Canada Silent No More to Meet Thursday at Supreme Court to Renounce Canada's Day of Infamy

Press Release
CANADA SILENT NO MORE
January 17, 2008

Contact:
Denise Mountenay-780.939.5774 (home/office)
780.267.5714 (cell)
Founder/President of CANADA SILENT NO MORE
www.canadasilentnomore.com
Author of Forgiven…a true story

We do not celebrate, but mourn the loss of our aborted children

What:
Canada Silent No More-women who’ve had legal abortions gather to expose pain and damage of abortion…

When: Thursday January 24th from 10-11AM

Where: In front of the Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa

Why: Memorial to renounce the 20th anniversary of abortion on demand

Who: Women from across Canada who are silent no more, voices for our aborted children

Background: Canada Silent No More is a growing movement of women and men, hurt and damaged by legal abortion physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are collecting affidavit testimonies for possible lawsuits against abortion doctors and cancer societies for not informing women about ALL of the risk factors to abortion.

See www.afterabortion.org and www.abortionbreastcancer.com for stats/research

One of our Canada Silent No More women had an abortion by Dr. Morgentaler:

I was sued by him for a million dollars to keep quiet and go away…it is time to speak out!

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RELATED NEWS

In St. John’s NL the Right to Life Association of Newfoundland & Labrador will be holding a similar protest. From the email of today sent out by Patrick Hanlon, President of the Association:

Abortion Anniversary Protest

In January 1988 a Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling allowed abortion on demand for any reason and at anytime during the nine months of pregnancy. To mark this anniversary, the Right to Life Association will be holding a protest in front of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland on Duckworth Street on Monday, January 28, 2008 at 12:30-1:30 PM. This protest will encourage the public to ask themselves "Abortion. Have we gone too far?" For information visit www.AbortionInCanada.ca or call 579-1500.

I was interviewed by CBC TV today about our ads. It may be on the 6:00 CBC News today (Tuesday). Please pray for a fair representation of the issue and that the report will touch hearts.

Patrick also reminded the pro-lifers in the province of the Facebook Campaign being promoted by Theresa Matters of the National Campus Life Network. Theresa’s email appears below:

Abortion. Have we gone too far?

Help create another abortion buzz on Facebook by participating in this online campaign.

Details:
January 28th marks the 20th year of unrestricted access to abortion in Canada. With this campaign we hope to help Canadians (and others on Facebook) question the good of this for our country.
*Please note: we are NOT asking you to get a Facebook account if you do not already. If you are not on Facebook, please consider sending this to friends who are.

How to Participate: Starting now,
1. Change your profile picture to one of the attached ads. (Save the attachment and upload as your profile picture.) Also be sure to adjust the “thumbnail” version of the picture as needed.

2. Post a note on your profile about the significance of January 28th . You can use this one, or the press release from LifeCanada or write up your own:

Did you know?
Canadian law allows abortion to take place anytime during pregnancy. Even after the baby’s heart starts beating. Even after the arms and legs are formed. Even after the baby can suck its thumb, feel pain, and survive outside the womb. No medical reason needed. Abortion. Have we gone too far? Visit www.AbortionInCanada.ca

3. Join the Facebook group "abortion. Have we gone too far?" (press release is posted here) & check out www.abortionincanada.ca . This is the site that was made for the campaign by LifeCanada. There are also billboards and bus ads across the country thanks to various Right to Life groups with the same message: abortion. Have we gone too far?

4. Encourage your friends to do the same!

Thank you for your participation! Be sure to also be active offline with friends, family, co-workers etc. There are always opportunities to teach our fellow Canadians about this injustice towards unborn children and their mothers.

For Life,
Theresa
Executive Director
National Campus Life Network
Phone: 416.483.7869
Email: director@ncln.ca

Bodies of Cpl Maria Lauterbach and Unborn Child Found Burned and Buried

This is an unfolding—and very big—news story from Onslow County, North Carolina. It’s tragic and horrible. The young woman was in her eight month of pregnancy.

Unfortunately, North Carolina is one of 15 states without a fetal homicide law so no crime is likely to be registered against the unborn child.

$25K offered for suspect in Marine death

Cpl. Cesar A. Laurean has been charged in the first-degree murder of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who was more than eight months pregnant and had accused her alleged killer of rape.

What are believed to be the burned remains of Lauterbach and her unborn child were taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Monday morning.

All 2,993 news articles »

Canada currently has no fetal homicide laws but has an up-coming vote on the Unborn Victims of Crime Bill (C484).

The Biggest Mistake: My Abortion

Abortion is like childbirth—without the baby. So says Charisse Marie, blogger at Radiant God, who posts her own poignant and exceptionally transparent experience, stating first that “what I have discovered in my Christian circles, is that those women who are strongly opposed to abortions all have one thing in common—They've had them.”

She then goes on to relate, insightfully, her own abortion story when a single mom of 18.

**********

When people see radical Christian women who are unabashedly Pro Life, it seems that they are judged for being ignorant, stupid, living in "prehistoric times" or the "dark ages" and aren't respected for being knowledgeable about anything, particularly women's rights.

But you see, what I have discovered in my Christian circles, is that those women who are strongly opposed to abortions all have one thing in common-

They've had them.

You see, I can tell you what it feels like to live with the guilt of knowing that you murdered your baby. I can tell you that abortion is murder without throwing condemnation, guilt, and shame in your face- not because I am pro-life- but because I had an abortion.

I was a teen mother when I had an abortion and the one thing that I will never forget—is that abortion feels like childbirth. It isn't like a medical procedure where you are numbed, slip into a dreamy state, and wake up minus a problem that you fear will ruin your life.

You go through pains similar to contractions, you bleed for two weeks or more—your stomach cramps with pain—you may even get milk in your breasts because your body is expecting to nourish the baby that it can tell is no longer in your womb.

Abortion is like childbirth—without the baby.

I was 18, and had been pregnant at 15. By the time Larissa was born, I was 16 years old, can you believe that? The sweet sixteen that I had dreamed about since I was a little girl, shading with pink crayons in my Barbie coloring book, imagining who my "Ken" would be at my "sweet sixteen dance" was interrupted by maternity clothes and the reality of stretch marks and itchy skin.

Larissa was two and I was in hair school. I wanted to make a good life for her as a single mother. I didn't see how another baby would fit in—I didn't even think of the baby as a baby.

You see, on my weekends I had a little problem—it was leaving Larissa with my Aunt as a babysitter and going out binge drinking. Binge drinking comes with many side effects and consequences and for many young girls, pregnancy is one of them.

I was so drunk for those weekends; I don't know who the father was. I don't remember half of the instances—that's just great isn't it? Can you imagine being so drunk that you end up pregnant and have no idea what happened?

I am sure there are a few of you out there who know where I am coming from- maybe Britney Spears does, what do you think?

It wasn't that I wanted to have an abortion; it wasn't anything except that I just didn't want to be pregnant. I wonder if that makes sense. It was a horrible time and I couldn't deal with the reality that I was pregnant. I felt like I had done the worse thing in the world.

You see, if you read my testimony, you know that I don't know my father, have no clue who he is, and at this point in my life, since I am 39 years old, I don't think I ever will. The reality that I had just recreated that situation for a child was more than I could bear.

It was the biggest slap in the face. I actually began to block out of my mind the reality that I was pregnant. I remember taking a home pregnancy test, and it turned such a dark blue so fast—it was a cobalt blue.

I will always remember that color. I've had many pregnancy tests since then, but that is the only test I remember like that.

I went out one weekend, after learning I was pregnant. I woke up the next morning after binge drinking, then it dawned on me, "Aren't I pregnant?"

How could I have been so far gone? How could I forget that there was a growing life inside of me? Despite the origins, despite my sins, there was a child who was innocent, oblivious to it all, and I forgot. I got drunk—I didn't even remember.

My stomach began showing very fast. By the time I had the abortion I was 14 weeks and people were already commenting that I was pregnant.

I went to the doctor and they scheduled me an ultrasound, because they thought I was further along then I was.

While in the office, they turned the machine away from me. I asked to see it but they wouldn't let me. Then something strange happened, the technician began apologizing profusely as I could hear the baby's heartbeat loud and clear. Oh God forgive me. I heard my baby's heartbeat, and still pretended that I wasn't really pregnant—that it wasn't really a baby.

How could I be so confused and not confused at all? How could I want something to not exist so badly that I would lie to myself to convince myself something wasn't true when it was staring me in the face?

When I had the abortion, I thought the doctor looked surprised.

One of the guys that I had been "partying" with was the son of identical twins. It was very strange, but at that moment when the doctor was finishing the abortion, I knew that I was carrying twins.

I turned my head to the side and just stared at this cold white wall, I asked the doctor if it was a boy or girl and he wouldn't answer me. I guess maybe they aren't accustomed to those kinds of questions.

I know that I was carrying twins. I know that is why I had suffered really bad morning sickness, why the pregnancy test turned blue so quickly, why the heartbeat was "extra" loud, why I looked big so quickly, and what was so strange- was that during the abortion- I finally knew who the father was. Though there is no way for me to prove it, I know that it was twins.

How many other girls have had abortions and live with the guilt of killing one baby, when they have actually killed two, or even three?

As soon as the abortion was over, I knew I had made a mistake. I felt so numb. Several days later, I received a visitor- the "guy" that I was sure had been the father. I told him the truth—how I had been "partying" what had happened and that I had an abortion. He looked at me and said, "I would have married you."

I never forgot that.

Those babies would be twenty now. I know that they are with Jesus- I know that I am forgiven.

But if anyone wants to think that I am pro life because I am ignorant, live in the dark ages, or want to "impose my crazy religious beliefs" on someone else…

you had better think again.

I am Pro Life because I have experienced the true side of abortion first hand and the ironic thing—is that I just wanted the baby to go away—I just didn't want to be pregnant—I just wanted to wake up and find that I was dreaming and I wouldn't have to deal with this.

It didn't go away…

It never will…

And I have been dealing with the reality of that decision ever since.

**********

So you've read the entirety of Charisse's account in her blogpost. Now read this stunning follow-up post which she made.

Irrespective of our sin and failures, God is God. He makes ways to rescue us and especially those who turn out to be the victims of our sins. If only we would trust Him always.

Being a Christian is really the only thing in life that makes sense.

Praise God!

Failure of Church Leaders to Talk about Abortion Killing Mother and Child

Readers will probably remember the recent news about Laura Hope Smith, a healthy 22 year old who walked into an abortion mill in Hyannis Massachusetts on September 13, 2007, and who died on the doctor’s abortion table.

Laura’s mother Eileen is determined that her daughter’s death will not be in vain, nor covered up through media bias. Aimee Herd, of Christian Breaking News, interviewed Eileen and came away with a powerful message of appeal to Christian pastors and leaders.

In her interview, which appears below, Eileen shared the following:

I now believe it is my calling to keep telling Laura's story to the Church, and the world. I naively believed that abortion was not a choice for a Christian girl. A Pastor had even apologized to me and the Lord, for not speaking about this from his pulpit. We both had false assumptions. This is a problem in the Church, and one that needs to be spoken about from the pulpits. We have to take the "A" word out of the closet, put it out in the open, and discuss it. And maybe, possibly, hopefully, we'll even become active against it.

H/T RealChoice

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Laura’s Story—a Mother's Account of Her Daughter's Death in an Abortion Mill, and the Hope She Believes God Will Bring Out of it

by Aimee Herd : Oct 29, 2007 : BCN Exclusive

(Hyannis, Mass.)—Laura Hope Smith (22), died on September 13, 2007, during an abortion performed by Dr. Rapin Osathanondh, at Women Health Clinic in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She had recently gotten engaged, and had spent the summer with friends and her parents, at their home in Wildwood, NJ. Her mother, Eileen, didn't even know her daughter was pregnant, let alone contemplating an abortion.

I spoke with Laura's mother over the phone. She was of course, distraught, but trusting that God will bring something good out of it. As difficult as it is to talk about, Eileen believes that Laura's story must be told, in the hopes that lives would be saved—both babies and young women—so that her daughter's death will not be in vain.

This is Laura's story, told by her mother, Eileen…

It was 7 pm, we had just finished dinner and settled down to watch the evening news. My husband's cell phone rang with Laura's name on the ID. We always loved hearing from her. Laura was so full of life, your spirits were lifted just by talking to her. Except this time it wasn't her voice. There was guttural screaming and sobbing on the other end by a voice I did not immediately recognize. I heard the words "Laura", "Hospital" and the worst one, "Not Breathing," and then "abortion".

My brain tilted, my heart sank, and life as I knew it ceased. It was Laura's friend Karen on the phone. She told me what happened, that Laura was having an abortion and something went terribly wrong. Karen was at the ER and the Doctor needed to talk to me. What Karen didn't know was that Laura had arrived at the ER already deceased. The EMT's found her this way at the abortion mill. The hospital was looking for next of kin to give the news to first, and Karen wasn't kin.

"Laura's gone" the doctor told me. I wanted to hear "50-50 chance"...I would even accept "90-10 chance." But the word "chance" was not in the doctor's statement. All hope was gone, along with my daughter.

My beautiful, precious daughter, whom we had adopted at age 5, and had immediately forgotten that we didn't give her birth. Laura became as much ours as our natural born children. She was a gift we didn't ask for, and one we treasured. I have questions that I can never get answers to—the "whys." Why didn't she come to us? Why didn't she tell us she was pregnant? Why did she think that abortion was the solution to her problem?

Laura was raised in a loving, Christian home. Laura got upset when others she knew had abortions. Laura loved children. Laura was pregnant with her fiancé's baby; he loved her and says he didn't believe in abortion.

There are some questions that I did get answers for. I met with the doctor who aborted my grandchild, and who saw my daughter take her last breath. He would only meet me in a public place, without my husband. We talked for an hour and a half. Based on that meeting I believe I know what happened to Laura. He denies doing anything that caused her death. When we were done talking about Laura, I prayed, and asked God if there was anything He would have me say to the doctor. This is what I said next.... "The blood of my daughter is on your hands; the blood of my grandchild is on your hands; the blood of every life you have ever taken is on your hands," and I went on from there. He was silent with his head hung low.

When I was ready to leave, I asked him if he would think about my daughter, and consider not doing any more abortions—he said he would think about it. When I left there I was praying, and said to God, "Can You stop this man from doing abortions? Is this what You have in mind, that he might even stop doing them?" I was thinking too small. I thought if one girl changed her mind [about having an abortion], I could find some comfort. I then realized that the Lord had much bigger plans. I have never experienced in my life, such tragedy, nor such grace.

I know that God is going to bring good out of my daughter's death. What a horrible thing; for my daughter to be associated with abortion. But, if God's going to use it for good and for His glory, then so be it. We're going very public with a very shameful, private thing because I believe God wants to use it to save lives.

I believe the truth will come out, and the light of God will shine on this. Laura's death has had tremendous impact around the country, and even into Canada, without the local news mentioning it. It just came out in the secular media this week—5 weeks after Laura's death.

I now believe it is my calling to keep telling Laura's story to the Church, and the world. I naively believed that abortion was not a choice for a Christian girl. A Pastor had even apologized to me and the Lord, for not speaking about this from his pulpit. We both had false assumptions. This is a problem in the Church, and one that needs to be spoken about from the pulpits. We have to take the "A" word out of the closet, put it out in the open, and discuss it. And maybe, possibly, hopefully, we'll even become active against it.

Please keep our family in your prayers, and please tell someone Laura's story.

[Source]

Healing From Abortion Through The Power Of Jesus Christ

Here’s a YouTube video telling the powerful story of how one young woman who experienced abortion found forgiveness, healing and a passionate ministry—all through the Great Physician!

h/t BigBlueWave

Where's Your Dolly? An Autobiographical Sketch On Abortion

Blogger Lee Harding, Regina, SK, writes a short and touching autobiography on his near experience with abortion. His posting illustrates what’s at stake every time a child’s life is “legally” snuffed out.

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My Life is a Blessing

My mother was on the psychiatric ward while I grew in her womb in 1974. Her live-in relationship with my abusive and criminal father was over while her pregnancy meant new hurdles. Public shame for having a baby out of wedlock was one thing. A bigger question was how she could live as a single mom without a high school diploma.

The medical professionals counseled her to abort. In her heart, Mom wanted me. But she was vulnerable, and, so was I.

Elsewhere, her own mother was losing sleep. Grandma dearly loved the seven children she raised and was distressed over her daughter's impending abortion.

The night before the scheduled abortion, Grandma had a dream so vivid she thought she was awake. She saw my mother as a little girl, playing with a doll. In the next scene her head was down, her arms empty. "Where's your dolly?" asked Grandma.

With tears in her eyes, the little girl looked up and said, "They took it away!"

With shared resolve, my grandparents made the two-and-a-half hour drive from their little town to see my mom in Regina. Grandma wept so long, my grandpa couldn't bear it any longer. "I'm going to put you in the hospital if you don't stop crying," he said.

After they finally made it to the hospital, Grandma asked my mom, "Do you want to have this baby?"

"Yes," she said.

With that, Grandma told the doctor, "This abortion is not going to happen."

"But it's been approved by the board," the doctor protested.

"You can't play God and neither can I," Grandma said. "C'mon Debbie, we're going home with our baby!"

So they took us home. A few days before Christmas, my mom returned to the hospital she left—to give me birth. True to their word, my grandparents took me after ten days and later adopted me. Grandma called me her little lamb and always said I was a gift from God. I stole Grandpa's heart as well.

My birth mother still lives in Regina and has been married for many years, though not to my father. Now that I'm a married parent myself, my mom likes to take my little daughter out for walks in the stroller. She's looking forward to my next child arriving in March. My birth father and his family also have a place in my life and count me a blessing.

Every once in awhile, as I reflect on the joy I have brought to my family, I'm horrified by the thought I could have been aborted. It's not just that I would never have seen the light of day. It's the void in my family where I was supposed to be, and the haunting grief they would still carry.

God is my only consolation when I grieve for the millions aborted in Canada in my lifetime. I count Him big enough to save the souls of the unborn and heal the hurts of the living.

[Source]

H/T Robert A. Jason

Actress Ellen Burstyn: Abortion The Worst Thing—A “Dark Thread” Of Her Life

LifeSiteNews reports that yesterday

Academy Award winning actress Ellen Burstyn known for her roles in 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' and 'The Exorcist' was interviewed by CFRB radio in Toronto while she was in town promoting her new book - Lessons in Becoming Myself.

The short clip below is the edited portion of her interview where she spoke about her abortion. Like Naomi Kasumi, it certainly wasn’t an “easy, stress relieving” medical procedure, and like Rosa Acuna, Ms. Burstyn didn’t get all the information.

Listen to what this brave woman had to say.

To listen to the entire CFRB interview click here and you’ll find both segments of the interview. The discussion about abortion is in part 2.

The Rosa Acunas Of The World Deserve Better. They Deserve All The Information

In yesterday’s edition of The Bulletin, Philadelphia’s Family Newspaper, columnist Frank Diamond writes a piece entitled “N.J. Supremes Issue Flawed Abortion Ruling.”

I covered the news about this NJ Supreme Court ruling just a couple days ago, making special reference to the one question that must always be asked in discussions about the entity growing within the body of a pregnant woman.

Then yesterday I blogged about the upcoming art exhibit crafted by Naomi Kasumi, a Japanese woman whose experience with abortion is partly summed up in these words of hers:

Since 1998, I have been making hand-made objects spontaneously, and obsessively, as a therapeutic, redemptive action, as a way to atone for my sin. The loss of this tiny life has led me to create repetitive objects, re-creating the same object and same action over and over, day and night. This ritual seems timeless. Sharing the truth of my experience with others publicly is my catharsis and part of my healing process.

Columnist Frank Diamond draws many of the elements of these stories together when he tells the story of George Zallie.

Last week's decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the abortion case Acuna v. Turkish hit so close to home for George Zallie that he can't even speak about it. Zallie is a Cherry Hill resident whose daughter, Stacy, committed suicide in 2002. He learned afterwards that Stacy had been suffering from depression because of an abortion she'd had. Zallie believes that the medical community let his daughter down by not warning her of the possible psychiatric ramifications of terminating a pregnancy, and he's turned that belief into a crusade.

His Stacy Zallie Foundation offers counseling for post-abortive women suffering from depression. He's also lobbying the American Psychiatric Association to provide better information about the risk of abortion but, so far, has gotten no response.

That's because the entire counseling profession - psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers - is so infected with political correctness that it refuses to concede that abortion can be anything other than a liberating experience. After all, if a woman could be psychically scarred by abortion, might that not imply that the procedure isn't simply a routine affair, like having wisdom teeth pulled?

Diamond gives little evidence of being a principled “pro-lifer” but much evidence of being a true human being and poses very reasonable questions about the convoluted and bizarre status quo of legalized child killing.

What can we do to get more people making these observations and asking these sort of questions?

His article appears below.

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N.J. Supremes Issue Flawed Abortion Ruling

Last week's decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the abortion case Acuna v. Turkish hit so close to home for George Zallie that he can't even speak about it. Zallie is a Cherry Hill resident whose daughter, Stacy, committed suicide in 2002. He learned afterwards that Stacy had been suffering from depression because of an abortion she'd had. Zallie believes that the medical community let his daughter down by not warning her of the possible psychiatric ramifications of terminating a pregnancy, and he's turned that belief into a crusade.

His Stacy Zallie Foundation offers counseling for post-abortive women suffering from depression. He's also lobbying the American Psychiatric Association to provide better information about the risk of abortion but, so far, has gotten no response.

That's because the entire counseling profession - psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers - is so infected with political correctness that it refuses to concede that abortion can be anything other than a liberating experience. After all, if a woman could be psychically scarred by abortion, might that not imply that the procedure isn't simply a routine affair, like having wisdom teeth pulled?

Zallie is engaged in a public effort to help an at-risk group. He's also fighting a personal battle. He couldn't comment on Acuna v. Turkish because he's suing Stacy's psychiatrist. Still, the case resonates with him because it deals with just what a physician needs to tell a patient who is weighing whether to have an abortion.

In 1996, Rosa Acuna discovered that she was six to eight weeks pregnant. When she asked her gynecologist, Dr. Sheldon Turkish, if there was a baby inside her, she says that he responded, "Don't be stupid; it's only blood," according to the New Jersey Supreme Court decision. Turkish doesn't remember exactly what he said, but he believes that he probably told Acuna that what was inside her "is just tissue at this time." Acuna signed a consent form acknowledging that "the doctor had explained all the risks and complications to her."

There is no mention in the court decision that Acuna was given any information regarding what to do in case she felt depressed after the abortion. Zallie contends that few women are given such guidance.

Acuna had the abortion, and it might have ended there except that something had gone terribly wrong. In the following weeks, she experienced bleeding. Finally, after about a month, she was admitted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she was diagnosed with an "incomplete abortion." An additional procedure was performed.

"What happened?" a recovering Acuna asked a nurse. According to court documents, "The nurse replied that 'the doctor left parts of the baby inside of you.'" The realization that it had been more than just "blood" or "tissue" sent Acuna into emotional distress until she was finally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

What the New Jersey Supreme Court last week found important was that "she understood that without some intervening circumstance or medical procedure, a child would be born, but what she needed to hear on the day of her visit to [Turkish's] office was that she was carrying 'an existing living human being.'"

Well, the court ruled, maybe Acuna needed to hear that, but Turkish was under no obligation to say that "an abortion results in the killing of a family member." What Acuna expected from her doctor, the court decided, cuts to the core of an issue that theologians, physicians, and philosophers have been unable to resolve: When does life begin?

"We are not unmindful of the raging debate that has roiled the nation and of the sincerely and passionately held beliefs by those on opposite sides of the debate."

The court added that "Acuna must demonstrate that Dr. Turkish withheld medical information that a reasonably prudent pregnant woman in like circumstances would have considered material before consenting to the abortion."

Yet, wouldn't a "reasonably prudent pregnant woman" want to know that having an abortion might result in depression or post-traumatic stress disorder? Zallie argues that people on both sides of the abortion debate - those who claim to care only about the mother's welfare as well as those who say they're looking out for the baby - should be able to reach some sort of agreement about providing post-abortive counseling.

You would think that pro-choicers would be OK with a doctor or psychiatrist saying something like this: "Be mindful that some women - not all or even most, but some - do experience acute depression after having an abortion. It may well be because the crazy pro-lifers insist on saying that abortion is murder and try to make you feel guilty. Regardless of why you may be feeling depressed or anxious, just remember not to hesitate to come to me for help. I can get you counseling."

This is the least that should be done. Think of all the outreach programs for women suffering from post-partum depression. Think of all the segments on television news magazines that have focused on that very real problem. Now, do you remember ever seeing post-abortive syndrome featured on a talk show?

The pro-choice side claims that there's not enough evidence to suggest that post-abortive syndrome exists. Then, because it controls the universities and organizations such as the APA, it stymies any attempt to study the issue. Meanwhile, the thousands of stories about post-abortive syndrome are derided as being merely anecdotal.

The result: psychiatrists in lockstep interpret that ancient tenet of healing, "First, do no harm," as meaning, "Do nothing." Meanwhile, thousands of post-abortive women suffer in isolation. The Rosa Acunas of the world deserve better. They deserve all the information.

Pro-Choicer: Abortion Is An Easy, Painless And Safe Medical Procedure That Relieves Women Of Stress

Let's ask Naomi Kasumi.

This memorial monument piece shares the truth of my experience of having an abortion in May 1998. This is part of a series of memorial pieces that represent my life, experience, memories, and feelings over the past four years. Since 1998, I have found myself constantly reflecting back on my experience and struggling to make peace with the emotions of sadness, loss, confusion, and depression that it has caused.

Coming from Japan, I have a different cultural background and perspective. In my hometown, abortion is considered extremely taboo and is surrounded by guilt and shame. It must be kept secret and hidden. In the United States, the topic of abortion is usually not discussed except in the context of the polarities of pro-life and pro-choice. The reality of living through the experience and complex feelings that are unique to anyone who makes the choice to have an abortion are seldom shared.

Since 1998, I have been making hand-made objects spontaneously, and obsessively, as a therapeutic, redemptive action, as a way to atone for my sin. The loss of this tiny life has led me to create repetitive objects, re-creating the same object and same action over and over, day and night. This ritual seems timeless. Sharing the truth of my experience with others publicly is my catharsis and part of my healing process. My intention is to provide a rich and honest forum where through interactive storytelling; I invite people to identify their own memories of loss and secrecy. I know I am not alone in dealing with this experience.

More details here, here and here.

Juli’s Choice: A Life Worth Taking Is Also A Life Worth Mourning

The New York Press features a column entitled Juli’s Choice with this intro:

After Her Doctor Told Her Of A Genetic Abnormality In Her Growing Fetus, JULI STEADMAN CHARKES Confronted A Pregnant Woman’s Worst Nightmare

Read the story and tell me you can’t relate to this woman’s fears and nightmares after being told she was carrying a child diagnosed with Trisomy.

But there’s at least one very big lie contained in the account. And it cost the life of a child—some precious human being created by God and in His image—and the wonderful plan of God for that child’s life.

Nobody has the right to purposefully take another human being’s life—under ANY circumstances. I’m sorry, but if you don’t believe that, you are on a very slippery slope and you are holding to an ideology which cannot be labeled Christian—at least by the doctrines of Christianity for the last nineteen centuries or so.

You're certainly on the ground of moral relativism, to which I referred yesterday.

Furthermore, doctors make mistakes and misdiagnoses all the time and there are more than sufficient examples of these in regard to the results of amniocentesis.

Furthermore, ask someone like Barbara at Mommy Life what she has to say about being the mother of several children with Trisomy.

Let’s put aside all the feelings for a moment. Can that be done, or is it not possible in our time? Let’s look at other factors, not the least of which is faith. Yes, faith in God and His divine plan and purposes.

No child’s life should hang in the balance because of the emotional reactions and fears of parents or doctors.

Juli says in her account “A life worth taking is also a life worth mourning.”

Explain that twisted logic to me and I can explain to you how modern society has found another perfectly acceptable rationale to salve its conscience after carrying out a plain and simple murder.

The amazing thing about God’s grace is that even when we conduct such evil against God and our fellow man, God still permits us a future. Notice that God blessed Juli and her husband with not one but two new children in the womb.

Was that a reward for what she did? Was it a message from God that she did the right thing?

Not on your life.

I pray Juli comes to see the true horror of her “choice” and finds repentance for her sin before she meets God. I pray Christians will be forthright—yet loving and compassionate—in helping her see it. The sooner it happens the sooner will the next child be safe from a similar search and destroy mission.

Amy Richards Story Still Reverberating

Disclaimer: I know nothing of blogger Skywriter. Her blogspot is called Skywritings.

All I know is that a link today led me to her weekend posting which surprisingly doesn’t have a title. If I could, I’d entitle it, using Skywriter’s own words, It’s OK to Give up Your Life to Give Life.

It’s Skywriter’s personal, and courageous, story about pregnancy and adoption. Skywriter took the truly human path when confronted with a crisis. And I doubt that you’ll have a dry eye after reading it.

But first a note about Amy Richards. The Amy Richards story is still a shocker, although it’s been around since 2004. Entitled "When One is Enough", it was a story that appeared in the New York Times of a 34 year-old woman named Amy Richards who became pregnant with triplets, and decided to abort two of them.

[The story may not be accessible from Skywriter’s link. If not, try this link or this one.]

It reminds me of a more recent shocking story I covered on this blog, back in April, entitled The Ultimate Motherly Act.

The legalized killing of children in the womb has spawned a fiendish, diabolical twist to our thinking. Does anyone else hear the taunting laughter of the evil one?

Eugenics And Culture Of Perfection Kills Two Innocent Unborns

Every abortion is tragic and deadly, sometimes doubly so.

Italian Hospital Aborts Healthy Twin and Leaves Handicapped Sibling
Mother returns and has Down syndrome child aborted

MILAN, Italy, August 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A fierce abortion debate has erupted in Italy after a mother pregnant with twins reported doctors to the authorities for aborting her healthy unborn baby while leaving the handicapped one alive.

Italian news agencies recently discovered that a hospital killed the "wrong" child in a pair of unborn twins in June. According to media reports, after the 38-year old woman discovered the so-called "mistake", she returned and had the second one, who was suffering from Down Syndrome, aborted. She then reported medical staff, who are currently under investigation by the police.

Rest of article here and here.

How can we tolerate such evil and disgusting practices?

Actually, this kind of horror happens every day in Canada.

You say, Really? I’ve never heard of such a ghastly mistake in Canada.

Oh, but you must have forgot—EVERY abortion is a ghastly mistake.

Miracle Newborn, Dropped Into Pit By Mother, Survives 28-Foot Drop

Christela [“Christ was there” in Creole] Belle was an unwanted newborn, dropped down an outhouse toilet pit in Haiti by her teenage mother on July 8.

But indeed, Christ was there, and miraculously the infant “survived the dramatic fall without a bruise or scratch.”

The Christian Post carries the account below.

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Miracle Newborn Survives 28-Foot Drop

The Hands and Feet Project – a children’s village in Haiti formed by Christian rock group Audio Adrenaline – is happy to announce that they are now nurturing a 19-day-old baby girl who survived a 28-foot drop down an outhouse toilet.

The unwanted child was born on July 8 in Cyvadier (Jacmel), Haiti, and survived the dramatic fall without a bruise or scratch.

Her heroic rescue has brought together the villagers and workers in the area who can describe the situation only as a miracle.

“I knew this child would be fine,” explained Darry “DJ” Williams, an American U.N. soldier who aided in the rescue, in a statement. “After being dropped 30-feet into a pit and left for dead, and there were no bruises, no signs of trauma, and she was resting? I knew I had witnessed a miracle. Everyone involved knew it.”

A teenage boy named Toussaint was the first to respond after he noticed a big difference with the baby’s mother.

Toussaint knew that the mother had tried to deny being pregnant during her term, and when he saw her one day return from the bathroom with blood on her legs and a smaller stomach, he followed the trail of blood back to the outhouse.

After hearing the cry from within the outhouse toilet, he immediately contacted police and attempted to pull the baby out through a lasso he had made and when that failed, started chipping at the newly made toilet.

“Toussaint told me that the mother had dropped the newborn in the pit because she didn’t want it,” said Williams in a statement. “I could see that the baby was moving and knew that time was of the essence.”

Williams quickly notified the Sri Lankan army (that was acting on behalf of the United Nations), which then responded by quickly dismantling a toilet two stalls down. They then lowered a soldier who brought up the baby wrapped in a towel.

After rushing to a nearby hospital that was poorly staffed, they contacted a friend of Williams that worked for the Hands and Feet Project, Drex Stuart, who took the baby to their private hospital.

The group is covering the entire medical expenses and after an inspection, doctors announced that the baby was doing just fine.

“I am so amazed by the story of these rescuers,” said Mark Stuart, Drex Stuart’s son and lead singer for Audio Adrenaline, in a statement. “In Haiti, children are often abandoned and orphaned, and to see the teamwork between the police and the U.N. soldiers on behalf of this one baby, it is a would-be tragedy turned to joy.”

The Justice of the Peace has now officially granted full rights to the baby to the Hands and Feet Project. A policeman from the station gave the child her first name, Christela, translated to mean “Christ was there” in Creole. Her last name, Belle, takes its roots from one of Audio Adrenaline’s songs “Beautiful.”

“Christela is definitely a miracle child and was God’s chosen vessel to bridge the gap between the U.N., police and the community,” added Williams. “I am honored to have been a witness to this miracle. I am also humbled to have been asked by Drex to be her godfather.”

The Hands and Feet Project was first created in 2004 by the Grammy-award winning band with the goal to help unwanted orphaned children in Haiti. They currently have about 20 children with ages ranging from 15 days to 9 years, and hope to provide shelter, education, food, and a Christian upbringing to them.

“Without programs like the Hands and Feet Project, many children like Christela would have little hope at all,” concluded Mark Stuart. “Not only was this project on hand to help Christela in the early moments of her life, but it will be there for her and other orphaned children in the days and years ahead. We are hoping to help raise a generation in Haiti that will change their country so we can be out of a job and orphanages can be empty.”

Christela’s mother is a juvenile who had been kicked out of her home after her parents found out she was pregnant. She was sentenced to jail by a judge, but is doing fine medically.

“Keep praying that we will be here and ready to take children that no one wants or can take care of!” added Drex Stuart. “Don’t forget to pray for the mother, too.”

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Saving Christela was said to be a decisive act, a brave rescue, even a miracle.

But what would happen in Canada if rescuers wanted to save tiny unwanted children about to be discarded and thrown into a waste bin or suctioned out of the mother with “medical” apparatus?

They would be arrested and put in jail for trespassing on abortion mill property.

You see, in Canada, if an abortionist is the one who does the discarding, the law fully protects the abortionist—and the mother—from prosecution.

Fortunately for Christela,

1. her mother carried her full term
2. her mother wasn’t a Canadian

Had her mother been a Canadian, the child might never have been given a name, least of all the name “Christela.”

Isn't it time to change the law in Canada?

I Received Grace: Why I Chose Adoption

Amy Hall, over at Stand to Reason Blog, covers two very personal—and touching—stories about abortion. Be sure to click through on the links and read the stories. Here’s what she writes:

Why I Chose. . .

In an article on msn.com titled "I Received Grace: Why I Chose Adoption," the author tells the traumatic story of her rape and then her struggle over the question of whether or not to have an abortion. In the end, completely terrified, she decided to carry the baby to term and was relieved by the unexpected grace she received from family and friends.

I thought the reasons she gave for her decision were worth noting:

Truth: I saw the truth of what was happening inside me. When I saw the medical pictures of fetal development, I couldn't deny that she was human.

Love: I secretly loved that baby. It seemed to me then that I wasn't supposed to love her because of the way she was conceived. I came to realize later that the love a woman has for her child has incredible strength--no matter what the child looks like, what handicap he may have, or the way he was conceived....

Vision: ...I struggled with the knowledge that the value of a child is constant. My circumstances would continuously change. Should one of my children live or not live, depending on my changing circumstances? Or should I protect my children in the face of unpredictable circumstances? My desire became to protect this child, even though I couldn't figure out how to protect myself.

Belief: Even in my numb state, I believed that doing the right thing would benefit me at some point. The right thing was to let this child live. It did not feel good. I knew I would have to walk through five more months of stares, questions, and self-perception struggles. But I believed, and it turned out to be true.

This article is paired with another, "Real Life: Why I Chose Abortion," written by a woman who chose abortion when she and her husband learned their unborn child had a serious birth defect. (I'm surprised they didn't pair two stories about the same type of pregnancy--i.e., two women who were raped or two fetuses with birth defects--so we could truly see the difference the choice makes. It's hard to compare two from such different situations.)

I think part of this second article reveals why it's so hard to change people's minds about abortion after they've experienced one. Consider her reaction to a pro-life statement: When President Bush talked about "defending the life of the innocent," she could only hear him "calling [her] a baby killer." Why? When she was pregnant, she probably instinctively felt many of the things the author of the other article felt (above). The tone of her story, then, is understandably defensive. The emotional pain of her abortion (and the story really is heartbreaking for both the husband and wife) is already so excruciating on its own that any attempt by someone to clarify the identity and value of the unborn in general proves to be too much for her to bear. She reacts strongly and fights against it, for she hears every word spoken for the unborn as an accusation against her, personally. How could she seriously consider what we say? The stakes are huge here, and she can't be wrong for the sake of her own sanity. Can you get a sense of the weight we're placing on her with our arguments?

The only way I see to reach past this wall is in the title of the first article: grace. While speaking to those who have suffered through an abortion (and you never know when that is the case), we had better give our arguments for the value of the unborn child in the context of grace and forgiveness, in light of the One who is willing and able to carry the resulting weight of the implications for them.