Former Abortionist Now Helping the Poor Find Life and Salvation!

My husband, John, and I lead a small group in our home every other Wednesday night that discusses political issues from a Biblical perspective. Last night we were discussing the scriptural mandate to “Feed the poor and clothe the naked.” Whose role is it: the people of God or the government?

By the end of the evening, we concluded that it was indeed the role of the church (or of believers) to care for the poor. However, 50 years of social welfare programs have entrapped so many people in generational poverty that taking it back is going to be an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish! How do we even begin to undo the damage that has been done?

Fortunately, there are many Christian non-profits and para-church organizations which are doing amazing things among the poor. In our work at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling, however, we see big gaps which exist. For instance, there is a desperate need in our community for a faith-based clinic to test and treat sexually transmitted diseases. When we encounter women who need to be tested  we presently have no place to refer them that we feel fully confident will not refer them for contraceptives or an abortion. Most places hand out condoms like candy! Until the believers in our community form such a clinic, I have little hope of our STD epidemic ending or even slowing down.

I looked long and hard this morning for a topic about which to write this blog. Then an article on LifeSiteNews.com, entitled “Former abortionist now head of one of the largest pro-life medical practices in the U.S.” caught my eye. As I read it I realized that not only did this physician, Dr. John Bruchalski, undergo a transformation from abortionist to pro-life, but he opened exactly the type of medical facility that I am talking about!

John was born into a devout Catholic family who sent him off to a Catholic college, never suspecting what would await him there. Some of his professors espoused the belief that the church should change with the culture; that the long-held stance against things like abortion and contraception were archaic and needed to conform to modern values. To quote John, himself: “It became a non-issue- you could still be a great Catholic and choose to dissent from particular Church teachings.” (Beware parents! Just because a school outwardly espouses your  faith doesn’t mean the professors will support it. My brother got swept up into homosexuality while attending a prominent Christian college.)

By the time John entered medical school he was convinced that contraception and abortion were “the way to promote health and happiness and wholeness in a woman’s reproductive life.” As a result, he performed abortions during his residency. However, it didn’t take long for him to form doubts. “Wherever I had more abortion, more contraception, there were more broken relationships, more infections, more destruction, more brokenness.”

It was at this point that Dr. Bruchalski began to search for truth in his faith. After a couple of years, he underwent a spiritual transformation. As part of his re-education, he studied with Dr. Thomas Hilgers, right here in Omaha. Under him, he learned of the exciting advances that Dr. Hilgers was making with natural reproductive technology at the Pope Paul VI Institute.

Inspired by Dr. Hilger’s work, Dr. Bruchalski opened the Tepeyac Family Center in 1994. His practice is one of the only ones in the country to offer full obstetrical care for patients from pregnancy centers like our own. He has a special dedication to help the poor: in 2009, 30% of the mothers did not have commercial insurance. His goal is to be “a medical facility and a medical system where the human person is respected as he’s made in the image and likeness of our God.”

Recently, I received news of a proposed birthing center in Omaha which hopes to offer pre-natal care and delivery for one low fee. Women would be able to make affordable monthly payments. This medical facility would be run by pro-life believers. I cannot express to you how much this would mean to our community!  (I will keep you posted as details become available.)

Our mandate as believers to care for the poor still remains even in the face of government intervention. As believers in Jesus Christ, we must strive to find ways to reclaim the role that is rightfully ours.  We have the only good news that can truly set people free! I pray that more men like Dr. John Bruchalski and Dr. Thomas Hilgers will rise up and be revolutionaries for the Kingdom!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Why Russia is Frantically Trying to Lower Their Abortion Rate: Dispelling the Myth of Overpopulation!

In 1968, Paul Ehrlich warned in his book, The Population Bomb, that there was going to be mass starvation in the 1970′s and 80′s if we didn’t do something about overpopulation! The world absolutely needed to have fewer children, he cried, or face horrible consequences. He even suggested that contraceptives be placed in the water systems and that tight controls be placed on the number of children a woman could legally have.

Fortunately, the cataclysmic mass starvation did not occur. Unfortunately, the myth of overpopulation permeated much of the world and caused many cultures, among them our own, to encourage their people to restrict their families to two or less children. The Russians were particularly successful in this endeavor. In fact, they were ahead of their time; abortion has been legal there since the 1950′s.

Russian women consider abortion as a type of birth control. It is estimated that the average woman in the Russia has 4 abortions in her lifetime, but only 1.8 live births. For years the rate of abortion has outnumbered the number of children born.  Today, the missing population is starting to be desperately missed.

The country is beginning to see critical worker and population shortages, to the degree that the government is preparing to take action. In a speech last week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a pledge to raise the birthrate by up to 30% in three years. In spite of previous efforts, the population has continued to rapidly decline.  Russia will be in serious trouble if this trend continues.

The problem is: after decades of convincing women that abortion is no big deal, how does the Russian culture turn that around? The government is going to attempt to change minds by increasing monthly payments to pregnant women and to make abortions more difficult to obtain.  However, tradition and culture are hard things to change.

It seems that there are indications that Russia may be experiencing a spiritual awakening. I would think that in order for Russian hearts to change, they  need a transformation by Jesus first. Then, if their society’s attitudes are altered as well, there may be hope for the rate of abortion to be reversed (or ended altogether!)

Unfortunately, none of the information I read indicated that the Russian authorities had experienced a change of heart on the fact that abortion takes a human life. They are not proposing to get rid of abortion; they simply see their need for more people. If this is the reality, the core issue is not going to change. Until abortion is seen as wrong for its own sake, and not discouraged simply as a means to an end, it will not end or even drastically decrease.

I found it encouraging, however, to find more evidence debunking the myth that our world simply has too many people.  Starvation and poverty are not the result of a high birth rate. Like all other evil in our world, they are the result of sin. Tyrannical governments often do not distribute food as they should, and bad economic systems keep people ensnared in poverty.  However, these are topics which lie outside of my expertise and the purpose of this blog and, therefore, will not be discussed. The fact I want to emphasize is that the evils of ourworld are NOT due to overpopulation!

I firmly believe that the situation in Russia will be repeated over and over again in many nations. As the result of abortion and restricted family size, countries will find that there will not be enough workers or taxpayers to support aging populations. Our own country is among them. If not for an increasing influx of Hispanics, we would be facing a population dearth ourselves.  Even now our Medicare system is in trouble because there are not enough young people paying in to support those crossing over the age of 65.

The tragic thing is that abortion and the “overpopulation mentality” have such a tight grip on our nation, that I can’t imagine them ever letting go. Satan desires the death of the innocent and our world is tightly in his fist. God will be victorious, but the Bible tells us it will be a long, ugly road until the end. In the meantime, we must do whatever we can to set individuals free with the truth. Please help me spread the good news that there are NOT too many people in our world!

Keeping it true!  Barb

The Dangers of Webcam Abortions (and Why We Must Stop Them in Nebraska!)

In her book, “Unplanned,” Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Texas, tells of finding herself pregnant in the midst of a break-up with her first husband. She was 8 weeks along, so she opted for what is called a “chemical abortion.”

She took the first pill, Mifeprex (or RU-486) when she was in the clinic. According to her description, that pill is designed to separate the lining of the uterus, making it so the baby can no longer survive. The clinic gave Abby an antibiotic and sent her home with another drug, misoprostol, to be taken 24 to 48 hours later in order to “clean out the uterus.” (Some clinics have the woman return for this second medication rather than sending it home with them.) 

The baby is supposed to be expelled in the first 6 to 8 hours, and the rest of the uterine lining without the next 2 days. In Abby’s case, excruciating cramping went on for days and days. She ran a fever and was bleeding heavily, too sick to get out of bed. She had been told if such circumstances occurred that she should go into the emergency room or back to Planned Parenthood. Her shame kept her from doing either one; instead she suffered in silence.

Later in the book, Abby discovers that, at 8 weeks, she was really further along than was safe with a chemical abortion. Planned Parenthood offers them up until 9 weeks, but the risk factors rise dramatically after 7. Even at that, women are still known to bleed to death at any stage.

At the time of her abortion, Abby was a mature young woman. She had been married and was on the brink of starting her career.  She was not a teenager attempting to hide her pregnancy from her parents and bleeding in secret in the bathroom. And yet, she was too overwhelmed with shame to get the proper medical care she needed.

In Iowa, Planned Parenthood allows girls and women of all ages to receive the medication for a chemical abortion without a medical doctor on the facility. Instead, the consultation is done via a webcam. No physical exam is done by a physician. I’m not even positive what proof needs to be provided that the pregnancy falls within the required time period. However, the doctor gives his approval from however far away he is and the pills are handed over by a nurse or clinic worker. (A key fact to note is that there will also not be a doctor at the clinic if she returns with problems.)

When Abby Johnson went home with her abortion pills, she had been through the whole consultation with the doctor but still had no idea what to expect. How would the baby look when it passed?  Would it just fall into the toilet? I remember those very same fears when I had a miscarriage many years ago. We couldn’t find a heartbeat at the doctor’s office and he sent me home to wait for any pain or bleeding to begin. The uncertainty was terrifying, and I wasn’t alone or filled the shame of seeking an abortion.

We’ve heard that Planned Parenthood has been telling the women in Iowa that if they have problems to go to the nearest Emergency Room and tell the doctor that they are miscarrying.  If this is true (and I could not substantiate it for sure) this is the height of irresponsibility. The  emergency medical team needs to know about drugs that might be in this girl’s system. If her life is at risk, the facts may mean the difference between life and death!

Planned Parenthood presently has plans to open new offices in Fremont, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Norfolk and North Platte. It is suspected that each will be distributing chemical abortions via webcam, just like in Iowa. I am not a medical expert, but I find the ramifications of this very frightening. Even when I discount the increased number of dead children, the thought of giving a powerful drug into the hands of young women, many of whom are irresponsible, is scary. Perhaps our parental notification law will keep some parents informed, but that is little comfort.

In response to this, State Senator Tony Fulton has introduced a Stop Web Cam Abortions Bill (LB 521) to make this type of procedure illegal in Nebraska. Even though Senator Dave Bloomfield made this his priority bill, it has been stalled in committee. Committee Chairman Brad Ashford needs to be contacted and encouraged to bring it up for discussion and a vote.  The women of our state (along with their unborn children) need to be protected!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Why Planned Parenthood Will Not Challenge Fetal Pain Bills!

A little girl named Frieda just went home to her family from a German hospital. Today she weighs more than seven pounds and appears completely healthy. However, Frieda has the distinction of being the youngest surviving premature baby on record. She was born early last November at 21 weeks and 5 days, weighing only 1 pound!

The fact that babies like Frieda are able to survive outside the womb, along with the amazing world of ultrasound photography, has put the pro-abortion world on a collision course with itself. Recently, Oklahoma became the 4th state to sign a Fetal Pain Bill, outlawing abortions after 20 weeks, into law (following Kansas, Idaho and, of course, Nebraska!) It is estimated that a total of 17 states altogether have either passed or are considering this same legislation.

It seemed like always in the past that any pro-life legislation was immediately bound up in a legal injunction and often would not pass court muster. However, the Fetal Pain Bills have been allowed to stand without a challenge. Planned Parenthood has expressed their displeasure in different publications and have been warning women to be on the alert for “an erosion of their rights.” But there have been no legal challenges; not even from Leroy Carhart, for whom the Nebraska bill was largely designed!

There has been a lot of speculation as to why these laws have been allowed to stand. One reason that I think is most convincing is that Planned Parenthood and others do not want to have a public debate on the personhood of babies after 20 weeks. That is the point at which most expectant parents go into their doctor for an ultrasound to discover the sex of their unborn child. On the screen, they see a fully developed child: tiny, but with everything needed for life to be sustained. Little Frieda is proof that babies at this age can survive, so, obviously, this is a battle which pro-abortion proponents will lose. I cannot imagine that they want any bigger spot-light shone on the realities of life at that stage than there already is.

Roe vs. Wade became law in 1973, before the technology explosion with ultrasound occurred. Since that time, the age at which premature babies can survive has gotten younger and younger. Therefore, there is reason to think that the present Supreme Court may just allow these new Fetal Pain Laws to stand (especially with the division of the court being 5 conservative leaning judges vs. 4 liberal.) The last thing groups like Planned Parenthood want is for a pro-life law limiting abortion to be approved on the Supreme Court level. However, if we see that balance change, I can see a challenge being much more likely.

I read a quote from the Center for Reproductive Rights playing down the debate, claiming that there is no challenge because the law doesn’t really affect that many abortions. If that were true, why was such a big stink raised just a few years ago over partial birth abortions? The pro-abortion forces were out in arms over that, and it affected even fewer unborn children than this law does. That argument does not wash: they have fought long and hard to secure every abortion they can!  Abortion regulations have never been tolerated, and I cannot imagine them being more tolerated now unless they knew they were going to lose more than it was worth.

Perhaps things have come to such an impasse that Planned Parenthood and others will now surrender late-term abortions so that they can keep earlier abortions secure. I take this as a great victory on the side of life! As I’ve mentioned before, we see women all the time that are over 20 weeks pregnant before they even discover a baby is on the way. Cost and availability are the only things which have kept them from immediately seeking an abortion. Therefore, I know these laws save many lives!

Of course, we will continue to fight until all abortion is outlawed! States have become emboldened to pass stricter laws against killing unborn babies all the time. Maybe the worst fears of abortion providers will come true, and we will chip away at Roe vs. Wade until it is completely gone!

Keeping it true!  Barb

IncorporateMyUterus.com: Whose Body is it Anyway?

Like many states, Florida has been introducing a lot of legislation designed to protect unborn children in the womb. These bills are usually introduced by Republicans (in fact, I cannot think of any that have not). After the 18th bill was introduced this year (so awesome!) Representative Scott Randolph, a Democrat, came up with a bizarre (among other adjectives I could use) way to strike back.

I’m not sure I can do it justice, so let me quote Mr. Randolph directly: “The point is that Republicans are always talking about deregulation and big government. But I say their philosophy is small government for the big guy and big government for the little guy. And so, if my wife’s uterus was incorporated or my friend’s bedroom was incorporated, maybe the Republicans would talk about deregulating.”

Well, it turns out that the ACLU loved Randolph’s suggestion. They have begun a campaign to have women register their uterus on-line in protest against all the state mandates which are coming out against abortion. (No, really, I’m not making this up. Go to www.incorporatemyuterus.com to read the whole story.)

Okay, if this wasn’t so sad it would be ridiculous. Are there really people out there who think that a female reproductive organ is the issue here? Of course not! They know exactly why these laws are being made, and it has nothing to do with them or their body parts. If a second, tiny, vulnerable person wasn’t involved in a life and death struggle, women’s bodies would not even be an issue!

The real puzzle here is not why the Republicans, who believe in less government regulation, would pass laws to protect the lives of unborn babies. It is that Democrats, who believe in massive government intrusion in our lives would allow millions to die without even recognizing their personhood! If they had their way, they would be controlling every aspect of our healthcare and even the type of food we should be able to feed our children, and yet they refuse to regulate even one little portion of an industry that slaughters babies in the womb. It is with them that the hypocrisy lies, not with Republicans.

There are certain things which all good governments should do. On the top of that list is the protection of its citizens, particularly those who are not able to defend themselves. I would agree that a woman’s uterus belongs to her. However, the child within that uterus has a life all its own, and the government has an obligation to protect that unique being from demise. Incorporating her uterus as a “business” misses the point altogether. And the ACLU knows  that as well as anybody else!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Sex Slavery, Honor Killings, Child Brides: All Part of the Devaluing of Life!

 Little girls as young as eight years old are sold as brides to older men, some in their 40′s or 50′s, in many Middle Eastern countries. In some nations it is against the law, but there are  men who desire the younger ones and their families are often desperate for money to feed their other children. In turn, there are whole hospital wards filled with young women who have attempted to burn themselves to death to escape their husband’s home where they have been beaten and tortured.

In Africa, little girls are mutilated so they will never feel any sexual pleasure. The theory is that this will keep them away from temptation and pure. Then, they too are sold into marriages as mere children to much older men. More and more are running away and seeking shelter.  Fortunately, they are finding an increasing number of places of refuge that will house and protect them.

In most Muslim nations, and even here in the United States, girls are killed by their families if they stray even a little from the honor code set by the male members of their family. Yesterday, I told you of the increase in such killings in Turkey. Every day they are strangled, run over by the family car, beaten, and even drowned in the family pool.  In America, most of these cases are persecuted;  in many Muslim nations, the girls are quietly buried and nothing is done.

However,  we need to take a hard look at our sex slave trade, which traps 600,000 to 800,000 innocent victims (mostly female) a year. Desperate girls overseas, or south of our borders, respond to ads promising them adventure and a better life. Instead, they find themselves locked in cages and forced to perform unspeakable acts. Citizen Magazine tells the heartbreaking story of one girl, named Sacha:

“The baseball bat found its mark. Wood crushing flesh and bone. Sacha’s arm was broken. So was her will. There would be no more attempted escapes. Even if she had been successful breaking free, her captors had taken her passport.  She’d never make it back to her homeland in the Ukraine. What’s more, they had guns and had threatened her family, a risk she wasn’t willing to take. She was trapped, just another one of the forgotten human slaves trafficked into the sex and porn industry against her will.”

Not only do these young girls fill the sex clubs and houses of prostitution, they also fill computer screens with on-line pornography. Their bondage is paid by the credit cards that men use to pay for their on-line addictions. In order for this horrible trade to exist, thousands have had to be complicit in turning their heads the other way and ignoring (or, even worse, partaking in) this atrocity.

We’ve been told for years that abortion is a way to set women free from the bondage of men. They could now “choose” whether or not they will have children and set the timing of parenthood for themselves. However, their so-called freedom is purchased with innocent blood and is therefore not free at all. It comes with a staggering price which all of us have to pay.

The more our society devalues life, the more we will continue to spiral downwards to lower and more degrading levels. Just look at the terrible things that have happened to our society since Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in 1973:

1. Sex outside of marriage has grown rampant. With it, epidemics of STD’s have been unleashed. Even though some of these are easily treated, we seem unable to get them under control.

2. Instead of decreasing, the number of babies born to single mothers took a huge jump after abortion became legal. It is finally starting to level off.

3. It can be easily argued that moral standards have plummeted.  Television, music and movies all preach a message of pleasing one’s self and doing whatever feels good, no matter the consequences.

When health care workers immerse themselves in abortion, their hearts become hardened to the women they declare they are there to protect. This was clearly shown in the many videos which Live Action did a few months ago, showing many Planned Parenthood directors who were  more than willing to assist a pimp in keeping girls enslaved to sexual bondage. In every case, the director was eager to help the “pimp” to secure undocumented treatment for those he clearly said he was mistreating. Never once was any concern expressed for the helpless victims. I think there can be no doubt that the daily death of the unborn had hardened their hearts.

To  some people,  it seems like assisting the elderly who are suffering  is a merciful thing.  However, societies who have adopted that practice clearly show that, in actuality, hearts begin to harden towards their elders.  Even those who are not very sick soon are pressured to die and get out-of-the-way. Respect for life gets lost, and death becomes an easier option with each passing day.

This is why we need to fight with everything we have against the death and destruction of the innocent, in all its ugly forms! We need to stand up for the rights of little girls to be little girls and not forced into abusive marriages. We need to toughen the laws against pornography and rescue those in sexual slavery. And, we need to protect innocent life from conception to the grave. If not, none of us can expect to find compassion or mercy when it is our time to go!

Keeping it true!  Barb

The Continuing Saga of “Honor Killings” in the Middle East.

Some estimate that “honor killings” have risen 14-fold in Turkey in the last seven years. Others argue that the number of women being murdered by their families for breaking their “moral code” has not increased; rather, that which was always kept secret is now coming out into the open. Regardless, over a thousand were reported in 2009, and 2010 and 2011 have been no better.

Women in Muslim nations have always been helpless victims at the whim of their families. Often it is just enough to be a new wife, brought into the family at the cost of a dowry which impoverished the family and is now highly resented. These new wives are often misused and treated as slaves. Heaven help them if they do not quickly bear sons to justify their existence!

In this era, young women also watch television programs from the west which show girls who have been allowed to date and wear garments not allowed in their society. When they attempt to copy what they see, the family feels shamed and retaliation can be fatal. The Turkish government has created laws which are supposed to protect them, but the changes have not come very fast. For instance, the law mandates about 1,400 shelters, out of which only 65 have actually come into existence. Plus, the legal authorities are hesitant to break years of tradition.

We even read of such killings taking place here in the United States. Here, culture clashes with centuries of tradition at an even faster rate. However, in America we are not tolerant towards those who kill their daughters just because they disapprove of their behavior!

Life, especially female life, is held very cheaply in most of the world. Women are looked upon as property and things instead of people of worth. Islam speaks highly of men, but not so much of females. (Hence the huge number of virgins each martyr receives in heaven!) Thank goodness that Muslims do not believe in abortion or the slaughter would be much greater!

I will pursue this topic again tomorrow. I apologize that this blog came so late and is so short. I was gone all weekend to Indiana to see my grandsons and did not arrive back until this afternoon. So, until the morning….

Keeping it real!  Barb

Why Philadelphia Giving Condoms to 11-Year-Olds Will Never Make STD’s Go Away!

As any parent knows, 11 is a very complex age.  Boys and girls alike are still children, but they want to be treated as adults. They are beginning to notice the opposite sex, but are not quite sure what to do with all the feelings they suddenly have.

I clearly remember my first crush at the age of 11 or 12. My girlfriends and I would go to school sponsored parties and whisper about the boys across the room. Occasionally one would cross over the great divide and ask one of us to dance. However, at that age, that was about as far as things ever went. After all, we couldn’t drive and adults were always around. Plus, except for maybe a stolen kiss, I don’t remember ever desiring anything else.

Of course, that may be because I was a girl and not a boy. And, tragically, things are different today. Young teens have already been bombarded with highly sexualized messages through the music they listen to and the programs and movies they watch. I would imagine that living in a society that never shows any restraint or self-control can be very tough on a young boy whose sex drive is starting to stir.

Now, what in the world kind of message does Philadelphia think it is sending by allowing 11-year-olds to order free condoms? Just this week, the city began a new campaign to fight the high rate of STD’s. Their website, www.TakeControlPhilly.org allows young people, aged 11-19 to either have condoms mailed to them for free, or to pick them up at distribution sites. “Playing it safe just got easier!” is the program’s new mantra! What is this, a game?

Now, I realize the city’s rationale: they probably know of some 11 and 12 year olds that are experimenting with sex and feel like they need to include them in the free distribution. However, I think the entire campaign is working under false and dangerous presumptions. As a result, it wouldn’t surprise me if the STD rate increased in Philadelphia, along with the number of young teens having sex.

What does an 11-year-old boy think when someone offers him free condoms?  And, not just anyone, but an official representative of his city’s government?  Why, he thinks he must be old enough for sex now! Otherwise, why would he be included in this group? They wouldn’t be sending free condoms to someone who couldn’t use them, would they?

I am certain that many boys that age will send away for them, out of curiosity if nothing else. Can’t you see groups of boys (and girls) giggling in a corner of bedrooms all over the city, filling out the application and then carefully watching the mail for their package to arrive? And, then, once they come, they have to try them out, don’t they? After all, the city officials think they are old enough for sex, so it must be true.

As I read over the city’s website, the same line kept jumping out at me: “If you are having sex, use condoms correctly every time to make sure you stay STD free.” What a deceitful and dangerous little comment! If the website is studied in its entirety, even they point out that there are some STD’s that are spread by skin-to-skin contact outside of the vaginal area that are not helped by condom use! However, you have to dig to find that information. Most of the words highlighted throughout the site ensure that correct condom use makes sex totally safe.

In actuality, the facts tell us that the more partners a teen has, the greater the risk of contracting an STD. Now, please tell me: is this “free for all” condom toss going to increase or decrease the rate of sex in Philadelphia?  Statistics show that any protection which may take place with a condom will be undone by an increase in amount of sex and the number of partners a person has.

Plus, what happens to an 11-year-old when they are thrust into sexual activity? There is not a child of 11 or 12 (and even old than that) that is ready for that type of relationship or responsibility. The realities of sex at that age are staggering. Almost certainly the girls will face a pregnancy before she reaches her twenties. However, she will be lucky if she can carry a child to term, since her uterus will most likely be ravaged by pelvic inflammatory disease (which all the condoms in the world will not provide one ounce of protection!)

As for boys, when they start sexual activity that young, they tend to view women as sexual objects, to be used and thrown away. Many will enter their twenties with a string of “baby mamas” and several children who will not ever really know the support of a father. Condoms can’t do anything to protect the human heart from the destruction of sexual activity at too young an age.

The rate of STD’s in America continues to spiral out of control.  And since the adults who make a lot of social policy decisions are children of the 1960′s and 70′s, and don’t want to stop their own promiscuous activities, they refuse to tell young people they must stop. Therefore, in their minds abstinence is out, and the only solution is to toss more and more condoms at the problem and hope it goes away.

Sadly, it won’t. The only way to clear up the epidemic is to somehow bring sex back into the safe confines of monogamous marriage. God has been good to me. The only person I have ever had sex with is my husband and we are faithful to one another. I have never been tested for STD’s and never will need to be.  And that can be the reality for anyone who chooses it.

Society can scream all it wants about how impractical it is to expect kids to stop having sex. And, unless our entertainment industry changes, I agree. However, until they do, STD’s will continue to flourish. That is just the way it is.

Keeping it true!  Barb

Can a Politician be Pro-Life and Pro-Planned Parenthood?

I work in an office full of very pro-life women. We have been very frustrated this week. The reason? We’ve listened to Senator Ben Nelson’s staff attempt to justify how he can say he is pro-life and yet be voting against the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Now, Senator Nelson has been around a long time and he has is a master at spinning facts. He has fooled some of the strongest pro-life proponents in the state; until recently, that is.  After his betrayal during the Health Care vote, I don’t think he is fooling too many who truly stand for life.

It is going to be both sad and interesting to see how the vote goes down in the Senate on Thursday. I’m sure there are many “pro-life” senators who would rather keep their vote on whether to fund Planned Parenthood or not a secret. Personally, I will be shocked if even one Democrat votes to remove the funding. And, in my definition, that clearly places them outside the legions of those who legitimately support life.

Perhaps that sounds judgmental. After all, who made me the arbitrator on who is pro-life and who is not? Well, no one; however, this is my blog. So, at least inside of confines of these pages, I make the rules. However, just so I don’t seem like an unjust tyrant, I will present my reasons. To do so, I will examine each of the arguments that Senator Nelson and others have made to justify their vote in favor of Planned Parenthood.

First argument: Planned Parenthood provides so many necessary health services for poor women that we must overlook the thousands of unborn children they kill every year. After all, without the organization, the poor will suffer. My response: Poppycock! Just this morning a woman came to us who had been referred by Planned Parenthood. The reason? She couldn’t afford the price they charge for an ultrasound and we do them for free.

I don’t have hard and fast facts for this, but it is my opinion that the poorest women do not go to Planned Parenthood. It is our experience that women who have no resources go to Douglas County Health for STD testing and treatment, as well as other basic exams. Or they go to one of the other excellent clinics which are designed to help the poor, such as One World Health. Instead, it is middle class women and teenagers who go to Planned Parenthood, primarily for inexpensive contraceptives. (I will see if I can find a breakdown of the percentage of the different services they provide, along with economic status. However, I doubt that such information is available. If there is anything Planned Parenthood loves it is misinformation and secrets.)

Second Argument: Oh, wait- the first argument is their only one! Imagine that!  It is the same old tired line that gets used over and over again: Planned Parenthood is necessary because it helps poor women. Okay, so let’s take the millions that are being given to prop up this bloated abortion provider and give it to organizations like One World that actually help women without killing babies!

I pointed out yesterday why that won’t be happening any time soon: Planned Parenthood has a lot of political clout. I don’t see how, as a non-profit, they can give money directly to politicians. So, perhaps it is rich people who are connected with Planned Parenthood that give the big bucks to those running for office? I have no idea, but I do know that a lot of money is involved. Plus there is always that irrational shield of protection that protects and defends anyone who has anything to do with abortion.

Have you made your call to Senator Nelson yet? If not, be prepared for the same old song and dance. Maybe you think he can still call himself pro-life when he votes for the nation’s largest abortion provider to continue to receive our tax dollars. As far as I can see the two philosophies cannot coexist. Period. And I pray that Nelson will not be reelected in 2012. This pro-life state deserves a representative which will defend the unborn instead of betraying them whenever it is politically beneficial to himself.

Keeping it true!  Barb

Are Those Who Turn a Blind Eye to Evil Just As Guilty As Those Who Commit It?

Karnamaya Monger was a tiny mother of 3, only 4 feet 11 inches and weighing barely 110 pounds. She had just migrated to Virginia with her family from a refugee camp in Nepal, where they had lived for two decades. She survived the rigors of the camp only to die in a filthy abortion clinic in Philadelphia.

In November of 2009, her brother traveled with her from Virginia to Pennsylvania, where they were told she could get a late-term abortion from Kermit Gosnell.  The brother was bothered by the awful smells in the building and the sight of blood on the floor, but sent her in for the procedure in spite of his misgivings. Several hours later he watched as they took his sister’s unconscious body out of the back door on a stretcher. Her heart had given out from an overdose of drugs.

The Pennsylvania Health Department would not investigate the death, denying that it was not their responsibility. Their chief counsel, a woman named Christine Dutton was quoted as telling the grand jury, “People die.” It turns out that no inspector had gone into that clinic for over 16 years! That in spite of complaint after complaint which had been leveled by women whose voices were continually ignored.

Several months after Karnamaya Monger died, Gosnell’s clinic was raided in search of illegal drugs. Instead, the authorities discovered a chamber of horrors! Filth and blood were everywhere. Aborted babies were kept in jars on the shelves. A closer examination showed that many of the babies had been born alive and then killed when a pair of scissors was inserted in the neck, snipping the spinal cord.

It was a horrible discovery; and yet, the signs had always been there. Following is a quote from an article in the New York Times: “It was always open late, way past the time the pizza place next door closed at midnight. The women who emerged from it- often poor blacks and Hispanics- appeared dazed and in pain, and sometimes left in ambulances. The doctor who ran the clinic, Kermit Gosnell, had been sued at least 15 times for malpractice. Two women died while under his care.”

Finally, in January of this year, a grand jury convened to rule on the crimes committed by Gosnell and his team. In an article which came out yesterday, they criticized two medical facilities run by the University of Pennsylvania Health System for not reporting obvious health violations. Over the years they had been on the receiving end of botched abortions done by Gosnell, and yet only a handful were reported to the state or local officials. Those same officials were also condemned for ignoring those cases that were brought to their attention.

No report was given for Marie Smith when it was discovered that Gosnell had left parts of her unborn child inside of her, or Dana Hayes when she appeared in the emergency room with a perforated cervix, uterus and bowel in addition to having fetal body parts left behind as well. Even the death of Karnamaya Monger was not appalling enough to generate a complaint. This is in spite of a mandate that such cases must be reported to the state at the risk of a physician losing his or her license.

Our government is always loudly proclaiming their role as the defender of the poor and helpless. Where were they for all those years as Kermit Gosnell violently butchered women and children? The poorest of the poor left his hell-hole degraded and shamed, many never able to have children again. Despite the overwhelming evidence, everyone turned a blind eye for over 30 years! God only knows how many late-term babies, old enough to live outside the womb, were cruelly slaughtered during that time.

And, now, with all these recent reports of Planned Parenthood turning a blind eye (not just once, but over and over again) to young girls being violated in sexual slavery, our government pretends it didn’t even happen! No, they declare, we must keep this “fine” organization funded so that poor women can get their birth control pills and imaginary mammograms.  We are just supposed to hold our noses against the stench of later and later term abortions and health violations wafting out from under their doors. Kermit Gosnell should be a warning to us of what happens when society keeps its eyes shut!  Apparently, for some in our government, Planned Parenthood’s campaign funds provide enough incentive to look the other way.

Citizens in nations all through the ages have been held accountable for the travesties going on around them but chose to ignore. A classic example was the Germans who lived near the concentration camps and the stench of the ovens, yet denied they knew what was happening. In today’s world of instant communication it is harder to deny that we know the truth. Especially as ultrasounds takes us on amazing journeys into the womb. It may not happen in this world, but eventually we will all be held accountable for what we know and did or did not do.

The vote on whether to remove funding from Planned Parenthood takes place in the Senate on Thursday. Please call your Senators and urge them to vote for defunding this organization, the top provider of abortion in our nation. If you live in Nebraska, Senator Nelson’s Omaha office number is 402-391-3411, and Senator Johann’s Omaha office is 402-758-8981.

Keeping it true!  Barb