I’m at the 38th National Right to Life Convention and I hope to share so news and information with you as the day goes by. Stay tuned!
Click here for more information about the convention.
Category Maybe It’s Just Me, But…
General ramblings of an easily amused mind.
Choice of Words
Do you ever wonder why your choice of words is so important? It’s no secret that the battle between pro-lifers and pro-aborts have hinged on how words are used: e.g. am I pro-life or anti-choice; is it a baby or a mass of cells; etc. But sometimes, the carelessness of pro-lifers can leave an opening for the pro-aborts to challenge something good.
Many states already have laws that require women to have ultrasounds performed prior to getting an abortion in order to verify that the women are actually pregnant. These laws were passed because many abortionists performed D&Cs on women who were not pregnant in order to collect money for the abortion (see Carol Everett’s book Blood Money for more information).
But Oklahoma’s new ultrasound law states that women are to obtain “an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman, using either a vaginal transducer or an abdominal transducer, whichever would display the embryo or fetus more clearly….” Because of the stated allowance of the use of a vaginal transducer, the pro-aborts have been given an opportunity to claim that the law violates women by forcing “rape by implementation.”
Jill Stanek makes a good argument (click here for her article) that the instruments used in an abortion is more like rape than an ultrasound probe. However, my question is this: why even give the pro-aborts this opportunity to strike down a good law? It is estimated that 80-90 percent of abortion-minded women who see ultrasounds of their babies decide not to get the abortion.
Watch your words because words can win or lose a battle.
An Amazing Advertisement
I’m in Malaysia this week representing LCMS WR-HC Life Ministries as we finalize details for a grant to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia to start their first pregnancy resource center. Darin Storkson (LCMS WR-HC Director, Asia Region) and I performed a site visit of the proposed center location yesterday.
With a group of over 20 leaders, both clergy and laity, in attendance, we shared a presentation on the work of LCMS World Relief and Human Care as well as Life Ministries; and affirmed our biblical and Lutheran foundation on how we view the various life issues. You’ll be able to read more about this exciting project on the Life Ministries pages in the future.
What I want to share with you is an amazing advertisement in Thursday’s (April 8, 2010) local newspaper, the Sun, which is delivered daily to the hotel where I’m staying. The front page and page 2 are full-page ads for the same thing: a new insurance product called PRUmy child that offers pregnancy and infant coverage, health and education. One tag line is “Comprehensive protection begins before birth“; another states “Protection starts early, even before birth.” The product is being offered by Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad, a subsidiary of Prudential plc of the United Kingdom.
The advertisement features Malaysian recording star Sheila Majid. The first page of the ad shows Sheila putting one of her children to bed and the copy reads:
Before you were born, my love for you began. I want to protect my child for as long as I can, starting as soon as I can. Now that’s possible with Prudential’s comprehensive protection plan which starts early, even before birth! Covering health, financial and education security, all your child’s needs are taken care of. When love begins, now protection can too.
Page two of the ad shows Sheila holding an ultrasound picture of one her children and the copy reads thus:
From the moment I saw her, I wanted to protect her. From the moment I first heard her heartbeat, I wanted to be able to keep her safe. And now that’s possible with Prudential’s new plan, comprehensive coverage can begin early, even before birth. And it grows as your child grows, taking care of her health, finance and education. It’s a simple solution to all your child’s needs, from the people who understand.
From Prudential’s product website:
From the moment of conception, this tiny miracle has the power to transform the people around it. Fathers and mothers everywhere find their priorities reordered, goals refocused and their energies centered on ensuring the best for their child.
With this product, you can add an insurance rider to cover congenital conditions for the fetus if the baby is between 18 and 35 weeks into the pregnancy. While it’s not unusual for health insurance companies to cover babies in the womb for congenital conditions (as an example, click here to see Aetna’s policy for fetal surgery in utero), what is most impressive and exciting is the company’s willingness to talk about the baby as a human life from the moment of conception and recognition that the baby in the womb should be loved and protected.
Maybe it’s just me, but…don’t you wonder how long this irrational dichotomy can exist – pregnant women who want their baby know it’s a baby! They want safety and security for their baby! They have love and concern for their baby! Even the insurance companies are savvy enough to know that the preborn baby is a human life, or they wouldn’t be providing a product intended for the protection of that life! And yet, in the US, abortion-on-demand is legal during all nine months of pregnancy and you have organizations like the UN pushing abortion-on-demand worldwide as part of women’s reproductive health care.
Wouldn’t it be great if all insurance companies had the courage to make such a bold public statement? I applaud Prudential – I just can’t wait to see an ad like that in the US!
Although the Sun’s online version of the paper doesn’t have the ad, you can click here to go to Prudential’s product website to see a video interview with Sheila. Check back later to see if I’m able to scan the ad and post the ad here.
Values That You Support
In the wake of the passage of the abortion-supporting health care bill, there has been much discussion about what it means to be a pro-life Democrat. Some have said that the pro-life Democrats are our allies and are trying their best. But here’s a question for you: what does it mean when you support a politician or political party?
I am a member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and therefore I can state clearly that I agree with and support the beliefs and teachings of this church body. Does that mean I agree with what an individual LCMS congregation may teach? Maybe, as long as what they teach is in agreement with the Bible and with the main church body.
Well, I see it that way with political parties as well. I may or may not agree with what a particular person has done or said under the label “Democrat” or “Republican,” but I want to see if what they have done is in line with the larger group with which they claim to align.
So let’s look at what the party platforms of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee state. The party platform is what a politician supposedly supports while under its aegis. I would also assume that if you support a political party directly, or if you support a politician of that party, then you also support the party platform.
Let’s start with the platform of the Democratic Party. You can read the whole thing by clicking here.
The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions. (Page 50)
So, there you have it. If you support the Democratic Party or a politician who is a Democrat, then you also “unequivocally” support “Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion” and you also “oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.”
By the way, here’s a little bit of irony from the Democratic Party Platform:
Ending violence against women must be a top priority. (Page 51)
Considering an estimated 1.2 million babies are aborted in America every year and the US Census Bureau estimated in July 2008 that 50.7 percent of Americans were female, I think it’s safe to say that more than half of the aborted babies are female. How can you end violence against women when you also advocate one of the most violent actions that can be taken against baby girls?
In contrast, let’s read what the Republican Party Platform states about human life. Click here to read the entire platform.
Maintaining The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life
Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.
We have made progress. The Supreme Court has upheld prohibitions against the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. States are now permitted to extend health-care coverage to children before birth. And the Born Alive Infants Protection Act has become law; this law ensures that infants who are born alive during an abortion receive all treatment and care that is provided to all newborn infants and are not neglected and left to die. We must protect girls from exploitation and statutory rape through a parental notification requirement. We all have a moral obligation to assist, not to penalize, women struggling with the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy. At its core, abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life. Women deserve better than abortion. Every effort should be made to work with women considering abortion to enable and empower them to choose life. We salute those who provide them alternatives, including pregnancy care centers, and we take pride in the tremendous increase in adoptions that has followed Republican legislative initiatives.
Respect for life requires efforts to include persons with disabilities in education, employment, the justice system, and civic participation. In keeping with that commitment, we oppose the non-consensual withholding of care or treatment from people with disabilities, as well as the elderly and infirm, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which endanger especially those on the margins of society.
I understand that there other political parties in the US and some of them may also believe in the value of human life. I encourage you to comment here with examples of those parties’ platforms.
Meanwhile, I want to make it clear that I’m not advocating for any particular political party; it’s not the “label” that has my loyalty – it’s the foundation on which they stand that I support – that all human life has intrinsic value, regardless of age or ability. Ideally, what I wish for is that ALL political parties value human life and will protect it. When that happens, then we can get on with looking at the other issues that differentiate the various parties. But until that happens, the fact that one major political party in the US openly supports the ending of innocent human life should concern everyone.
“Do not put your trust in princes.” (Psalm 146:3a NKJV)
Is it Really Death with Dignity
The Washington Post carried an article on March 17, 2010 about a new book called “Imperfect Endings” written by a daughter, Zoe FitzGerald Carter, who helped her mother, Mary, die. Mary had been suffering with Parkinson’s Disease for 20 years and decided in 2000 that she would kill herself and she wanted her daughters to help. This book is about the last year of Mary’s life.
Other people mentioned in the article excerpt below are Guth, Zoe’s husband, and Sarah and “Katherine,” Zoe’s sisters.
Here are some excerpts from the article (click here to read the whole thing):
At a family Christmas celebration in 2000, Mary was still walking. But shortly after a series of painful writhing episodes (uncontrollable jerking and twisting common in Parkinson’s patients), she took to her bed, moving only to use the bathroom. Zoe was never sure whether movement had become too physically painful or just too emotionally exhausting, but either way it was around this time that the woman who had once strived to capture the perfect brogue started pursuing the perfect death.
… A volunteer from the Hemlock Society visited the house and suggested placing a bag over Mary’s head and having her inhale helium; a Dupont Circle doctor met with Mary and Zoe to prescribe the sedative Seconal after a consultation to assess Mary’s mindset. In a catch-22 twist of logic, he would provide a means to die only to someone who was not depressed.
“The scenario of her trying to choke down Seconal was horrifying, and the Hemlock Society was even worse,” Zoe says. She was horrified by the legal implications of assisting her mother — even tacit approval felt like too much — and she was horrified by the casual glibness with which her mother discussed dying.
… Her [Zoe] father had died in 1994; Guth’s had fallen seriously ill in 1995 before eventually passing away in 1998, which was only shortly before Mary began contemplating suicide. “We had seven years of losing parents,” Guth says. “How much time can you put into each process, and what are the consequences if you don’t?”
Zoe was horrified that her mother would no longer be living, or maybe “horrified” is not the right word.
She was sad.
“I didn’t understand why,” she says, “she didn’t want to stay alive and be my mother.”
… After months of discussion, Mary had decided to end her life not with helium or Seconal but by starvation. The family had been told she would die in a matter of days, but after a week her body was still strong, though she appeared smaller each day, wasting into nothingness. She suffered. She begged Zoe and Sarah — “Katherine” hadn’t come down after all — for their blessing to allow her to take morphine.
On a baking hot evening in the middle of July, Zoe, her husband and Sarah said goodbye at their mother’s bedside. To prevent themselves from being implicated in Mary’s death, they had decided not to be in the room when she actually ingested the drug.
Mary FitzGerald Carter died a few days after the night of morphine, on July 11, 2001. Her passing brought grief and peace, both in Zoe’s ongoing relationship with her mother and in her relationship with her sisters.
Do we fool ourselves to think that there is dignity in dying just because we choose the method by and the time at which we die? Is there really dignity in starving oneself to death (a painful and slow process)? Is there really dignity in putting a plastic bag over your head as your body reacts violently while you are suffocating yourself to death?
There is no inherent dignity in dying, no matter how it occurs. It is not natural. The fact that most of humanity resists and struggles against it to the end is evidence that God did not intend for death to be part of life; but because of sin, we do have disease and disability, and ultimately, physical death.
I cannot and will not speak to what the family went through that year, nor am I condemning them for the decisions they chose. I have never personally experience that kind of despair and can’t imagine how overwhelming the conflicting thoughts and emotions must be.
But feelings lie, and that is why we all need to consider caregiving options for ourselves and for our loved ones before we find ourselves in the midst of the emotional maelstrom that comes with end-of-life decisions.
Speaking 4 Life 