Pro-life blog buzz 9-12-14
by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN
- Pro-Life Action League is promoting the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children tomorrow, Sept. 13:
Of the 95 sites where memorial services will be held, 42 are actual gravesites of aborted children whose bodies were recovered from dumpsters and other improper resting places by pro-life activists.
You can find the location of a memorial service near you by visiting the list of sites.
- At The Catholic View for Women, Janet Morana thinks Wendy Davis‘ abortion revelation showed complications of post abortion grieving and the need for restoration and healing.
The pro-abortion activity and public confession of her abortion also serve as a powerful outlet for the complicated grief, guilt and anger that needs to be continually repressed… but struggles to find expression. Anti-abortion activists and public political activity that highlights our nation’s contentious struggle with this issue, become a convenient target for anger and rage at one’s spouse, self, God and others involved in the abortion decision.
Perhaps we can revisit the abortion filibuster of June 2013 and see in this very public action on behalf of abortion rights as being closely connected to her incomplete abortion healing. At great personal sacrifice she labors for hours on end, without food and water… to fight what she sees as draconian abortion restrictions. I would suggest that what was driving this display may be closely related to the abortion disrupting her body’s ability to go through the natural labor process… which she displaces onto a dramatic, lengthy and painful filibuster process.
- Pro Life 365 supports the Catholic Church in opposing IVF. Writing, “Let us consider just how quickly using this technology can, and already has spun out of control,” the author cites the real life case of Cindy Close (pictured left) to show he is not exaggerating.
Close was impregnated via IVF, with no biological connection to the twins she delivered. She thought she was going to raise them with the sperm donor, Marvin McMurrey, in a platonic relationship, but the couple ended up in court when he said he wanted sole custody to raise the children with his gay lover.
- Big Blue Wave remembers a fascinating court case in Tennessee 25 years ago that heard expert witness testimony from Dr. Jerome Lejeune of France. The judge became the first in U.S. history to affirm that “life begins at conception based on that testimony.”
- Pro Life in TN picks up the story on this groundbreaking case of a divorcing couple fighting over custody of frozen “pre-embryos.” The fight went all the way to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which disregarded that expert testimony and granted custody to the husband, who wanted the embryos destroyed. The legal opinion in that finding inspired the Tennessee ACLU and Planned Parenthood to sue the state to remove abortion statutes already in place.
What started with this historic ruling will be resolved this November when the people will vote on a constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to once again place regulations around abortion. This battle is gaining national attention.
- Jason Jones (pictured right) at Catholic Vote has a strong, no holds barred message for self-identified Catholics and other Christians who embrace the pro-choice viewpoint or trivialize abortion by putting it on the same plane as other social/economic issues:
As the father of a girl who was aborted against my will - and her mother’s will - one of millions of abortion’s unmentioned victims, I say: “No way.” I demand that my fellow Catholics who claim to be pro-life stop trivializing the legal execution of my preborn daughter by equating it with far-flung political issues that well-meaning people are free to argue about.
There are many answers to addressing the plague of poverty, many of which don’t even involve the government. There is one answer to legalized mass murder, and it does involve the government. Just as civil rights could only be enforced by government action, so abortion can only be stopped when doctors who try to perform them end up in chain gangs. Anyone who tells you different really doesn’t care about ending abortion. And it’s time that we called them out on it.
- Secular Pro Life features an article by pro-life feminist Caitlin Fikes that compares the anti-rape nail polish remedy to the issue of abortion:
However, many feminists and anti-rape activists have raised some very valid criticisms of the nail polish, its implications, and the kind of attention it’s getting. While the nail polish may indeed prevent some women from getting raped (and obviously, every rape avoided is a Good Thing), examining this invention in the context of rape culture still raises important concerns.
For example, every precaution that places the onus on women to employ an ever-growing anti-rape checklist raises the possibility of victim-blaming: should this product become widespread, whenever a woman is drugged and raped there will invariably be voices saying, “This could have been avoided if only she was wearing her anti-roofie nail polish. How irresponsible.”
What does this have to do with abortion, you ask? You may be surprised to find that there are many parallels between the criticisms feminists levy against this nail polish and the criticisms pro-life feminists raise about the prevalence of abortion.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
As the father of a girl who was aborted against my will – and her mother’s will – one of millions of abortion’s unmentioned victims, I say: “No way.”
OK so I am just dense? I asked this question on his website and was called a troll? If he objected to the abortion and so did the mother of the aborted child…how did the abortion go forward???
I’ve watched his testimony. His girlfriend was forced to abort by her father.
Wow, serious memories from law school flooding back right now– we studied that Tennessee case.
Yes the CEO of ACLU said in an interview that this lawsuit made her realize that if the justices thought that way they could die the state to throw put abortion regs and to their delight the justices gave them a bugger gift and established a broad right to abortion
Eh idk how I feel about this kindof stuff. Im old enough to remember the case of Marybeth Whitehead. If I recall correctly she was a surrogate mother who bonded with her baby in utero. She couldnt hand the baby over and she won in court. The parents hoping for the baby were crushed.
Now you have a lady who wanted to raise the baby with the gay sperm donor. Just one problem…now his lover wants them to have custody. sheesh what a mess.
Also Mary Beth Whitehead was one of the most hated women after the custody was granted to her after the fiasco.
Women have accepted the onus of total responsibility for birth control for decades, with a large percentage of them consenting to be chemically or surgically altered in order to (theoretically) increase their sexual availability. (This is one aspect of the second class status to which they have relegated themselves.)
The rape nail polish is a form of self defense. Feminists insisting that women not try to use self defense measures to prevent rape is ridiculous.
The feminists appear to have the idea that although people can’t seem to be taught how to abstain from sex, somehow rapists can be taught how not to rape.
hi heather,
Wasn’t it shared custody with the parents? The husband was the child’s father so I would think he’d have rights. I remember the whole controversy well. It actually got stupid, pointing out that Mrs. Whitehead was really Mrs.Whitehead. She dyes her hair. Well duhhhh, that makes her an unfit mother?
In all this controversy she became pregnant again, not by her husband, but got a divorce and I think married the man. The whole thing was very amicable, which is good.
It was thought this would hurt her chances in her custody fight but then, why would it?? She was the child’s mother and hadn’t proven herself unfit.
Hi Pharmer1,
We should all take the necessary steps to protect ourselves, whether its staying out of dangerous neighborhoods, securing our homes, and just exercising good judgment, like not picking up total strangers in bars.
Sorry, there is no getting around the fact the world is a dangerous place full of predators looking for easy marks. We have to take the responsibility to protect ourselves as best as we are able. And no, that is NOT blaming the victim. Its how you avoid becoming one.
Mary youre right. I think that was in 1987 so I was 16 or 17 but I do remember the constant news coverage. Youre correct and I had forgotten that the parents wanting custody…well yes the wifes husband was the sperm donor. Im not sure what happened after that. The girl is well over 18 now. Did the joint custody ever happen and how involved was the wife in raising the baby?
Susie Allen says:
September 12, 2014 at 3:09 pm
“As the father of a girl who was aborted against my will – and her mother’s will – one of millions of abortion’s unmentioned victims, I say: “No way.””
OK so I am just dense? I asked this question on his website and was called a troll? If he objected to the abortion and so did the mother of the aborted child…how did the abortion go forward???
Jason Jones has told his story many times. He and his girlfriend were in high school; her father pressured her into the abortion while Jason was away at army boot camp. Here is a 3-minute version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gko_JL9u8xA
Here is the 30-minute version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BldDA58z-WQ
Looks like SPL has devolved into “don’t read the comments”. They’re really something else…
“Looks like SPL has devolved into “don’t read the comments”.”
Yeah it’s been a rough few months there.
Susie Allen: As the father of a girl who was aborted against my will – and her mother’s will – one of millions of abortion’s unmentioned victims, I say: “No way.”
OK so I am just dense? I asked this question on his website and was called a troll?
Could it have anything to do with “Susie” being a rather unusual name for a “father”?