Tuesday, October 17, 2017

40 Days for Life, 2017, Ottawa Ontario - Midpoint Rally

 
Thank you Archbishop Prendergast for your support


Wanda’s talk
Abby Johnson, former abortion worker, worked as a clinic director of a Planned
Parent office in Texas for 8 years until she resigned in 2009. She tells her story of
the day she was asked to assist with an abortion and, while watching it progress on
the ultrasound machine, she reacted in horror as a baby of 13 weeks gestation
fought and struggled for his life and then died.
People don’t think about abortion, because they don’t see it. – Abby saw it and it
changed her life.
Nobody grows up wanting to work in the abortion industry.
Abortion exploits women. Motherhood empowers women. Women need to be
empowered, not exploited.
We’re fighting for life, because we believe in love. The love that God has for each
person He creates. Every life is worth fighting for. All life, born and unborn,
should be valued, from conception to natural death. Every single life should be
shown dignity.
There’s something empowering in rebelling against our culture by showing less of
our skin and more of our brains. A belief in their own self-worth is something
young girls in our society lack. The media sends out the message that we must
have perfect bodies and be sexually desirable and active, in order to feel
worthwhile and be taken seriously.
When you hear or read stories about women who have had abortions, you can
sense the sadness in their stories. Often the girl feels she has no other choice and at
times, she is actually taken to the abortuary and not given a choice.
To prepare for tonight I have been reading magazine articles, submitted by women
who had abortions. There is a heaviness in their stories.
Many of them said abortion was the first thought that came to mind when they
found out they had an unexpected pregnancy. Because it meant their lives, as they
knew it, would be changed forever. Most of them were filled with apprehension.
But they went ahead with their abortions anyways, and then they spoke about the
repercussions: the depression, the sleepless nights, the drinking... They felt
ashamed about their inability to ‘just deal with it’ as they think other women do.
 
Society tells young women that abortion will solve their problem. It says nothing
about the problems abortion creates.

In every abortion a child dies. The child’s death is intended.
The World Health Organization estimates that one in five pregnancies worldwide
end in abortion, with over 42 million abortions in the world each year. (estimate
for 2003). There is no question that our entire society has been negatively affected.
Abortion throughout the world, has been legalized because of two basic lies. The
first lie is that abortion only destroys a “bunch of cells,” not a human life. The
second lie is, abortion is safe, and it helps women control and improve their lives.
During the last few decades, the pro-life movement has concentrated its efforts on
dispelling this first lie. Much effort has been spent on advertising campaigns,
books, brochures, and films such as the powerful “Silent Scream,” to educate the
public about the humanity of the unborn child.
These educational efforts have achieved great success. In a LifeCanada Poll done
in 2011, a strong majority, 72% of Canadians want to see some protection for
human life in the womb. People know that there is a baby in this picture.
Pregnancy is not a disease.
Clearly, the vast majority of the public understands that abortion involves the
taking of a human life. Even many abortion advocates admit this. So, in large part,
they have now abandoned their first lie in favour of a primary claim: “The needs
and rights of a woman are more important than those of a fetus.”
So, we have to develop a new strategy.
There is an important lesson to learn from this. While efforts to educate the public
about the unborn’s humanity may help to motivate pro-lifers, these efforts will
have no effect on those who support abortion.
Some have hardened their hearts to the “fetus.” It may be human – biology forces
them to admit that much – but they believe the unborn child is less important than
the woman. End of argument. Nothing we can say will sway them from this
position.

Their concern is focused totally on the woman. Therefore, the only way to reach
them is for us, too, to focus on the woman. This point is absolutely critical for pro-
lifers to understand. We must change the abortion debate so that we are arguing
with our opponents on their own turf, on the issue of defending the interests
with our opponents on their own turf, on the issue of defending the interests of
women.
To do this we must begin to concentrate our efforts on exposing the second lie
behind legal abortion. That lie, which is the backbone of the abortion industry,
says: “Abortion is safe.”
The truth is the exact opposite. Abortion hurts women. It can cause irreparable
damage to a woman’s reproductive health. And perhaps more importantly, as
research has shown, abortion almost always causes psychological and emotional
damage. In many cases, this post-abortion trauma is psychologically devastating. It
can literally cripple a woman’s ability to function in normal relationships, with
family, friends, or even at work.
Abortion is never safe. "Safe abortion" is a myth.
Abortion is not safe -- nor it is designed to be. It’s designed to kill our own
children and is the most unnatural act in all of humanity. In fact, an abortion is
considered unsuccessful unless a baby dies. And his or her death is the most
violent you can imagine.
Vague phrases and politically correct words like choice, privacy and reproductive
health are used to cover the real horror of what abortion does. Using politically
correct words doesn’t change the fact that abortion kills a growing human being.
This little human located in its mother’s womb, is at a stage of development, just
like a toddler is at a stage of development, a teenager is at a stage of development.
I’m at a stage of development, as a senior. Just because we don’t see it, doesn’t
mean it isn’t there. If I was in a nursing home, you wouldn’t see me, but I’d still be
there.
UNDERSTANDING THE ABORTION MINDSET
Psychologists describe three levels of moral development. At the lowest level is
concern only for oneself. The “me, myself and I” thinking.
The second level is concern only for those close to you: family, friends, co-
workers, or even anyone whom you are able to tangibly see.

The third level is concern for all others, even in the abstract, even if they are
unknown, unseen – or unborn.
We, as pro-lifers, are operating at this third level. Arguments on behalf of the
We, as pro-lifers, are operating at this third level. Arguments on behalf of the
unborn are very effective with people at the third level of moral development.
To appeal to the concerns of those at the first and second levels of moral
development, however, we must educate them about the risks abortion poses to
teenagers and adult women. We must appeal to their concern for their daughters,
wives, sisters, and girlfriends.
In the case of the woman considering abortion, we must appeal to her concern for
herself. And let her know that there are options.
When faced with the turmoil of a problem pregnancy, otherwise compassionate
people often revert to the second or first level of moral decision making.
For example, the father of a pregnant fourteen year old girl is likely to focus his
concern on his daughter more than on his unborn granddaughter, whom to him is
only an abstraction. All he can see is this pregnancy “destroying” his dreams for
his daughter’s future, stealing from her all the opportunities of life still open to her.
Even if his daughter wants to keep the child, he may well insist on the abortion
“for her own good” because he thinks her desire to keep the child is just a juvenile
fantasy.
To reach people who think this way, it is not enough to give them facts about fetal
development. It is more important to give them facts about the destructive effects
of abortion on teenage girls.
They must be educated about the risks of permanent reproductive damage. Even
more importantly, they need to be educated about the impact of abortion trauma on
a young girl’s psychological development.
Families of pregnant teens need to be told that over 90 percent of women having
abortions suffer damage to their self-esteem. Nearly 50 percent of post-abortion
women begin or increase drug and alcohol abuse. In the years to follow, 60 percent
experience suicidal tendencies, with up to 28 percent actually attempting suicide.
Other problems include promiscuity, depression, flashbacks, concentration
problems, and dramatic personality changes.
Clearly, once a young woman is pregnant, it is no longer a choice between having
a baby or not having a baby. It is a choice between having a baby or having an
abortion; it is a choice between having a baby or having a traumatic experience
 
Over half of women, who suffer post-abortion trauma, report that they were
“forced by others” into unwanted abortions. It’s absolutely critical to educate these
“others” about abortion’s risks. By encouraging abortion, these “significant others”
are actually hurting the loved ones whom they are trying to help. Unless we can
educate the parents, boyfriends, counsellors, and medical community, women will
continue to be pressured into dangerous abortions “for their own good.”
We must never forget that our long-term goal is not to make abortion simply
illegal, but also unthinkable. To achieve this goal, we must change the public
perception about “safe” abortions. We must convince the public that even if
abortion is legalized, it is never safe.
Future generations will recognize abortion for what it is, “medical” butchery of
both the mother and the child.
Our dream is, that years from now, no compassionate person would ever encourage
a young girl to seek out an abortion because everyone will know of its physical,
psychological, and spiritual dangers. Only then will the lessons of our present
generation truly have been learned.
We need to make people aware that whenever one hurts a child, one hurts its
mother as well. And conversely, whenever one helps a mother, one helps her child.
Therefore, the solution to problem pregnancies is not abortion; it is compassion.
Research and education is needed to convince the public about the dangers of
abortion. This strategy will have many effects.
• Knowledge of abortion’s risks will decrease abortions. Family members,
friends, and boyfriends will become less likely to pressure a young woman into an
unwanted abortion “for her own good.”
• As the dangers of abortion become better publicized, more post-abortion
women will begin to recognize the underlying cause of their psychological
problems, encouraging women to finally reach out for help and begin the process
of psychological and spiritual recovery. This will not only benefit them, but it will
benefit the pro-life movement, as more and more post-abortion women begin to
join us in speaking out about the negative effects of abortion.
Once average citizens realize that women are being hurt by abortion, they
will finally begin to question why we are allowing abortions at all. Until now,
much of the public has been convinced by pro-abortionists that “abortion helps
women.” But once this myth is called into question, once the public begins to

wonder if abortion is actually hurting women, then the tragedy of killing unborn
babies for nothing, becomes more apparent. If abortion doesn’t help women, it
doesn’t make sense.
Pain after abortion is real.
Last May, men and women stood on Parliament Hill with the Silent No More
Awareness Campaign and spoke about their personal abortion experiences.
Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats are a safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts
broken by abortion. Here a supportive environment is offered, where women and
men can work through painful emotions and begin the process of healing. The
deepest feelings about abortion can be discussed.
The next Rachel's Vineyard Retreat is November 10-12 at the Galilee Retreat
Center in Arnprior. This is a wonderful opportunity of healing for those who have
experienced an abortion. For details about the weekend see
website
www.rachelsvineyardottawa.ca
As we witness God’s healing love and mercy, here on Bank Street, and in our
communities, together, we can work to promote the Culture of Life.
Information gathered from websites: http://www.abbyjohnson

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