No Matter What Happens: I Will Put My Trust in God Alone!

I am purposely beginning this blog before the Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare is announced.  I tend to get anxious about these kinds of things.  This decision will have dire ramifications on the abortion situation in our nation.  If free abortions become the rule of law with our healthcare, the slaughter of the unborn will reach epic proportions. Unless we have a president and a legislative body that are committed to the protection of ALL life, we cannot allow government to control our healthcare. (And, even then, I am against it, but that is not the topic for this blog.)

I wish with all my heart that the lives of the unborn were not left in the hands of nine justices or elected officials. Life and death for the innocent should never be determined by politics or public opinion. However, at this point in our history, we have taught women that they should always put themselves first. If they get pregnant, and that pregnancy interferes with their life, it is no big deal to get rid of it. And, tragically, even if they go to church, they are not hearing much to contradict that belief.

Yes, there is a pro-life conviction growing in this nation. I am grateful for that. Of course, it gets harder to deny the humanity of the unborn child when we see amazing ultrasound images everywhere, even on television commercials. And yet, at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling, we have found that when it comes down to individuals facing their own decision of whether to abort or not, pro-life convictions are often tossed out the window.  Many give lip service to the sanctity of life in the womb, but all too often it doesn’t win out in the battle for personal convenience or happiness.

Well, it is 9:00, and I am going to go over to a blog I am following to see what the Supreme Court has decided. When I come back, I will comment on their decision. Whatever it is, my trust is completely in Jesus!

I’m sure you’ve heard, but the Court upheld ObamaCare, by a vote of 5-4. The surprise (shock, actually) was that Chief Justice Roberts, up until now a conservative, voted with the liberal judges. The site I was at states that it is a very complicated decision and one which will be examined and pulled apart to fully determine what it means.

I must confess that my heart is heavy. However, in one way I guess this decision was good for me. I am closer now to not trusting in the law or the courts to save us in this nation, because they couldn’t even if they wanted to. It is up to us, the people of God, to do it! We need to fall on our faces in repentance and seek God with all of our hearts.

I no longer pray for my own sake in these matters, or for our country as a whole. We deserve everything that we have gotten. As Scripture says, we have reaped what we have sown. Millions of unborn babies have died and we sit in our living rooms and watch television programs which teach our children that sex with whomever you want whenever you want it is an acceptable thing.  The debauchery grows worse, but our churches are silent. God have mercy!

No, these days I pray on behalf of the innocent. I pray for those who cannot speak for themselves, but will be slaughtered if things do not change. I pray for the sake of the elderly who will not receive life-saving care because it is cheaper to watch them die than to perform an operation. I pray on behalf of the families who will be forced to either abort their handicapped child or face a life without insurance. I believe that it is only on that basis that God will listen and bring about the revival that we so desperately need.

I have absolutely no patience any longer for believers who would vote for a leader who has made it their mission to destroy unborn children.  No, our hope is not in Washington, but we do have a responsibility to actively seek to put moral and God-fearing men and women into positions of power. I don’t believe that the president or Congress can save us, but I do know that government in the hands of the wrong people can cause a lot of damage and kill a lot of people. We will be held accountable if we sit back and allow injustice to reign!

I am angry today. I am mad, first of all, that I allowed myself to place so much hope in the opinion of nine people. I am immersed in the travesty of abortion and what it is doing in the lives of women everyday, and if I did not know Jesus, I would have given up long ago in horror at what we are allowing to happen. It is so ugly that some nights I find it difficult to sleep. If not for the grace of God, I could not go on.

I think that this is a season for anger. It is a time when we must decide what we are as a people. I, for one, am going to commit myself to the campaigns of those whom I think need to win in November. I am going to work to get them into office. I am going to fast and pray for major changes to occur in the election. However, my trust is going to remain in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, no matter what the outcome might be!

Keeping it true!  Barb

The Supreme Court and ObamaCare: How Will Their Decision Affect Abortion?

I’m sure you’ve heard all the “buzz” about the expectations that the Supreme Court will announce their decision concerning the national healthcare plan (ObamaCare) on Thursday.  Speculation is running high as to what they will do. There seem to be three main choices: strike down the whole bill, keep the whole bill,  or eliminate the individual mandate (the portion of the bill which requires individuals to purchase health insurance.) Of course, it is within possibility that they could also tear the whole thing apart and eliminate some aspects of the bill while allowing others to stand.

I read an article this morning by a man named Robert Knight, who is a senior fellow for the American Civil Rights Union. The lines of his that caught my eye were: “The U.S. Supreme Court is about to rule on the law’s constitutionality, and it’s far more important than it should be. That’s because Americans already have ceded too much power to government on all levels. Think about it. A nation of more than 310 million people is waiting with bated breath on nine people in black robes. How did this happen?“

How indeed? As I have mentioned many times before, I am far from being an expert in government or the law. However, I have been shocked many times in the last few years by the audaciousness of our government in their removal of rights. Several of the most egregious examples have stemmed directly from ObamaCare.

The first was the order that religious organizations had to provide free contraceptives to their employees. The second was the fact that when the healthcare bill is fully implemented that many of us will be expected to pay a surcharge to cover the cost of abortion. These came as a slap to the face, especially after the government’s continual declaration that taxpayers would NEVER have to pay for the killing of unborn children. Now, no one really believed that to be true, but the bold, in your face nature of the recent mandates were still like a kick in the gut.

So, how will the Supreme Court’s decision, no matter what it is, impact abortion? Well, first of all, abortion is sprinkled into so many areas of the law that the whole thing really needs to disappear in order for us to at least be free from paying for abortion. Unborn children will not be safe until abortion is outlawed completely, which will not occur no matter how the ruling comes down. However, if ObamaCare allows abortions to be paid for by insurance (or, in time, to be as free as contraceptives) millions more will die. I am as sure of that fact as I am of my name.

No, the whole ugly healthcare mess needs to go away or nothing will really change. And, in all actuality, we need to dig way deeper than just stopping ObamaCare. For, if the thinking in our nation isn’t radically altered, we will continue to face legislation of this type over and over again.

In an article called, “Will Supreme Court Have the Last Word?“, Judie Brown, president of the American Life League asked, “How did we become a culture where only some people matter, where life is so devalued that we could kill a person and barely even think about it?” She goes on to say that no matter what the Supreme Court decides, if we do not address this deep root, things are going to get worse.

Judie Brown continues, echoing a sentiment that is also my own: “As we are already well aware, federal law does not protect all of its citizens. It currently discriminates against a class of persons not yet born and a growing class of persons who are frail, vulnerable, and dependent upon others for their care… It is this skewed perspective on the actual rights of persons and their intrinsic human rights that will not change regardless of what the Supreme Court rules on ObamaCare.”

So what can we do? I don’t think the answer lies with the government, but the last four years have shown me how much damage the wrong leader can do. Before Obama, I truly did not think that the person in the White House made a significant difference; that it was the Congress that had the greatest impact on the law.  I have been proven wrong. Right now I have a deep conviction that if Obama is re-elected in November,  our nation will go spiralling out of control and that millions of defenseless people, unborn, sick, and elderly, will die instead of receiving the care they need.

Of course, as a Christian, I believe that God is the only possible change agent. Tragically, however, there are a growing number of people in the church who think that abortion is an acceptable option at times. Even church leaders, who think killing unborn children is wrong, do not preach about it out of fear of offending people or because they think the “topic” is too political. I fear for them, for I know that one day we will all have to answer to God for why we did not stop the slaughter of the innocent.

So, what should we hope for on Thursday? I have been praying that the whole law will be struck down and tossed out. However, unless we make a complete change in November, with a new president as well as a new Senate, a new law will soon raise its ugly head. And it will probably be worse, since there will no longer be a looming election to restrain the White House.

What can you do? Pray, educate yourself and others, and vote. In practical terms, ask God what He would have you do to stop the slaughter. Come volunteer with us at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling, or pray outside the abortion clinic. Even if it seems impossible to stop all abortions, it is very possible to save the life of an individual child.

Keeping it true!  Barb

The Make Believe War Against Female Private Body Parts

Okay, I want to mention right off the bat that I am not “afraid” of the V-word. I am very happy to be a woman and glad to embrace everything that being a woman entails. I consider myself to be a well-balanced individual with a realization that my sexual nature is only one component of what makes me who I am. It is also a part of myself that I choose to keep private. That does mean I am repressed or embarrassed; in fact, I think it makes me a mature, healthy adult. And I don’t say the V-word because I don’t like to be vulgar or offensive. Why do I say this? Please read on.

In case you haven’t heard about it, there was a blow-up in the Michigan legislature last week over a proposed bill (which was overwhelmingly passed!) to protect women getting abortions, as well as to outlaw the killing of unborn children over 20 weeks. A legislator named Lisa Brown got up and began talking about her Jewish faith and the customs that she follows, such as using different plates for different foods. Then she asked, “I have not asked you to adopt and adhere to my religious beliefs. Why are you asking me to adopt yours?“

Well, this was confusing in and of itself, since nothing that was being proposed had anything to do with religion.  The bill contained some measures to insure that women getting abortions were fully protected from being coercion, that clinics had to adhere to tougher regulations for the protection of patients, and the banning of both webcam abortions and on abortions of babies over 20 weeks. There was, however, nothing at all proposed which had anything even remotely to do with ultrasounds. Please keep this in mind as I proceed.

After Ms. Brown was finished expounding on her Jewish faith, she continued on with this statement: “And finally Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered that you are so interested in my vagina, but ‘no’ means ‘no’.” To which most of the elected officials (at least those taking this discussion of life and death matters seriously) had to shake their heads and think, “What in the world is this woman talking about?” Because, seriously, she was being ludicrous. In fact, the Speaker found her remarks so out of line and tasteless, that he censored her and prohibited her from speaking for one day.

(In case you are confused, and I can see where you would be, pro-abortion advocates have been attempting to compare early vaginal ultrasounds with rape.  They claim that when states make it mandatory for a woman to see an ultrasound before her abortion, that is equal to a man attacking her and forcing himself upon her. So, to the best I can understand it, Ms. Brown was somehow trying to bring the whole rape issue to the forefront in Michigan, even though they were not discussing ultrasound. Hence the comment, “no means no.” Got it? Me neither.)

Of course, pro-abortion forces love it when they can take the focus off of unborn children and onto some convoluted way that they are being “violated” instead. In this case, Lisa Brown began to declare loud and long that the reason she was being censured was not because she was totally out of line (as well as very confusing) but because she used the sacred V-word. According to her, the men in the chamber could not handle that word being uttered.

Suddenly there was a large mob of women on the steps of the legislature, all holding vulgar signs talking about how men are afraid to have them mention their private parts by name (as if that means anything except that they are gentlemen.) And, to add to all that, there was a full-blown production of a disturbing little play called “The Vagina Monologues.” Of course, this whole idiotic affair blows up into one of the biggest news events of the week.

Seriously, I do not understand this adult fixation with body parts. I thought that was something we were supposed to leave behind when we left adolescence. How is a group of adult women talking about their body parts any better than men talking about their’s? If the roles were reversed and it was a play about the prominent male sex organ, wouldn’t they have been dragged away under obscenity charges? (And rightfully so?)

However, it was a comment made by Eve Ensler, the author of the play mentioned above, that really brought the issue to the forefront. She told the Associated Press: “If we ever knew deep in our hearts that the issue about abortion… was not really about fetuses and babies, but really men’s terror of women’s sexuality and power, I think it’s fully evidenced here.” What, by a make-believe situation that was totally misconstrued and taken out of context? By a women, an elected official, who was trying to be “clever,” but was actually out of line and got a slap on the wrist? This would be laughingly ridiculous if it did not impact the lives of millions of innocent children. And, besides, it isn’t funny: at most it is sadly pathetic!

Tragically, I know that crowd was full of women who have themselves aborted children and are spending their lives trying to justify their actions. It was also filled with individuals whose lives are empty and are trying to find fulfillment in all the wrong ways. There were probably even victims of abuse. Sadly, some of them do truly believe that pro-lifers are attacking them and their rights, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Abortion is about tiny little boys and girls being denied a chance at life. PERIOD! It is about us as human beings thinking we have the right to decide who should be born and who should not. Pro-lifers are not concerned with controlling anyone. They are simply trying to protect innocent unborn life.

I fully expect more and more histrionic demonstrations as the abortion battle heats up. Those who support abortion know that as long as the focus is on life in the womb, they are doomed to failure. In order to succeed, they have to make it a battle against women. Pray for them. Pray for us. They need Jesus. We need the killing to stop!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Honoring the Victims of Abortion

It is always a tragic moment when we realize that a woman we have cried with, and prayed with, and done all we could to help her to realize the humanity of her child, tells us that she has aborted. Often, it was not really her decision. The circumstances in her life sometimes threaten to crush her beneath their weight, and a baby seems to be the final blow. Often, it is not until long after the abortion that she realizes the loss of her child only adds to her list of regrets. Nothing good can come from causing the death of a child.

In our work at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling, we see a lot of really tough situations.  Years upon years of bad decisions, sometimes rising out of a home life which dooms them from the start, can take a horrible toll. As much as we sometimes hate to see new, innocent life brought into the midst of such turmoil and pain, we know without a doubt that death is never the solution.  Every life is created for a purpose, and God can transform even the worst situations into something good.

Over 80% of the women who come to us intending to abort decide against it once they have gone through our process. Our goal is to give them the information and hope that they need to carry their baby to term. We truly believe that no woman wants to abort her child. Sometimes she just doesn’t feel that she has any other choice.

My co-worker often uses the quote: “A woman doesn’t want an abortion like she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. A woman wants an abortion like an animal caught in a trap wants to chew off its leg.” In our experience, that is really true. There are some women who have had several abortions who now enter into it with cold eyes and a “so what?” attitude. However, that is rarely true the first time it occurs. Unfortunately, human beings are capable of horrendous things once they have allowed their hearts to be hardened.

I am so glad to see laws being passed in many states that require women to see an ultrasound of their child before they can abort. We’ve personally seen the power of seeing a tiny beating heart, or tiny arms and legs moving around can have on a woman. Suddenly, her “pregnancy” becomes her “baby.” Supporters of abortion fight against these laws, arguing that an ultrasound is manipulative and puts unfair pressure on the woman. I would argue back that knowing what her child looks like before it is destroyed is every woman’s right.

We have heard of several cases where women have aborted a baby at a certain stage. Then, later in their lives they become pregnant with a baby they want and go in for an ultrasound. On that screen, they come face to face with a baby the same age as they one they aborted. Suddenly, the truth of what they have done hits them with brutal force and they are sent spiraling into a cycle of regret and pain. Had they been shown the ultrasound years earlier, before their abortion, they would have been spared the pain as well as having one more child to love.

Last night, we held a service at the center that has become very precious to us.  We lit a candle for each precious child that we knew had been aborted by women who had come through our doors. These were babies we had prayed for and agonized over; little ones we had seen on the ultrasound screen and instantly loved.  We took time to remember them as a way of honoring their value and worth, knowing that we may very well be the only ones who do.

We do this as much for ourselves as we do for them. Sometimes the pain we experience can almost be too much to bear. It should always break our hearts when life is needlessly thrown away and treated like garbage. We see the mothers treated as little more than rubbish themselves, and we long to show them a better way. We share about Jesus with each one that lets us, but we cannot make them believe or see the truth.

My work at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling has solidified in me an awe for the beauty and miracle of life. Seeing tiny hearts beating away at five or six weeks after conception, and knowing that the same heart will continue to sustain life as long as it continues is a staggering concept. Each child is so unique, created by God for His purposes. We all lose when one of them dies; we will never have a chance to know all that they might have accomplished.

No one should ever pass into death without being remembered by someone. Each life deserves to be honored. That is why we lit our candles last night. Now we can be at peace and leave them safely in the arms of Jesus, as we continue on with our work to save more.

Keeping it true!  Barb

What Happens When Adults Fail to Protect Children?

There have been two big stories running simultaneously in the news lately. One deals with Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State assistant football coach, and the accusations of several boys who stated that he sexually assaulted them. The other is about a man in Texas who beat a man to death when he caught him in the act of molesting his daughter.  I have found the public reactions to each to be both disturbing and fascinating.

There are a myriad of things that disturb me greatly about the Jerry Sandusky case. As I hear about the court proceedings, I get sick thinking about this arrogant man, big and powerful (at least in his own eyes) stoically sitting there while young men whose lives have been torn apart by his abuse tearfully pour out their stories. Most of their cases are identical: as young boys, without the protection of a father in their homes, they joined Sandusky’s non-profit organization, which had been formed to help underprivileged children. Sandusky was held up in the community as an outstanding individual because of his willingness to help such young people. As it turns out, it appears that it was a place for him to find young boys that he wanted to seduce.

The really tragic thing to me in all this was the number of other adults that either saw or heard about the abuse, but did almost nothing to stop it. A former player witnessed Sandusky pinning a young boy against the wall in the shower. Several hours later he did tell university authorities about it, but why didn’t he rush in and stop it? A janitor at the school witnessed the former coach forcing oral sex upon a young boy. Again, why didn’t he physically come to the child’s defense?

These two boys have continued to live their lives knowing that there was a witness to their abuse, but that NOTHING ever happened to stop it. What a helpless, horrible feeling that must have been. Another young man did go to the authorities, but they refused to believe him because Jerry Sandusky was such a revered person in the community. I find these revelations to be mind staggering!

Fortunately, Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, both officials with Penn State, have come under charges for “perjury” and “failure to report” for their refusal to inform authorities of Coach Sandusky’s activities. In fact, a secret file just recently surfaced which contained specific documents concerning Sandusky’s crimes. It was unearthed by university officials and handed over to authorities. In addition, Penn State also gave over incriminating e-mails which contradict Schultz’s and Curley’s testimony before the grand jury. These may prove that university officials had evidence of what was going on but did nothing!

Finally, justice seems to be reaching these poor victims, but at what cost? For some of them, the abuse went on for years. They were the helpless victims of a powerful man and never saw anyone intervene or come to their defense. What does that do to a young person? Will they ever be able to recover? Thankfully, with God’s healing, all things are possible. I just pray they find Him.

Now, by contrast, we have the father in Texas that heard his 4-year-old daughter screaming in their barn. Running to her defense, the man saw his little girl being sexually assaulted.  The father proceeded to repeatedly hit the alleged attacker. As a result of the beating, the man  died.

Please don’t misunderstand me: I am NOT condoning individuals taking justice into their own hands. However, coming to the defense of an innocent child is certainly a more commendable response than standing by and doing nothing. What would we think about this father if he had just run into the house and called the police while the man continued to attack his little girl? Or, worse, if he had just looked the other way? What if the attacker had been an important and powerful person? Would that make non-action more understandable?

Attacks upon the innocent and defenseless should offend us! They certainly offend God. The Bible has some of its sternest warnings for those who fail to protect “little ones,” or lead them astray.  Has something happened to our sense of justice for those who cannot defend themselves? In the Sandusky case, action is finally being taken. However, that is not the case with so many other defenseless ones.

I have written several times about abused women and girls around the world. Some countries have killed so many females, either in the womb or after birth, that the number of men are starting to greatly outnumber the amount of women. And, then, of course, there is abortion in general. You can’t get any more innocent or defenseless than a child in the womb.

Some of you might be asking what abortion has to do with the victimized boys in the Sandusky case. Maybe nothing, but I can’t help but think that once we begin to close off our hearts to the death of the innocent, that a tragic hardening occurs. We get tired of the pictures and stories, and begin to justify that the woman is more important than the child, or that these Penn State officials were justified because they had their jobs and the welfare of the university to consider. We become uncomfortable with the moral implications and turn on our televisions and let ourselves be entertained instead.

It is vital that we allow our eyes to be reopened to the plight of the innocent, in whatever form it takes. Life is one big continuum, from the first heartbeat until the last. In or out of the womb, innocent life needs to be protected.  God help our society if we don’t!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Leaving the “Industry of Death”

I have never really understood how people could work in the abortion industry. In my work at the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling, I watch ultrasounds of unborn babies almost everyday. What we find there is so obviously human life, even at the tiniest stages, that I cannot understand how people could ever make a living tearing those lives apart. How can they live with themselves?

Abby Johnson (pictured at left) helped me to understand how someone could get sucked into the death industry with perfectly good intentions. Her best-selling book, Unplanned, tells how she started out as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood, desirous to make a difference in the lives of women who were struggling with poverty and single motherhood. Abby says she believed in abortion only as a last resort and as something that should be only used in rare occasions. In fact, she was convinced that if she did her job of selling women on contraceptives correctly, that she was actually doing pro-life work in preventing conception to begin with.

As she climbed higher and higher up the ladder at Planned Parenthood, she finally became a clinic director. Suddenly her desire to keep abortions “rare” was challenged time and again as those at the top kept demanding that her center find a way to increase the number of abortions they were providing. Killing unborn children was the big cash cow for Planned Parenthood, and they needed to do more of them in order to keep afloat. Especially challenging for Abby was the mandate that her center must start performing later-term abortions, something she was against.

However, the turning point for Abby was the day she was called in to assist with an 13-week abortion. They needed someone to hold the ultrasound monitor on the woman’s abdomen so that the abortionist could be guided by it to find the baby. She recalls clearly seeing the head, arms, legs and even tiny fingers and toes on the ultrasound screen.

Abby relates her horror at watching the tiny baby struggle and fight for its life as the suction cannulae began to do its deadly work. Suddenly, the force tore the child apart and it was gone! The reality of abortion hit Abby like a sledge-hammer. At that moment she began to make plans to leave the industry.

All through her tenure at Planned Parenthood, Abby had been greeted each day by the sidewalk counselors outside the clinic gates. She grew to know them by name, just as they knew hers. Occasionally she would go out to speak to them. They always treated her with love and told her they were praying for her.

Once Abby chose to leave PP, she knew she needed to go to the very people she had considered her adversaries. She was convinced they would help her because they had assured her of that fact many times. Through them, she found new life in Jesus as well as legal counsel and assistance in finding a new job. Now, Abby Johnson is attempting to do the same for other abortion clinic workers.

On a Web Broadcast last evening (Monday, June 11, 2012) Abby and others made the announcement about a new organization which has begun called “And Then There Were None” (ATTWN.) Their goal is to do exactly what the pro-lifers did for her three years before: provide the love and support needed for workers in the abortion industry to leave. They estimate that there are over 9,000 of these individuals nation-wide, and they desire to help all of them to break free from assisting with unborn death.

Abby recognizes from her own case that prayer is the key to softening the hearts of those in the industry. Obviously, individuals have to become hardened to the truth in order to kill little children. Abortion workers have to put the bodily remains back together after each procedure in order to make sure there is nothing left to cause infection. They can clearly recognize little arms and legs and heads. Only prayer can soften their hearts of stone and cause them to leave.

There are many individuals who have left the abortion industry over the years. The majority of them attribute their change to Christ and His saving work in their lives. As hard as it sometimes is to pray for the Leroy Carharts (Bellevue’s notorious abortionist who has killed thousands of early and later term babies) of this world, it is only through prayer and love that he will ever change. Christ longs to save all people, not just those whom we consider worthy.

Abby’s new organization has already seen 17 workers leave the abortion industry. She wants to provide support in four areas: spiritual, emotional, legal and financial. Abby was slapped by a restraining order and lawsuit by Planned Parenthood when she left. The pro-lifers she went to helped her with legal counsel. They also assisted her to find employment. She wants to do the same, leaving workers with no excuse not to make the change.

If you would like to find out more about Abby’s new organization, you can go to her new website at http://www.attwn.org . You can find out ways that you can pray and even give financially so that they can assist workers in any way they need help.

Another way you can help is to reach out to abortion workers in the area where you live.  Find out the name of the organizations that do sidewalk counseling, and then join them when they are out. (A group in Omaha that has been doing this with excellence for years is Vital Signs. Check them out at Vitalsigns@vitalsignsministries.org)  Reach out in love to the workers as they go through the doors. Let them know you are praying for them. As Abby points out, once there is no one left to work at abortion clinics, they will no longer be able to kill unborn children. What a glorious day that will be!

Keeping it true!  Barb

Fetal Genome Testing: Life Saving Information or Seek and Destroy?

Imagine a world where parents can choose a designer baby. Let’s see: I want a boy with brown hair and blue eyes, around 6 feet tall and very athletic. Wait, let’s pick the one with no allergies or tendencies toward depression. Yes, we will build ourselves the perfect child!

Impossible? Well, maybe the situation I presented was a little too extreme, but not by much. A paper, published Wednesday, June 6, in a journal called Science Translational Medicine, states that they have discovered a technique which can allow thousands of genetic diseases to be detected prenatally. And, that is only the start. Some scientists predict that use of similar measures can tell us almost every trait about an unborn child.

Genome scientists at the University of Washington used high-speed DNA sequencing to deduce the DNA sequence of fetuses with about 98% accuracy. The technique was relatively non-evasive, using blood samples from the expectant mother and saliva samples from the father. This is good news since it takes the place of more invasive procedures which required placental tissue, and involved a risk of miscarriage. The potential devastating news is determining what the testing will be used for. Will it be used to educate parents and physicians so they will be prepared with medical care for the child once he or she is born, or will it increase the rate at which less than perfect children are aborted?

The discovery which has unleashed this type of testing was that DNA fragments from the unborn child can be found in the blood system of the pregnant mother. This discovery did not come about until the 1990′s. Since that time, new commercially available tests have been developed to use the mother’s blood to determine gender, paternity and Down Syndrome. Now comes a snapshot of the entire genome system. What will be next?

“There are some scenarios that are extremely troubling,” stated Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society. “The tests could spur questions on who deserves to be born.”

Indeed, we already find ourselves in the midst of that. Every week I read stories about parents who were pressured by physicians to abort their children because of suspected medical conditions. In fact, the Washington researchers who wrote the paper stated themselves, “Our capacity to generate data is outstripping our ability to interpret ways that are useful to physicians and patients. That is, although the noninvasive prediction of a fetal genome may be technically feasible, its interpretation… will remain a major challenge.”

In other words, scientists will see predictors that a condition might exist, but how much it might affect the child’s health will often be up to interpretation. Therefore, parents could be told that their son and daughter has indicators for a disease, but no one will know for sure how it will actually affect them until they are born. Thousands of babies are already aborted because of suspected conditions. How many more will this new test add to those numbers?

Expectant parents are easy prey to fear. Every pregnant mother worries about having a healthy, happy child. When a medical “expert” informs parents that their unborn child might have a deadly condition which might cause them great pain, suddenly their worst fears have come true. Abortion is presented as the “loving and painless” alternative. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Presently these tests cannot be performed until around 18 weeks in the pregnancy. That is almost halfway! Think about the ultrasound you saw with your baby when you discovered it was a boy or a girl. Wasn’t it amazing to see their fully formed little bodies: arms, legs, heart, spinal cord, even brains, developed and in motion? Many states have outlawed abortions beyond 20 weeks because of expert testimony of the pain that unborn children can feel at that stage. Is it really more kind to brutally tear the child apart than to risk a “possible” disease?

I am also very concerned about ObamaCare, if the Supreme Court allows it to stand and Obama is re-elected. It has been shown in Britain and Canada, that when the government takes over healthcare, it begins to crack down on the conditions it will treat. I truly believe that parents who discover that their unborn child has a possible medical condition and allow that child to be born could find themselves without insurance coverage for that little boy or girl. Genome testing could become a dangerous game of seek and destroy!

The abortion mindset in our nation continues to spiral downward. I’ve encountered far too many women willing to destroy perfectly healthy babies for their own financial security and comfort. Therefore, I have no doubt that abortion will increase as more and more possible medical conditions are discovered in the womb. Sadly, it may also come to a point where people feel they have no choice.

Abortion on demand needs to end in this nation. The numbers who say they are against it are rising. However, unless they are willing to vote their convictions, it will not matter. The more things we accept, the worse it will become. If things don’t change, we haven’t even begun to see the destruction of unborn life that will occur!

Keeping it true!  Barb

The President and Planned Parenthood- Unethical Partners?

(For those of you who read this earlier blog by a different name- for some reason Facebook would not publish it, so I changed the name and reposted. My apologies to you!)

What a shocker! Planned Parenthood announced they were kicking off a $1.4 million dollar ad campaign in support of President Obama’s re-election. I’m upset enough that my tax payer money goes to fund this corrupt abortion giant to the tune of one billion dollars a year, without a huge portion of it going to re-elect the biggest supporter of the death of unborn children this country has ever seen. Isn’t there something hugely unethical about all of this?

Let’s consider all the facts. First, Obama absolutely refuses to allow any state to remove funding from Planned Parenthood. He states that the reason is because that would mean that poor women would be denied crucial healthcare. However, the facts are that each state has a full plan in place to fund other organizations which not only provide cancer screenings and medical care, but do it better than Planned Parenthood would  (since PP does not do mammograms!) Does that little fact matter to our president? No! Planned Parenthood has to be funded or federal funding will be cut off!

I guess this all makes sense since the two have so much in common. Both the president and PP believe that abortion is justified, no matter what the reason or how far along the pregnancy is. They both stood firmly against the recent attempt by Congress to protect baby girls from being killed in the womb simply for being girls. And, of course, let’s not forget that Obama voted against protecting babies who survived failed abortions back when he was a representative back in Illinois. Look up the word “zealot;” it certainly applies to him as far as abortion is concerned.

Next, the president absolutely refused to budge as far as Planned Parenthood funding was concerned during the last budget debates. And, there has been absolutely no response from the White House concerning the scandals with his pet organization with such “petty” issues as sex slavery and sexual abuse. No, unrestricted abortions and Planned Parenthood are the sacred cows that must be kept well fed and happy, no matter how great the stink of corruption grows!

Of course, Obama may be a little frightened of Planned Parenthood. They have certainly proven what vicious bullies they can be. Just ask the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Remember what happened when they tried to end funding of PP in January? (If you’ve forgotten, you can read up on it in my blog from Feb. 2, 2012, called “Komen’s Decision Clarified: Planned Parenthood Does Not Do Mammograms“)

Of course, the most compelling reason for our president to support Planned Parenthood is that they are one of his biggest financial supporters. Now, I admit that I am not a legal expert, but how is it ethical for our government to pour a billion dollars at an organization, only to have that group dump millions more back into getting them re-elected? Maybe that happens all the time with lots of groups, but to me that has a very bad smell.

Plus, aren’t they a non-profit organization? I didn’t think non-profits were allowed to endorse candidates. Maybe they justify it by stating that they are attacking Romney, whom they claim is attacking them. Actually, in their ad, PP falsely states that Mitt Romney is out to destroy them as an organization. In reality, he has only claimed to be against them receiving government funding. And, PP couches that all by stating that he is “an enemy of women’s healthcare,” like that is something which would disappear if they went out of business.

Let me make this clear: reproductive matters are only a small drop in the bucket of all that can be placed in the massive category of “Women’s Health.” And, from reading Planned Parenthood’s own website, the only things they really is perform pap smears and breast exams, dispense contraceptives and destroy unborn children. PERIOD! As women, we should be insulted that we have been reduced to nothing but sexual, reproductive beings, when we are actually so much more than that.

We are facing a civil war in this nation. The Catholic bishops are preparing their leaders for massive civil disobedience if the mandate to force them to dispense free contraceptives goes into effect in August. The Catholic Church has filed 12 lawsuits against the unjust law and will take action if it is not rescinded.

In addition, in spite of Obama’s stance, states continue to pass laws cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood. There is little doubt that the president will continue to face them down and cut off federal funding like he did in Texas. Will a revolt come from that direction as well?

The battle lines are very clear. In the fall, it will be the choice between Obama and not only totally unrestricted abortion, but loss of unborn life paid for by citizens regardless of their convictions, and Mitt Romney and a chance at stopping the rampage of death. If there is not a change, Planned Parenthood will continue to grow in power, which will result in even greater corruption. Is that what we want?  God help us if we make the wrong choice!

(By the way, please pray for the elections in Wisconsin today. Even though the results are not  obviously about life issues, many issues of freedom are at stake. Many experts are saying that it could be indicative of how things will go in November!)

Keeping it true!  Barb

You CAN Go Home Again!

I grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. It is also where my grandmother spent almost 40 years of her life. The last part of my book, Soft Like Steel, takes place there. It was the city where my dear grandmother struggled to raise 8 children on her own!

I traveled to Iowa City on Thursday night. Before going to my parent’s home, I met with some high school friends who heard about the book and asked me to join them for dinner. That meant a lot to me. They were so supportive (and even bought some books!)

Friday morning, my mother and I went on the radio with a wonderful lady named Dotty Ray. She has been doing a 15-minute radio program in Iowa City for over 50 years! Dotty knew my grandmother and graciously had us on her program to talk about the book. Her expertise made it a smooth and delightful time!

After the program, my mother and I made our way downtown in order to ask a couple of local bookstores to carry the book. I have never done anything like this before and confess I was a little nervous. However, as I’ve learned many times in my life, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

At Prairie Lights Bookstore, a local store that everyone assured me was where most people in town went for books, the guy at the front looked rather bored when I told him what I needed. However, the owner, when he saw the name of the book, practically grabbed it out of my hand. “I need that book!” he said. “Ever since the article was in the Press Citizen (I had an editorial about my grandmother published on Mother’s Day) I’ve had calls about this!”

You could have knocked me over in my surprise! I gave him my publisher’s business card and went on my rather stunned way.  Our next stop was the University Book Store. I wasn’t originally going to stop there, but Dotty Ray told me I should since they sponsored her program. So in we went!

Again, the first guy we approached looked skeptical and bored by my request. In fact, he told me that the guy I needed to talk to was on vacation and I would need to come back next week. I was about to leave, when another guy came over, took a look at the cover and told him they’d been getting calls and needed the book. A second man came over and took my information. For a second time, I was quite stunned!

I haven’t really begun to seek out interviews in Omaha. However, because of Iowa City, I am just going to go for it! After all, the worst anyone can say is “no.” And, at best, they may just be excited!

Above all, on Friday I had a very sweet day with my family. Several of them gathered at lunch to get their copies signed and to reminisce on my grandmother’s life. They were so excited and thrilled with the book that I was overwhelmed! After all, I wrote the book so that her story would not be forgotten and that future generations would know their rich heritage. As much as I would love to share her story with the whole world, if nothing else happens all the work will have been well worth it!

I hope you can come to the Book Launch Party on Monday, June 4 at the Rock Bottom in the Old Market. (See events on this site for details!) I will have books for sale and for signing, plus more information on my family and heritage. I would love to see you there!

Barb