On March 20, 2007, I published a touching email I received from reader Bethany about her miscarried baby, who she named Blessing. Bethany included photos.

With Bethany’s permission, I posted her note and pictures. Not only did that note lead to a lasting friendship between Bethany and myself, she also went on to moderate this blog for several years and many of you know and love her.

In honor of Infant and Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day today, Bethany mentioned that post on her Facebook page. She wrote:

This post about Blessing somehow became so popular that it has been the number one post on Jill’s blog, for years… and if you type “‘miscarriage” in google images, my baby’s picture is the first that shows up.

As a result, I continually get emails from women all over the world who have had miscarriage, and these pictures have helped provide them with closure. (This spurred me to write a book too).

Many of the comments Bethany receives on her post to this day are thankful. Sometimes moms just need to talk. And every now and then one of the notes is so sad, like this one that was posted on October 13. I’m breaking it up into paragraphs for easier reading….

Hi Bethany . I am 15 years old turning 16 soon . And I jus had an abortion last week Saturday , I was at least 6 weeks and 2 days pregnant . I really wanted to keep my baby because I had such a connection with it even b4 I new for sure that yes I was really pregnant . i didn’t get morning sickness or anything . I was jus going to bed early and waking up everyday at around 4 in the morning due to my baby’s movement .

Even though my boyfriend and I both wanted our baby our mothers thought otherwise . His mother made my mom change her mind and so my mom took me to get the procedure 3days later. My mom has gotten an abortion b4 when she was 19. And my boyfriend’s mother has gotten plenty. Thats why my mom’s telling me i will forget 1 day. But That night b4 my baby was taken away from me I sang to it all night like I used to and told it how much I loved them and how sorry I was .

Bethany , I’m the most sensative and emotional person ever I believe. Ever since last week I have been crying all day everyday at the thought of my inocent baby being gone . I think about my baby and how happy I would be if I could jus feel it’s movement inside me when I sing or rub my belly . And every night i still wake up at 4 in the morning and cry because i have gotten so used to waking up to a kick .Honestly I wish I would have seen your pictures before my procedure so I could show my mother what her grandchild looks like at 6 weeks . I bet she would have changed her mind and let me keep my baby . I’m very mature for my age and has been taking care of babies all my life . I jus dont have money to give my own baby everything it may want . Jus my care , love and affection .

I’m not sure  if its my mind playing tricks on me but I still feel as if my baby is still inside me sometimes . I guess I will find out and let you know when I go back to the doctor on the 29th . I wish I had my ultrasound picture of my beautiful little black dot .

Decisions last a lifetime don’t ever get an abortion you guys . No matter how old u r a baby is still a blessing . and I get teary-eyed everytime i see someone with a baby or pregnant with 1 . The three stretch marks I have will be all i have left . And when I become of age I may get a tattoo around it . Bottom line is I feel bad for all who miscarried their baby and the loss of my own Miracle .

RIP baby , I’m sorry and I do love you . I hope to see you one day. I know I would do anything to have my baby with me right now or at least feel it kick one last time .

Abortion is such a tragedy!

My thought is the baby was much older than 6 weeks, because this young mom has stretch marks and felt her baby kick…

by LauraLoo

Although you don’t know who’s behind it until the very end, President Obama’s reelection campaign released a new ad on October 12 attacking Mitt Romney’s position on women’s health issues, including cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eQGoQSOOM4[/youtube]

Email dailyvid@jillstanek.com with your video suggestions.

[HT: Jill]

Hey, girls (on film), he’s not just a pretty face! Duran Duran’s John Taylor seems to agree with many on Twitter, including Tawny Kitaen, who called Joe Biden an “embarrassing jackass.”

The consensus is that Joe Biden’s debate performance was disgraceful, from the creepy smirk to the cranky old man attitude, capped off by his shameful laughing at the issues.

Taylor goes on to say that he likes Paul Ryan, with one exception.

~ Twitchy Entertainment, October 14

Hard to choose, but here were my top five favorite political cartoons this week…

by Jerry Holbert at Townhall.com…

Yes, Barack Obama has taken Big Bird under his wing as a vital campaign cause, to the consternation of Democrat operatives and even Sesame Street, which asked the Obama campaign to pull this ad, which it has thus far refused to do….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxs09eV-Vc[/youtube]

by Eric Allie at Townhall.com, on the topic that Big Bird doesn’t exactly need our money…

 by Chip Bok at Townhall.com…

 by liberal Dan Wasserman at GoComics.com, a sense of the presidential campaign as we enter the final three weeks…

 and another view of the status of the presidential campaign from outside the country by ViewsAmerica at GoComics.com…

The one and only vice presidential debate of the 2012 election cycle was held this past week, and I’m sure Joe Biden’s inappropriate behavior has already been added to the historical list of “don’t do’s”…

While the Democrat base was “delight[ed]” by Biden’s performance, coming in the shadow of President Barack Obama’s abysmal showing, a CNN poll showed Paul Ryan “sailed” past Biden in the debate. Why? Observed Mary Kate Cary at usnews.com:

Biden’s constant interruptions, smirks, and eye-rolling grimaces backfired on a number of levels. First, he reminded the majority of people who don’t like Biden that they have good reason to feel that way. The split-screen image on television – and the 80 to 100 interruptions – really didn’t play well for Biden, especially with the women I’ve talked to today….

Second, he confirmed for voters the level of incivility in Washington under the current administration…. If the Democrats win, here comes more gridlock.

And while Biden may have helped disillusioned Democrats feel better about their candidate, last night’s debate did not change the trajectory of the race. Over the last week, the momentum in the president race shifted dramatically.  Real Clear Politics moved five swing states that were leaning Obama into the “toss-up” column this week, and Romney closed the polling gap in 11 swing states. Ryan’s performance confirmed for independents that he can handle being vice president, but Biden’s rantings did nothing to get those independents to vote Democratic.

With that, on with the cartoons…

by Bob Gorrell at GoComics.com…

 by Glenn McCoy at Townhall.com…

 by Gary Varvel at Townhall.com…

 by Chip Bok at Townhall.com…

 by Michael Ramirez at Townhall.com…

Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make victims.

~ Isaiah 10:1, The Message translation

[Political cartoon via secularprolife.org; click to enlarge]

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that a woman who dated [Brooklyn] Nets CEO Brett Yormark (pictured right) can’t sue him after she had an abortion.

Reyna Purcell claims Yormark promised to stay in their relationship and take her on vacation if she ended her pregnancy.

Purcell claims she wanted to keep the baby. She had an abortion in February 2011. Yormark ended the relationship shortly after.

Purcell sued Yormark last year. A judge dismissed the case, saying the promise was not in writing and attorneys were not present.

Purcell appealed. The appeals court on Friday upheld the lower court’s ruling, saying there is no legal recourse for ending a pregnancy and regretting the decision.

~ Associated Press, October 12

[Photo via Crain’s New York]

The media and feminists like to accuse Mitt Romney of being a flip-flopper on abortion, simply because he converted from supporting abortion to opposing it.

They also like to point out Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, don’t even see eye to eye on the issue, since the former has a rape and incest exception and the latter doesn’t.

And then we move to the Barack Obama/Joe Biden ticket, which, on the issue of abortion, is actually all of the above on steroids. Yet we hear nary a peep from the press questioning the vast inconsistencies.

I gleaned all the following points from National Right to Life’s excellent piece, “Biden-Ryan Versus Obama on Abortion Policy.”

While Biden has never called himself pro-life, he was at one point considered so weak on the issue a Planned Parenthood official stated in 1986, “Joe Biden moans a lot and then usually votes against us.”

In 1982 Biden voted for a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade, because, according to NRLC, he thought that Supreme Court decision had “gone too far.”

It may be hard to believe, given Biden’s statement during the October 11 vp debate that he “fundamentally disagree[d]” with Ryan’s rape/incest exception, that Biden once held that same exception. According to NRLC:

[T]hroughout his Senate career Biden voted for the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting most federal funding of abortion.  Indeed, Biden explicitly advocated that the Hyde Amendment should contain an exception only to save the life of the mother, and he voted repeatedly against adding exceptions for rape and incest to the amendment.

Biden also takes a much less radical stand in support of abortion than his boss, begging the question, “Mr. Biden, isn’t it hypocritical for you to criticize Mr. Ryan for supporting positions for which you yourself often voted as a U.S. senator – especially since your record is opposite the positions taken by Barack Obama on those same issues?,” quoting NRLC.

To wit:

• Partial Birth Abortion Ban: As U.S. Senator Biden repeatedly voted for the PBA Ban and against attempts to weaken it with a so-called health exception. After President Clinton twice vetoed the ban, Biden voted to override the vetoes. Meanwhile Obama opposed a similar ban as Illinois state senator and went so far as to attempt to raise campaign cash in opposition to the federal ban.
• Freedom of Choice Act: As U.S. Senator Obama cosponsored FOCA, a radical bill that would have overturned the PBA Ban and all other federal and state limitations on abortion. Meanwhile Biden “expressed concern” that FOCA “would go too far in overturning state abortion limitations,” according to NRLC. Biden repeatedly refused to support the legislation unless it included several exceptions.
• Hyde Amendment: For decades Biden voted for this annual rider that banned federal funding of abortion except to save the life of the mother. When attempts were made to weaken Hyde, Biden always rebuffed attempts to add a rape/incest exception.
• Born Alive Infant Protection Act: U.S. Senator Biden voted for it, Illinois state Sen. Obama voted against the identical version.

In light of all this, NRLC suggested another question for the debate, “Mr. Biden, since you yourself voted for several major types of pro-life legislation for a period of decades in the U.S. Senate – taking positions the same as Mr. Ryan on those issues — when exactly did you decide that those positions were ‘extreme’?”

Your thoughts on why no one seems to notice Biden’s vast inconsistencies on abortion and his opposition to many of Obama’s radical stands?