Good Counsel is an outreach and support for pregnant women in crisis. An excerpt from their YouTube video states their purpose:

Every day women are abused, neglected, and lacking in maternity care and support. But there is hope: Good Counsel’s door is always open for any pregnant woman in crisis. Since 1985 it has been a home to more than 6,000 mothers and children.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/BcNAxPIzAqs[/youtube]

You can donate to their work here.

Email dailyvid@jillstanek.com with your video suggestions.

On May 21, the Missouri General Assembly passed legislation tripling the length of time an abortion-minded pregnant mother must wait in that state before killing her baby, bumping it up from 24 hours to 72 hours.

Unknown is whether Democrat Gov. Jay Nixon will sign or veto the bill.

Is he does, Missouri will join two other states, Utah and South Dakota, with a three-day waiting period.

Abortion happy Huffington Post lamented such common sense laws. Supposed pro-“choicers” appear to fear mothers might change their minds if given any breathing room whatsoever to ponder the immensely consequential decision they are making. HuffPo added this interesting chart…

I asked pro-life statistician Professor Michael New his thoughts on this chart.

“It provides evidence of the great progress pro-lifers have made in the South and Midwest,” Dr. New responded in an email. “As recently as 2000 only about 12 states had waiting periods. Now the number is up to 27*.”

So now, more than half of all states require waiting periods before abortion. The number has jumped 225% in the past 14 years.

*The HuffPo chart lists 26 states, but it missed North Dakota, which also requires a 24-hour waiting period. I confirmed the inadvertent omission with Elizabeth Nash of Guttmacher.

by Carder

If there is a certain wisdom in the pro-life assertion that other rights become meaningless if the right to life is not upheld, then it is reasonable to assert that the right to life has little meaning if the earth is destroyed to the point where life becomes unsustainable.

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodríguez Maradiaga described the problem during a talk opening the Vatican conference. He described nature as neither separate from nor against humanity, but rather existing with humans. “No sin is more heartless than our blindness to the value of all that surrounds us and our persistence in using it at the wrong time and abusing it at all times.”

~ The progressive National Catholic Reporter Editorial Staff, declaring climate change as “the Church’s number one pro-life issue”, May 20

[HT: Fr. Z]

From Huffington Post, this afternoon:

Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis received a hostile greeting in Los Angeles Thursday morning, when life-sized posters depicting her as “Abortion Barbie” began popping up throughout the city ahead of her fundraiser there.

The posters say “Hollywood welcomes Abortion Barbie Wendy Davis,” and they show Davis’ face on a mostly-naked barbie doll with a plastic baby in her belly. Conservative pundit Erick Erickson nicknamed Davis “Abortion Barbie” earlier this year because when she was a state senator, she stood on her feet and spoke for 11 hours straight to filibuster a draconian package of anti-abortion bills.

Davis’ campaign told The Huffington Post that it spotted at least five of the posters in different outdoor places around the city, including one on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Davis is in town for a Hollywood fundraiser tonight, according Breitbart.com:

Hollywood superstars J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg are hosting the soiree, according to ABC News. The event, which will reportedly be held on the roof of Abram’s production company Bad Robot, costs guests $1,000 at the door.

The Dallas Morning News reported that a guests’ status at the event depends on how much he or she donates to Davis’ cause. A $10,000 contribution allows a party-goer to become a co-host; a $25,000 donation constitutes host status.

Turns out the poster’s funder is Texas conservative Kathryn Stuard.

I happen to love it. No justice, no peace, and it draws more attention to the late-term abortion queen of the Lone Star State.

But maybe I’m wrong. What do you think?

[Top photo via Huffington Post; other photos via mysanantonio.com]

On May 16, an embattled law finally took effect in Kansas that forced abortion clinics to provide a link to the state’s “Woman’s Right to Know” webpage.

This verbiage was mandated to precede the link, all on the abortion clinic’s home page:

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment maintains a website containing information about the development of the unborn child, as well as video of sonogram images of the unborn child at various stages of development. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s website can be reached by clicking here. www.womansrighttoknow.org

Three of Kansas’s four abortion clinics have complied, albeit with derogatory preambles or very small print.

But one has not: Planned Parenthood Overland Park, under the auspices of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri. As you can see, neither home page has the required verbiage and link.

Like I mentioned, the other abortion clinics have found creative ways to post the required information. Here’s how plucky Aid for Women added theirs:

 And you’ll need a magnifying glass to read the required posting at South Wind Women’s Center:
 

 Same goes for Center for Women’s Health:
 

 At least the latter three obeyed the letter of the law, if not the spirit.

But not Planned Parenthood.

The Kansas Department of Health & Environment is charged with enforcing this law.

Well?

[HT: KansansForLife.wordpress.com]

Gallup has just released it annual survey on the abortion question. This year 47% of Americans said they considered themselves pro-choice, and 46% pro-life:

In 1995, 56% of the public considered themselves pro-choice and only 33% pro-life. But the lines slowly drew closer until 2009, when for the first time a majority of Americans (51%) said they were pro-life. Since then, six of 10 Gallup polls have come down on the pro-life side. One poll showed a tie.

How various demographics shook out:

This poll also found 50% of Americans think abortion should be legal “only under certain circumstances.” Added to the hardline pro-life pro-life position, that amounts to 71% who think abortion should be restricted or outlawed, numbers somewhat close to the recent Politico poll, which found 80% of Americans want abortion restricted.

On the importance of a political candidate’s position on abortion, Gallup wrote:

The abortion issue seemingly has been sidelined over the past several election cycles as a series of weighty issues – including the Iraq War, the economy, and healthcare reform – have dominated political debate. It is thus remarkable that the percentage of voters saying a candidate’s position on abortion is paramount to their vote has not only remained constant, but has also increased slightly.

Finally, the Gallup poll found a candidate’s pro-life position held more sway with Americans than his or her pro-abortion position.

While liberals whine about puritanical Christians, there are truly dangerous religions to fear in the real world, particularly radical Islam.

This story is just one more shocking display of its evil depths.

Eight months pregnant Meriam Ibrahim, pictured above with husband Daniel Wani, is being shackled in a Sudanese prison for the crime of being a Christian. Her 20-month-old son Martin, also pictured above, is imprisoned with her.

Ibrahim has been sentenced to death by hanging, likely to be put on hold until her preborn baby is weaned, according to local law.

Ibrahim has been accused of apostasy, even though she has never been Muslim. Even so, what does that matter? Of course, a person should be free to choose whatever religion s/he wants, and whenever.

Ibrahim is also accused of committing adultery for marrying a Christian. For that her sentence is 100 lashes.

Here’s the story, according to The Daily Mail. It is a little hodgepodge, but all the who, what, where, when and why’s are in there:

Ibrahim , 27, [is a] doctor and owner of shopping mall….

Her feet are swollen from being shackled to the floor and she has been left bleeding….

Daniel flew to Sudan and this week saw her and Martin first time since she was thrown in jail in September.

Daniel, a biochemist, was born in war-torn Sudan but fled to the U.S. in 1998. He settled in Manchester, New Hampshire with his brother Gabriel.

Daniel says Martin is a U.S. citizen, but State Department would not confirm the boy’s legal status.

Daniel, who has muscular dystrophy, is not allowed to take custody of Martin because he is Christian and the boy is considered by law to be a Muslim.

Her father left her family when she was six and her Christian mother divorced him. But judges have decided that she should be worshipping Islam because of her father….

Initially Daniel studied at the University of New Hampshire and became a biochemical engineer while Gabriel worked two jobs to support him and to send money back home.

Daniel became a U.S. citizen in 2005 and his brother followed suit the following year….

They have three sisters including one who is a high ranking official in the Sudanese government.

Daniel got to know Meriam thanks to another of their sisters who knew her through the small Christian church they attended in Khartoum.

The sister played matchmaker and got them talking on Skype, leading to Daniel flying from his home in Manchester to Sudan to marry Meriam in 2011.

Daniel made a number of visits to Sudan to make the arrangements for his wife and Martin to come to America and on the last one, in June last year, things went awry.

Gabriel said: ‘There was a man who claimed he was Meriam’s brother, but she had never seen him before. He went to Meriam’s house and wanted to know why she was not a Muslim. He went to the police and accused Daniel of kidnapping his sister – he meant Meriam.

‘Daniel suffers from muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair so said it was impossible for him to kidnap her. He and Meriam were arrested and thrown in jail. Daniel was released but Meriam has been in jail since September…. [Photo below is of Daniel holding Martin in Sudan last week.]

‘Under Shariah (Islamic) law in Sudan, if your father was a Muslim then you are a Muslim, even if your mother was a Christian.

‘The first time Meriam knew about her father being a Muslim was when this happened.’…

Daniel has been highly critical of the response of the US embassy in Sudan and claimed that he was given no help until his wife’s story made international headlines.

Gabriel claimed that his brother went to the embassy in Khartoum three times and was told each time that the American ambassador was ‘too busy’ to see him.

Daniel has also been offended that he could have to submit to a DNA test to prove that his son is his.

Martin was born in Sudan and may be entitled to a U.S. passport because Daniel in a naturalized American citizen, though the process is complicated and not certain.

In her daily briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that consular assistance may be provided to Meriam but it was not clear how. She said: ‘We have seen reports identifying him (Daniel) as a US citizen.

‘We don’t have any Privacy Act waiver, so I don’t have any more details I can share.’

‘Such testing is entirely voluntary.  Submitting to testing does not guarantee the subsequent issuance of a passport.’

From RedState.com:

If the Obama Administration’s State Department refuses to take decisive action and fight for the freedom of these young Americans, it would be a dereliction of its diplomatic duty.

No one should face execution merely because of their religious beliefs.  Sadly, what Meriam faces today is a wave of growing persecution of Christians….

When we speak out, we can truly make a difference in these cases; but if we are silent, Christians will continue to suffer and die for their faith.

Thankfully, despite the seeming reluctance of the State Department, the American people are speaking out with a loud voice.  In just over 48 hours, over 150,000 people have signed a petition to free Meriam and her American son.  Sign the petition at ACLJ’s BeHeard Project.

That number is now over 200,000. Please sign. And express your outrage on Twitter (@StateDept, @BarackObama; hashtag options #SaveMeriam #Meriam #MeriamIbrahim #Sudan #Africa #Christian) and Facebook.

[Photos via Daily Mail]

by Hans Johnson

Decklen Maize was born May 13 at 22 weeks, the same as his sister Serenity last year, who did not survive. He was ten inches long and weighed just 14 ounces. A C-section had been performed at St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, California because of an umbilical cord prolapse.

The report from CBS2 in Los Angeles:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv4M-ANf0QI[/youtube]

Email dailyvid@jillstanek.com with your video suggestions.

[HT: LauraLoo]