I just read about another abortion survivor, 22 year old Claire Culwell. This story came to me from ProLifeBlogs.com and I am reposting it here in part. If you would like to read the entire story, please visit ProLifeBlogs.com.
Putting a Face To What You’re Fighting For By Claire Culwell
A year ago, when I was 21 years old, I met the woman who gave birth to me. I had always dreamed about the day I would meet her, and it NEVER involved the most significant part of it all…learning that I was an ABORTION SURVIVOR. She was 13 years old when she became pregnant with me and the only option she knew of (according to her mother) was abortion. She proceeded to go to an abortion clinic nearby where she had an abortion. A few weeks later she realized she was still pregnant and decided to go to an out-of-state late-term abortion clinic to have a second abortion. During her examination at the late-term abortion clinic, she was told that she had been pregnant with TWINS. One was aborted, and one survived. She was also told that it was too late to have even a late-term abortion. She decided to give me up for adoption when I was born two weeks later. If you ask her now, she will tell you that if she had known the results of abortion vs. adoption, she would have gone straight to the adoption agency instead. Putting me up for adoption (and giving me the best family I can imagine) was a life-changing decision for all of us.
Because of the abortion, I was born 2 ½ months premature and weighed 3 lbs 2 oz. I was on life support and had to stay in the hospital for 2 ½ months until I could be brought home. My hips were dislocated and my feet were turned (because during the abortion, the sac that held my body together was broken) and when I was brought home I had 2 casts on my feet and a harness. I was put in a body cast for 4 months, and I didn’t walk until I was over 2 years old. It still affects me even today.
It’s hard for me to even grasp the fact that I survived and my twin didn’t. I also know that I’ll never know what I’m missing because my twin didn’t make it into this world and what the world’s missing because of ALL the babies that don’t receive the same GIFT of life that you and I have. But it shows me the magnitude of life. Life was not meant to be taken for granted or played around with. Life is the greatest gift you can receive and give. The hard part is that so many of us (myself included) just go about our lives not realizing what a GIFT we’ve been given and forgetting about how many babies are not given this gift and opportunity of LIFE. . .
My birth mother, Tonya, my twin and I were once in the same messy situation as each of the women walking into the clinics across the nation. I hope that you will fight for the babies’ lives with LOVE because love (and grace) are the only reasons that I am here today after an abortion that was supposed to take my life and a second attempted abortion. I encourage you in your fight for the precious gift of life. . .
Let’s lovingly and respectfully continue to fight for life together!
Jill Stanek, columnist for WorldNetDaily.com and Jeff Emmanuel at RedState.com, have made a couple of fascinating observations about the hoopla surrounding the Pam & Tim Tebow Superbowl ad that had liberals in a frenzy leading up to Sunday’s game. I encourage you to read the full article, part of which is printed here:
It all turned out so well, I have a hard time making much of the fact that Focus on the Family’s Tebow ad, billed as pertaining to the pro-life issue, didn’t have anything to do with abortion.
But looking back, Focus never said it would.
In fact, Focus said it wouldn’t. CEO Jim Daly told USA Today on Feb. 5 the ad was “an open discussion on the sanctity of human life – not just the issue of abortion … [with] a bit of humor in it – in fitting with the Super Bowl theme.”
Focus gave exactly what it promised.
People like Jeff Emmanuel at RedState.com commended Focus for PR genius:
The job done by Focus on the Family and the Tebows with their much-publicized Super Bowl advertisement was nothing short of masterful. In fact, I’m not sure that word describes the level of mastery Focus on the Family showed with their domination of the pro-abortion left through last night’s ad and the public relations battles leading up to it. …In one fell swoop, Focus on the Family and the Tebows exposed the real pro-abortion left to a larger audience than, perhaps, had ever seen them in their natural state: as abortion-loving autocrats who despised choice almost as much as (infant) life itself – all without really having to do anything.
Yesterday, another Hollywood actress lost her life. Brittany Murphy died at the young age of 32. There are reports coming out that she may have dabbled too heavily with illicit drugs and also possibly suffered with body image issues. She was, from many’s perspective, dangerously thin. These kinds of demons, if the rumors are true, seem to plague many people these days, especially those in front of the cameras.
This news, however, has not seriously derailed the public’s obssession with Tiger Woods, and his growing list of alleged mistresses. His wife and 2 young children will forever be affected by this athelete’s actions and poor moral choices. Was the money, adoration, and seemingly ideal family not enough?
All of this makes me wonder. . .what is the world searching for, that they keep turning to drugs, destructive fame, fortune, and promiscuous sex, to find?
It was St. Augustine who wrote the words, profoundly true for our time and all time, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
I can’t know the exact circumstances of these two recent tragedies in the news, but I suspect that our culture, as a whole, is restless. . .and will continue to be until we all find rest in the Lord who created us for a relationship with Him.
I’m finishing up a Karen Kingbury book right now about a fictional high-school couple who, when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, chose abortion. It has really caused me to think about some things. As a pro-life advocate, and as someone who has peacefully protested abortion in various ways since I was a young girl, I think often of the pro-life/pro-choice debate from a political standpoint. As a financial contributor to crisis pregnancy centers, I think often of the good that these centers are doing and want to do everything I can to support those ministries. But as someone who has never faced a pregnancy that I didn’t want, I confess that I too rarely think of the women after their abortion and how they may be suffering and what I can be doing to support them, as a sister in Christ or as one who knows about a “peace that passes all understanding” in Jesus. Kingsbury’s book has helped me to ponder this.
As a culture, we are engaged in a battle for life. . .for the sanctity of life. And there is nothing that will deter me from standing up for those babies and putting my voice to use for them. I will never waiver in my belief that this is not a matter of a woman’s right to her body, but a baby’s right to life. But in addition to this passion of mine, I wonder if the women out there who have had abortions, and are now suffering regret, guilt, and pain as a result, know without a doubt that pro-lifers are also there to comfort and not to condemn. Speaking for myself, I understand that many abortions take place on young, naive, scared girls–ones who may have been deceived about what exactly was growing inside of their womb. Are we getting our message out to these women–the message of Jesus’ love and forgiveness, rather than judgment and condemnation? Are they suffering in silence, missing their child, drowning in guilt?
Today my heart goes out to those young girls or older women who have experienced abortion and are now living in regret. There are post-abortion healing ministries that operate for the very purpose of directing hope and healing to those women. I will pray today that any one that needs that comfort and love will find it through a local crisis pregnancy center, and if you are not yet ready for that step, allow me to share with you something you may not hear everyday, and I’m sure the Enemy tries to deny:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering” (Romans 8:1-3).
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
I pray that every time I fight for that unborn baby’s voice to be heard, I also remember the woman who may have made a regretful choice, and now needs to feel love, from Jesus and others, more than anything.
Ok, it’s official. One of my new favorite commentators is Star Parker, and she delivers another excellent, eye-opening article. In an article entitled, “Outrage over ACORN, but not abortion,” she wrote these observations and truths:
“The ACORN scandal shows that if Congress wants to act, it can. Within weeks of Fox airing videos of a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute being advised by ACORN ‘community organizers’ on how to evade taxes and set up a prostitution ring, our stalwart Washington legislators voted to cut off federal funds to the organization. But similar publicized abuses at Planned Parenthood — workers agreeing to cover up rape or earmarking funds to abort black babies — all captured on video and audio — produced no similar action in Washington to cut off funds.”
I had not thought of the disparity between how relatively swiftly ACORN was defunded after corruption and illegal activity was exposed there versus how little outrage was shown or action was taken when corruption and illegal activity was exposed at Planned Parenthood.
She then pans out and makes an observation about our culture in general.
“People all over our country are hurting and we are in widespread denial. A great lie has found its way into our national culture — a lie that has deadened our senses — that we can contend with life’s challenges in a morally relative way.”
And with regard to the health care bills. . .
“If we want to insist that a culture of responsibility means taxing one American to pay for another’s abortion we have a long way to go. But this is where we seem to be today. C.S. Lewis said ‘pain is God’s megaphone to a deaf world.’ It appears that even today that megaphone is still not big enough.”
My heart is heavy with the way our country is dividing lately. The issue of race is far too serious with which to be playing politics, and yet it is interjected into the cultural climate on a weekly basis. I am not speaking of those events that clearly and without question include racial biases and prejudices. I agree that those exist and are deplorable. What I am disheartened by is the increase in those who “cry foul” when none exists, inevitably creating a perceived victim and a perceived villian. It is the indefensible argument.
This was an email I received from Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council this weekend:
“Race Card: Sign of Desperation
Yesterday, the House voted 240 to 179 to censure Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) for saying the President was lying about aspects of his health care reform plan. What was more telling than the vote was the rhetoric that surrounded it. Those pushing to publicly flog Wilson avoided the subject at hand, the health care reform plan and whether or not the President’s statements were false.
Rather, House members like Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) used the opportunity to say Wilson ’s actions were motivated by racial animus. In an interview with CNN, Johnson said “I guess we’ll probably have folks putting on white hoods and white uniforms again and riding through the countryside, intimidating people. That’s the logical conclusion if this kind of attitude is not rebuked.” On ABC’s World News, referring to Wilson’s comments, Lee said “Hate speech can turn into hate crimes.
Working out of the Left’s classic playbook, former President Jimmy Carter, interviewed on NBC Nightly News, chimed in not only on Wilson’s comments but on the public opposition to the President’s liberal plans saying, ‘I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African-American.’ This is a classic move by the Left when they can’t win the policy debate; they try to marginalize their opponents by calling them racist.”
This weekend, at the Value Voter’s Summit in Washington, D.C. (which I watched through a webcast), Star Parker, conservative, columnist, and president of CURE, said, “Truth has no color.” Amen. What conservatives are objecting to is President Obama’s agenda and policies, not his color. What we are objecting to are his radical associations, his radical distortions of the U.S. Constitution, and the radical consequences for our country. What we are objecting to is his definition or interpretation of “truth” (or rather his watering it down).
Star Parker continues her thoughts from the weekend in an excellent article today from her website. In it, she says:
“Despite claims from our Democrat administration that it wants civility, it does not. It wants control.
This nation is already torn apart ideologically. In the last four months, we’ve witnessed two cold-blooded ideologically motivated murders. An abortion doctor shot in a church and a pro-life demonstrator murdered in a drive-by shooting in front of a school.
There are fewer and fewer ’self evident truths’ about which we all agree.
The current charade to paint ideological differences with our president as racially motivated dangerously pours gasoline on the burning embers of our differences.
But this is what Democrats want. They have lost the health-care debate on substance, so they want to make it emotional. They want to intimidate. And nothing intimidates and polarizes like race.”
Strong words, but I’m inclined to believe them. Everyone knows the story of the boy who cried wolf. What I fear is that the “crying wolf” about racial things will only yield an even more divided nation, one in which there are two extremes. . .one side that claims racism as the motivation for absolutely everything that they do not like and the other side that denies racism even in the face of clear evidence. Representative Joe Wilson is motivated by his passionate belief that President Obama’s health care plan is deceptive and bad for America, not by racism. The Tea Party goers and Town Hall protesters are motivated by their passionate belief that spending our children’s future is bad for America, not by racism. Yes, there are a few bad apples out there among them all, but by and large, this is a policy difference. And if we cry “racism” too many times for too many things that are clearly not, we may miss the times when it really is racism.
How many of us saw this headline covered on the news? “Report: Anti-Abortion [Pro-Life] Activist Gunned Down Outside Michigan High School” (source). How many blogs have we seen written about it? How many networks have brought us this “breaking news”? How many politicians have come out condemning this vicious and malicious murder?
But how many of us saw this one: “George Tiller Killed: Abortion Doctor Shot at Church” (source) How many saw so much coverage of this particular murder that we knew that those who didn’t see it had to be living under a rock? How many of us saw blogs that were nothing short of hero-worship of Dr. Tiller and slanderous of pro-lifers? Do you have any doubt in your mind that this event (yes, although tragic) was being used by the pro-abortion propagandists?
Need I go on? There is a blatant hypocrisy out there in the media, whether it be on network television, cable television, or print journalism. Abortion is too serious of a subject to be used for political propaganda and most pro-life activists are too civil and too passionate and heartfelt about the sanctity of human life to be treated with such disdain and to be the victims of so much hypocrisy.
Let’s not be shy to make our voices heard in the media and to our representatives and senators. Yes, we are misrepresented and de-emphasized many days, and that may be the way it goes for a long time to come, but let’s not cower or run for cover. Let’s keep standing up for truth, for those innocent babies, and for many of those women who are being used, deceived, and talked into something that will most likely haunt them for decades to come.
“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11-12).
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)
Satan loves to disguise what is corrupt and harmful as “good.” He takes what is good and perverts it just enough that it becomes clearly destructive on the inside, but still looks to be a “good idea” by others. It’s like a delicious looking bacon and cheese burger that ends up making you sick all night. And as we are approaching the end times, whether it be 10 years away or a thousand, we are seeing it more and more.
Need examples? What about sex? Sex is a beautiful creation by our Lord, but Satan has found a way (many ways) to pervert and distort sex to such a degree that millions are engaging in that act without the commitment of marriage first, but yet we are told in an almost-convincing way, “What can be wrong about expressing yourself through sex with someone you are in love with?” What about the family? The traditional family is being torn apart at the seams because what was good (a husband and wife raising a child) has now been called “old-fashioned” and discriminatory, and is being threatened by those wanting an alternative family (two men or two women raising a child) to be fully acceptable, and anyone who wants to call that a perversion is labeled “intolerant,” at the very least. It’s slipping into our culture, our everyday life, ever so subtly. . .or not so subtly. . .but make no mistake about the destruction it is causing.
And now I see it here in a video full of some of Hollywood’s politically active.
Now, let me preface, I am not saying anyone in the following video is evil. I am not saying that the liberal agenda (or Obama) is evil or of the devil. I am not saying that supporting the president is evil. What I am saying is that the subtle (or not so subtle) destruction of the traditional family. . .the subtle (or not so subtle) allegiance to a human being over God. . .the subtle (or not so subtle) unwelcomed and intrusive indoctrination of our young and impressionable students with godlessness. . .is the work of the Enemy, and these Hollywood-ites are some of the pawns he is using.
And notice how it (socialism, idolatry, indoctrination) is disguised as community service, commitment, humanitarianism, and environmentalism in this video. Satan takes what is corrupt and dresses it up with just enough appearance of good so that we are fooled. It’s the old frog-in-the-kettle story. We don’t know we are boiling to death until it’s too late. . .because the immoral is so subtle. . .and it looks so inviting. Take this video for example: What could one possibly have against helping others or working towards a better you, right (they will say)?
Make no mistake about it. If you show/feel/voice any opposition to this video, you faced being told that you are just against serving others or want to squelch the inspiration of others. See here if you don’t believe me. But that’s not what we are opposed to, is it?
Twice during the 4 minute video, I heard these statements: “I pledge to be a servant to our president,” and “I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama.” Are you kidding me?! Is it just me or would you be really uncomfortable pledging allegiance to our president, a human being? Are we really being asked to be “a servant” of Obama? I am not against community service–it is a big part of our life–but what I am against is giving any one man that much power, allegiance, and control over our individual life, and the spirit of this video is just that. The true motivation for us loving others and serving others ought to be our love for God and what He has done for us, not our love and worship of Barack Obama. Asking the country to care more about other people and lending a helping hand in unique and sacrificial ways does not have to turn into a video touting ridiculous political propaganda and hero-worship. But did you see how that was slipped in? Then again, what can we expect from Hollywood?
I pray for a day when those in Hollywood, so influencial in the United States (especially to our younger generations), will unashamedly stand for truth and espouse family values and a belief in God, rather than being used as pawns of the Enemy to destroy Truth by passing it off as good in whatever way possible. And thank you to those few that already do.
Today, we remember a very sad day in our nation’s history. We remember what evil is capable of if allowed to run amuck in a person’s heart and mind. We remember the innocent victims, the heroes, and their grieving families. We remember how “one nation under God” can put aside political partisanship and come together to turn to each other and our Creator for comfort, meaning, and redemption. May we remember– today, tomorrow, and for always.
President George W. Bush’s Address to the Nation
September 11, 2001
“Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices: secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.
The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.
A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America–with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could. . .
Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken [of] through the ages in Psalm 23: ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.’
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.
Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.”
Source: “We Will Prevail,” President George W. Bush, Edited by National Review
The other day I was at a library book sale. . .my heaven on earth. I was browsing in the Politics section for that perfect find–a new release hardcover from one of my favorite authors or commentators and all for the bargain price of $2 (never found one, by the way). A woman and her friend were across the row of books from me and I overheard the following statement:
“Partial-birth abortion is just a made up term in order to sound worse than it really is.”
I’m not kidding.
And I wanted so desperately to ask her, “Just what part of the partial-birth procedure is not EXACTLY as the name (aka “made up term”) implies?” But I didn’t. And now I’m blogging about it (venting about it) here.
I understand that not everyone accepts the name of this procedure–the AMA, for example, or Planned Parenthood (big surprise), which calls it an IDX, Intact Dilation and Extraction.
But what I take issue with is the complete spin that pro-choice proponents, activists, politicians and abortion providers perform here. If you are upset that pro-lifers are calling it partial-birth abortion (upset that we are calling apples apples instead of papayas), then tell me exactly and specifically where a partial-birth abortion is NOT a partial-birth abortion.
“This procedure is used to abort women who are 20 to 32 weeks pregnant — or even later into pregnancy.* Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn baby’s leg with forceps, and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is deliberately kept just inside the womb. (At this point in a partial-birth abortion, the baby is alive.) Then the abortionist jams scissors into the back of the baby’s skull and spreads the tips of the scissors apart to enlarge the wound. After removing the scissors, a suction catheter is inserted into the skull and the baby’s brains are sucked out. The collapsed head is then removed from the uterus.”
“The Congress finds and declares the following: (1) A moral, medical, and ethical consensus exists that the practice of performing a partial-birth abortion–an abortion in which a physician deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living, unborn child’s body until either the entire baby’s head is outside the body of the mother, or any part of the baby’s trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother and only the head remains inside the womb, for the purpose of performing an overt act (usually the puncturing of the back of the child’s skull and removing the baby’s brains) that the person knows will kill the partially delivered infant, performs this act, and then completes delivery of the dead infant–is a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited.”
Wikipedia says, “The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the terms ‘partial-birth abortion’ and ‘intact dilation and extraction’ are basically synonymous” (see original source here).
Do I need to go on? Would I have had to show this woman pictures and diagrams of partial-birth abortions to prove to her that babies really are partially born before they are brutally aborted?
I get frustrated when people would rather believe political spin than use their God-given intellect to acknowledge the facts. I get frustrated when I see on people’s Facebook page the day after Dr. Tiller, the late-term abortionist, was murdered, “flags at half staff in honor of a hero.” I get frustrated when people would rather hold on to things they incorrectly think are their “rights” rather than acknowledge that these innocent babies are born in God’s image and it’s their right to be protected. But I have to remember that God calls me to love, even those people that frustrate me. And I know that as much as he hates abortion, and as much as I believe he wants us to stand for truth, defend life and get actively involved to varying degrees, I also know that he also (not instead, though) wants us to love.
So I press on to love, even though I’m frustrated.
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