prayer, particularly for this young women. She then came out again and literally ran -- weeping -- into the arms of the youth group members. "Thank you for being here!" she cried. "I didn't do it!" Then the full story came out. Her father was pressuring her to abort -- even though, she said, he claimed to be a Christian. Her mother said she would not help raise another baby as she already had a 3-year-old at home. The young woman feared her father would put her and her child out on the streets for not going through with the abortion. "We told her of our resources and how we could help her to find shelter and get back on her feet," Angela said. "She hugged us again and thanked the group for being there."

Day 11 prayer and reflection

Day 11 - March 19

Intention:

Pray that people of faith will have their strength renewed even in the face of the violence of abortion.

Scripture:

The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent. They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait in silence for the saving help of the Lord. --Lamentations 3:22-26

Reflection:

The Book of Lamentations, a short book of only five chapters, contains some of the most poignant expressions of human grief. These verses are used in many Churches on Good Friday, since they can be seen to express a prophecy of the suffering of the Lord and the lamentation of his followers on that dark day.

But in the midst of his grief, Jeremiah writes the verses quoted above. "The favors of the Lord are not exhausted." It is a call to hope that no matter how much violence there is, life will prevail in the end.

Why does he say, however, that God's mercies are renewed each morning? Because early in the morning, on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb -- and they found that the events of that morning changed everything. Christ's victory over death came in the morning, and therefore each day we can renew our confidence that life has the final victory.

Prayer:

Lord, look kindly on your people who weep and mourn amidst the vast devastation that abortion has brought upon our land. We cannot even count the children killed, and the mothers and fathers wounded.

We cannot measure the devastation and corruption abortion has brought upon the very fabric of our society. But we declare today that your favors have not been exhausted, your mercies have not been spent. They are renewed each morning.

Give us new strength today in the resurrection of Christ your Son, that we may bear effective witness to the victory of life! In His name we pray, amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life and President, National Pro-life Religious Council

What's a dead baby worth to BPAS?

ABORTION SERVICES
CLIENT FEES - Sterling (£)	Initial consultation	Treatment price	Total payable
Medical
Under 9 weeks	£60	£470	£530
9 - 18 weeks	£60	£790	£850
19 - 24 weeks	£60	£1225	£1285
Surgical
Up to 14 weeks:
General Anaesthetic	£60	£615	£675
Local Anaesthetic	£60	£540	£600
15 - 18 weeks	£60	£795	£855
19 - 24 weeks	£60	£1580	£1640

And we're supposed to believe that BPAS is a charity, or that abortion providers offer a 'service'. We do not believe this at all.

BPAS, just like Marie Stopes, is a business, and a business is there to make money. Registered charity is just a tax code, and you do run an organisation on a mere tax code. Last year, BPAS income was 25,042,000 pounds - an increase of 3% on their 2008/09 income. Almost all of that came from the NHS, paid for by the public through taxes.

2009/10 is the fourth year in a row that BPAS has reported a trade surplus - yes they are getting richer by killing unborn children.

BPAS key aim for the financial year 2010/11 is to generate a surplus of 2,000,000 pounds.

We really need to work hard to put BPAS out of business - for the sake of the unborn, for their mothers and fathers, for the good of those who work in abortuaries, and for the good of our nation.

Considering abortion?

Post-abortion help  

Helpers of God's Precious Infants

40 Days for Life UK

Day 10 prayer and reflection

Day 10 - March 18

Intention:

May those who hold life as trivial realize that we live because God wills it so. 

Scripture:

Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.-- Job 12:9-10 

Reflection:

Job was a man acquainted with grief, trials and tribulation. He had everything taken from him, including his family. He endured sickness, ridicule and judgment from his friends. Everyone gave him advice about his situation, questioning his spirituality and his God. Job's circumstances were bad but he never loses faith. Why? Because "the hand of the Lord has made all life." Created by God, he knows his life has meaning and purpose, regardless of the circumstances.

In our present culture, we've lost that basic truth; every life is made and allowed to live by God's sovereign authority. As people who pride ourselves on our independence, we have a hard time acknowledging our dependence on God. From our creation, when we were knit together in our mother's womb to our last breath, God's word is clear that "in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

It's time for us as individuals, and as a society, to recognize that we exist by God's grace and turn back to Him, honoring His word and His teachings. Why? Because our world is full of Jobs, people who are dealing with trials and tribulations and hurting desperately. Job's response should be ours as well. Regardless of what we face (even an unplanned pregnancy) God in His wisdom and mercy will redeem it. How do I know? Job's friends who doubted God's sovereignty cry out to God asking for help, God instructs Job to pray for his friends and after he does, God restores all that Job had lost. In other words, because Job never lost faith and knew and trusted His Creator, the Lord blessed Job.

Prayer:

Thank you Father God for being the Creator of my life and every life. Please give me, and the society in which I live, an appreciation for your gift of life. Please help us set aside our pride and acknowledge that we need you. Show me how I can honor you today in response to all the blessings you bestow so freely. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Georgette Forney
President, Anglicans for Life

What's it like being a counsellor outside the BPAS abortuary? Here's an account

I would agree with your volunteer that business was quiet outside BPAS yesterday... I was pavement counselling from 2-4pm during which time I did not see a single 'client ' enter the building. Neverthless, I had some amazing encounters with people which showed (I think), the impact our presence is having on hearts and minds: I left my prayer slot feeling uplifted and inspired by the afternoons events, outlined in brief below; 

2pm a delivery man climbed the steps to BPAS just as I arrived and after knocking on the door, he turned round to face me and remarked pleasantly "I hate coming here you know...it just makes me feel so guilty."  "We'll pray for you" I said "that you'll get another job" (He looked really pleased) "Thanks" he said. " I like my job, I just hate having to come here".

I stood on the pavement with a pink and a blue rosary hanging off my wrist, holding our blue leaflets and our glossy information leaflets. "Would you like a leaflet?"I called out to anyone who came past. More often than not, they took the leaflet and began reading it as they walked on: I see this as a way of spreading the word to the general public. 

2.20pm (approx)The door of the clinic opened and a Professional looking woman came down the steps. Here is a reduced version of our conversation which also included discussion on genetics and what we mean by independent life. "Would you like a leaflet?" I said, handing her one. She took it. "So... she said You guys just assume that everyone going through these doors is here to have an abortion and force these leaflets on them? I smiled pleasantly and reminded the woman that I had invited her to have a leaflet, then explained that of course, we knew there were a variety of reasons for people entering the clinic, but that 

a) she may know someone who was concerned about being pregnant and who could therefore benefit from our help or

b) she may be interested in learning some new facts about abortion as outlined in our leaflets, but not in the information provided by BPAS. 

The woman then explained to me, that she was a doctor and stressed that she was not there to do abortions, before going on to say "But you guys, your information is full of inaccuracies." I invited her to show me something inaccurate in the blue leaflet she was holding and she pointed to the section on the possible psychological effects of Abortion saying "This just isn't true, reseach has been done to show this just isn't true, psychological after effects occur in people who already have these sorts of problems prior to the abortion." "How can you prove their psychological problems after abortion are not due to abortion though?" I asked "You can't can you?". She went silent and thought for a moment before saying "But it's not really alive , I don't belive it is a life."  "You're a doctor and you don't really believe the baby is alive?" I asked incredulously"How can you say that? it's a scientific fact that the baby is alive." "Do you have a medical degree?" she asked me in a patronisingly. "No, but I have an A level in Biology" I said "and anyway, it's basic biology that if something is respiring, growing and capable of feeding then...it's alive...of course it will die, if you take it away from its natural habitat, thereby removing its food supply.!" 

She looked at me with a bit more respect and went on to ask me several questions about who we were? what had led to us being there at this time? How we were funded? What kind of help we provided? How was that funded? Whether we were actually being paid to stand outside the clinic and she seemed inpressed by the fact that we were volunteers but then started saying that it was our religious beliefs that made us think the way we did. I agreed that people were capable of being influenced by their environment and the people around them and said that if that were not the case, there would be absolutely no point in us being there. She then asked me if I had ever seen an aborted baby, "I've seen pictures" I said and then took a model of a 10-12 week foetus out of my pocket and said "When you show this to people and explain that is what is aborted, they are always shocked"  She vehemently denied that the model was accuarate saying that it was deliberately designed to "tug at the heartstrings" . When I asked her what was inaccurate about the model she said the hands and feet would not be formed by that time... from within my pile of leaflets I had concealed some pictures given to me by HGPI, including the one of a surgeon holding the feet of a 10-week old aborted foetus between his fingers. I showed this to her, she read the commentary underneath and I further explained that the surgeon who had performed this abortion was holding the feet and had been so moved by their perfect formation, he had them photographed and having deduced that if the feet looked like that, the rest of the baby had been perfectly formed also, he refused to perform any more abortions...She went silent and said she was going. I then shook her hand (which surprised her) thanked her for her time and said it had been good to meet and talk with her. She asked me if she could have the leaflet back that I had handed her, I gave her the blue leaflet and also the coloured one which gives facts about abortion.

I looked gratefully at my colleagues, standing in a semicircle across the road, faithfully praying and felt embraced by the power of their prayer, rooted and grounded in the protection of the Holy Spirit who I asked to continue using me.

2.50 (ish) A lovely young man stopped to talk and mentioned the scripture quote used by 40-days-for-life previously i.e. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" It was clear that these words had been playing on his mind since the last campaign, because of his personal situation i.e. 6 months before his conception, his mother had aborted his sibling. The young man had only been able to become reconciled to this by telling himself, that since he would not have existed unless his sibling had been aborted, it somehow proved that life did not begin before birth, which he said, made a mockery of the Bible quote we used. We talked and I explained that God did indeed know he and his sibling since the beginning of time because God knew everything. "Then he must have known my mother would abort that baby" he remarked how could he let that be? I explained that God can intervene but it would be interfering with his mother's gift of exercising her free will. I asked him not to judge his mother. He said he didn't, and did not feel guilty about his existence and couldn't understand why she had apologised to him for aborting his sibling. I suggested that maybe every time she looked at him, his mother must also think about what she had lost. He then passed some remark about "I know what you lot think about souls but I don't believe there is such a thing. " I explained that we did indeed believe in souls and that his aborted sibling was now with God... I then found myself saying "your sibling probably feels very close to you and is praying for you". He then revealed that he had been brought up Catholic- strict Catholic in fact, but had lost his faith in his mid-teens. A very moving moment then occurred as I gently asked him "How old were you when your mother told you about your aborted sibling? "Fourteen, but.... I've always known, really... Oh God, I know what you're going to say! " he exclaimed, realising that his involuntary remark had negated all his protestations against the Bible quote and his assertion that he did not believe in souls, plus, revealed the underlying reason for his loss of faith and shown overall, the tremendous impact that the abortion of a sibling can have...

I went on to explain that there was such a thing as Abortion Survivor Syndrome, common in siblings of aborted babies and offered to lend him some information about it, if he was there the following week..."See you next week" was his parting remark.

 

3.15 A young man wearing headphones strolled along and I offered him a leaflet. He pulled out the headphones to say that No, he did not want a leaflet and that he thought what we were doing was completely inappropriate. I asked him what he thought we were doing and he said we were upsetting women who were already in a vulnerable state. I agreed that women coming to the clinic were in a vulnerable state, feeling as if they had only a very small window of time in which to make life and death decisions about their pregnancy and stressed that this was why it was imperative they had access to all the facts about abortion and the sort of help available to them which unfortunately, they would not get in the clinic. We talked at some length about this and he raised all the usual pro-abortion arguments re; rape and incest. After some time though, underneath the protestation, I sensed a deep pain within him and a desire to empathise as he asked me if I thought there was such a thing as a woman not being able to cope with the stress of raising a child. When I remarked that each child was a gift irrespective of the cirumstances of their conception or the stresses of childrearing, he seemed outraged at the concept, and unfamiliar with the notion that pregnancy and childrearing are not psychologically damaging to the mother. We both agreed though, that rearing children required a firm support network, and I explained that pro-life groups tried to provide that network to vulnerable women.

3.45 a man arrived, asking many questions about the campaign, particularly the 40 days aspect. "Oh they do abortions in there do they? he said with some surprise, looking the building up and down. He seemd very interested, asked for leaflets and was very grateful when I gave him both types. After a while, he explained that he was a film editor with documentary film makers, who were based a few doors down from BPAS, and they had been curious about our presence. I suggested he make a film about our activities and he admitted he was thinking the very same thing as he had many contacts in the medical profession...Well, he has the leaflets...I told him business was quiet and wondered if the clinic had felt it unwise to book people in for appointments while we were there. He agreed that this was likely to be the case.

Can't wait for my next slot next Friday...

God Bless

day 9 prayer and reflection

Day 9 - March 17

Intention:

Pray that the post-abortive woman would be repentant, accept forgiveness, be healed and restored, and bring glory to God with her new life.

Scripture:

I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

-- Psalm 32:5

Reflection:

Because abortion is legal in America, many have justified their choice. "If it's legal, it can't be wrong, right?" We now have an entire generation of men and women who have never known abortion to be illegal; a generation of people who have never been broken over their sin of abortion.

As a result, the consequences of unconfessed sin weigh on their souls, yet they have never connected the dots as to why their hearts are heavy. No wonder we have millions of women who are struggling with depression, addictions, eating disorders and more.

Post abortion syndrome is very real but recovery begins when the individual agrees with God as David confessed in Psalm 51:3-4, 14, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when you Judge. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation."

Brokenness is the key to accessing God's glorious mercy and healing. Christ came to heal the broken hearted and He is waiting with open arms to take the post-abortive woman on a glorious journey of healing and restoration if she will only run to Him.

God will not waste any sin we lay at His feet. Imagine millions of healed and restored post-abortive women like myself singing aloud of His righteousness and giving testimony of His love and forgiveness. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are our Healer. You have forgiven all my iniquities and removed my transgressions from me as far as the east is from the west. Guilt no longer has dominion in my life. Lord, we pray that post-abortive women across this nation will run to You to receive the gift of redemption and healing that comes from You only. In the name of our Savior we pray, amen.

Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" talk show

Pro-life video competition

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Quote of the day

"We are always told of reasons why we can't speak up against abortion.   If we speak in Church, we're told it's too political; if we speak in the political arena, we're told it's too religious.   If we speak in the media we're told it's too disturbing; in the educational realm, it's too disruptive.   On the public streets, it's too distressing for children; in the business world it's too controversial, in the family it's too divisive, and in social settings it's just impolite.   So if abortion is wrong, where do we go to say so?

The answer is that we have to stop looking for a risk-free place to fight abortion, and speak up in all those arenas!   There is a calculus in the heavens that says, 'Greater love than this nobody has, than to lay down his life for his friends.'   If we want to protect the unborn, then let's be willing to give our lives for them.   Let's stop counting the cost for ourselves if we speak up and start counting the cost for them if we are silent.   The pro-life movement does not need a lot of people; it needs people who are willing to take a lot of risk."

Fr. Frank Pavone

Day 8 prayer and reflection

Day 8 - March 16

Intention:

We pray for a renewal of our zeal to offer generous help to the unborn and their families.

Scripture:

If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

-- Job 31:13-15

Reflection:

The ground is level as we stand before God.

Job lived with an awe provoking sense of God's expectation of him, particularly regarding his obligation to care for the weak and needy. He knew that in God's economy everyone stands on level ground when it comes to our status as God's creatures. Because of that central truth, we must take care of each other.

Job also knew that he didn't deserve any of the good things God gave to him. Instead, those blessings came to Job from God's benevolent heart. As an extension of that knowledge, Job instinctively linked his obligation to be generous to others to God's kindness toward him.

As in Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-35), Job knew that it is an egregious sin to deny to others what we enjoy ourselves. He actually calls down on his own head severe condemnation and even punishment should he fail to share with others out of his own abundance (see verses 16-23).

Proverbs 3:27 reads, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so." Some things are so obvious that we don't even need to pray except to ask of God forgiveness and the power to do what so obviously needs doing.

Prayer:

God, forgive us when we try to explain away the obligation we have to help others who need help. Enable us to not devalue them because they are in the circumstance that they are in, but to see them for what they are, those, who like us, were formed by your hand in their mother's womb. Amen.

Rev. Rob Schenck
President, Faith and Action, and National Clergy Council

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