Meet Rachel and Alora.  Their story, told by CareNet and featured in Live Action News is an amazing one on many levels.  It starts as many abortion stories do…Rachel made a series of mistakes in life, and now is facing a situation she feels unprepared for.  When her boyfriend finds out he is going to be a father, he wants to keep the baby but quickly learns he has no say and that someone is going to choose to kill that baby legally before he has a chance to meet him or her.

Thankfully, this is where the story takes a different turn.  First, she sees a picture of the baby when the abortion staffer didn’t turn the monitor fast enough.  She instantly knew that the life inside her has value and she couldn’t end it….which speaks to the amazing power of ultrasound.

This is where the story takes a scary (and potentially sad) turn when the abortionist refused to follow her demand to remove the luminaria he had inserted to dilate her and stop the abortion process (so much for her body, her choice).  Furthermore, when she left the facility and went to the hospital, even the doctors there couldn’t convince the abortionist to remove the luminaria causing her to dilate…the abortionist insisted on continuing to kill Alora against Rachel’s wishes.

Thankfully, this is where the story takes a turn for the better.  Rachel had coworkers who supported her, and they suggested she go to a pregnancy center.  They could have judged her for her poor life decisions, but instead they gave her the love and support she needed to save her daughter.  The pregnancy center was able to find a doctor willing to follow Rachel’s wishes and remove the luminaria.

This story has a happy ending, but so many like it don’t.  Imagine if Rachel hadn’t seen the ultrasound and gone through with the abortion.  She would’ve had to deal with that abortion, probably ending her relationship with her boyfriend, and they wouldn’t be married now with a beautiful baby girl…and now a second child.  Imagine the guilt and suffering she would have felt if that abortionist had his way and forced her to have an abortion she didn’t want.  Imagine if she hadn’t had the support and love of coworkers and the pregnancy center to help her get out of a terrible situation.  Of course, we don’t have to imagine…we know it happens all the time.

Bloomberg Business reported yesterday that abortion centers are closing at a record pace. By their research, 162 facilities have closed since 2011 (a rate of one business every two weeks).  Already in 2016, 9 abortion facilities have closed, or announced they will be closing.

The Bloomberg piece blames “Republican state lawmakers’ push to legislate the industry out of existence”, at least in part, for the drop off.  First, this bears a question of why these facilities (who like to refer to themselves as clinics) can’t/won’t adhere to clinical standards.  In fact, shouldn’t facilities performing a risky surgery like abortion that ends the life of one person, and leaves the surviving victim (the mother) with guilt and emotional scars that will last a lifetime (and may make her more likely to commit suicide), have to comply with basic medical standards?  Is it a bad thing to prohibit facilities like abortionist’s Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors” with blood stained floors and a feral cat walking freely through the halls and even in the examination rooms themselves?  Shall we keep allowing unsanitary facilities and add to the over 450 women who have died from an abortion?

Even if you want abortion facilities to be able to operate without any standards, the author argues that “state regulations that make it too expensive or logistically impossible for facilities to remain in business drove more than a quarter of the closings.”  That means almost 3 out of every 4 closings were due to some other factor besides these regulations.  In fact, almost 12 of those facilities that closed were in California, which is not exactly stringent when it comes to abortion regulations.

The reality is, a number of factors are contributing to this decrease in abortion facilities.  Some are closing because of industry consolidation or due to changing demographics.  A third factor is declining demand.  It seems these facilities are subject to the same laws of supply and demand as any other business, and as the general public’s perception of abortion changes, so decreases the demand for abortions.

The interesting exception to this trend is Planned Parenthood. The article notes that about one out of every three facilities closed were operated by Planned Parenthood, but ¾ of the facilities opened were under the Planned Parenthood brand.  The one factor that could possibly be allowing Planned Parenthood to reverse the trend of their other facilities may be the $500 million in taxpayer funds they receive every year.  It would be interesting to see how they would fare without that subsidy!

I have to admit, today is kind of an odd day for me.  Every year for the past 5 years on this day I celebrate the birth of my 2^nd son, Nathaniel.  In that sense, today is a day full of joy and celebration. Unfortunately, today also marks another much sadder milestone.  It was on this day 6 years ago that the Philadelphia police and the FBI discovered abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors” in Philadelphia.

Gosnell (I personally will never refer to him as “Dr.”) was suspected of selling prescription drugs illegally. However what was found in that building was far worse.  Blood stained the floors. A feral cat walked freely through the halls and even in the examination rooms themselves.  There were fecal remains in the staff food freezer.  A row of jars contained severed feet, including one which a mother who visited that clinic later discovered to be that of her pre-born child.

The unthinkable only became worse.  After interviewing employees, investigators learned that since he wasn’t very good at his job, and late term abortions are difficult, Kermit Gosnell took the “easy way out” and employed a tactic called “snipping”.  Women who came in for late-term abortions would be induced, live babies would be born, and then Gosnell would kill the baby by using scissors to sever his or her spinal cord.  The only consolation (if there is such a thing) is that those babies didn’t suffer as much as the ones he and his staff left struggling in toilets gasping for air.

I confess, I haven’t seen 3801 Lancaster: An American Tragedy which is the movie that was made to expose the horrors of Kermit Gosnell.  I have never understood the appeal of the genre of horror movies, and I’m not sure I have the stomach to watch this one.  There’s a showing of the movie in Upper Darby in a couple of weeks (tickets can be purchased here) and maybe by then I will gather the strength to attend.

The good news is, Gosnell is in jail and will never have the opportunity to wield those deadly scissors again.  The haunting question remains, how many victims could we have saved if state officials had not been so worried about inspections threatening “access” and more concerned about the woman they knew had died there…not to mention the countless pre-born babies lives lost?

So this is the context in which I celebrate my son’s birthday today…knowing while we spoil him with sweets, balloons, and presents, thousands of babies will die today in facilities not so different than Gosnell’s house of horror.  I will pray for each of those souls, as well as their mothers living with the guilt of what they did, and the staff at the facility complicit in the horror that went on there.

The world, not just the United States, was rocked by the news of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing this weekend.  Justice Scalia had the respect of people of all political persuasions as a legal scholar who loved the United States, especially its Constitution.  His voice on behalf of Constitutional principles, and especially life, will be greatly missed on the court.

The question now becomes, will President Obama listen to the words of his colleagues in the Senate in 2003 like Senator Schumer, and then Senator Clinton who argued that judicial appointments should be put on hold until the next President is elected, or is he going to nominate a pro-abortion advocate like himself and try to force the Senate into holding hearings and confirming his nominee?  Using past actions as a guide, it’s safe to think he will nominate someone and it will be up to the Senate to hold the line and not bring that nominee up for a vote.

Even if that likely scenario plays out, the battle is not over. We need to educate ourselves on all of the candidates running for President and which ones are pro-life and will nominate pro-life candidates for all levels of the federal bench, but especially the US Supreme Court.  However, it is not enough to educate ourselves…we must take that education and share it with others.  Make sure your neighbors, friends, relatives, and fellow parishioners know where the candidates stand on the pro-life issue and the importance of choosing life.

A young woman has just given birth to a child. She’s scared and alone. She feels as if she is not able to care for the child on her own. Thankfully, there is an option available to her–Pennsylvania’s safe haven law.
Every state has a safe haven law, although the particulars vary from state to state. A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. They must simply bring the infant to a safe haven location and make sure they locate a person to leave the child with. In Pennsylvania, the law says you can leave your baby, up to 28 days old, with an administrative, managerial or security personnel at any hospital in Pennsylvania. The baby can be brought in by a family member, a friend, a priest or minister, a social worker—practically any responsible adult.
These laws help prevent tragic stories of babies left in dumpsters or public toilets. The parents who committed these acts may have been under severe emotional distress. The mothers may have hidden their pregnancies, fearful of what would happen if their families found out. Because they were afraid and had nowhere to turn for help, they abandoned their babies. They are more and more important with the growing instances of forced abortion. They give the mother who is being pressured into an abortion (especially a late term abortion) a third option—not abortion, but also not keeping a baby the mother may not be equipped to handle for whatever reason. Every pro-life advocate should familiarize him or herself with the law, either by reading up on it at http://safehaven.tv/states/pennsylvania/ or by calling 1-800-510-BABY.

Who, or what, do you think of when someone says the word “hero”?  If you have young children like me, you may think of the super hero cartoons they like to watch.   On further reflection real heroes include our members of our military and our first responders—police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel.  I would contend however, there is another group that don’t come to mind right away, but are no less heroic.

Consider the unwed woman who finds out she’s pregnant and instead of choosing to avoid the coming shame and ridicule, chooses to protect the life growing inside of her without knowing quite what she’s in for, or how she’s going to manage.  Think about the parents who find out there may be something wrong with the child they are so eagerly anticipating and can’t wait to meet, but risk their own convenience to have the child and love him or her for as little or long as he or she is alive.  Another example of a hero is a woman who finds out she has a life growing inside of her as a product of violence…or one that finds out the child growing inside her may put her life at risk but carries out the pregnancy anyway. Finally consider someone at the end of their life and the heroic decision it takes to live life to its fullest and not take the easy way out.

Take it one step further though.  Firefighters, police, paramedics, and even members of the military can’t do what they do on their own…they all have the support of others.  Neither can the heroes of the pro-life movement.  The unwed mother needs heroes to step up next to her and give her the support, love, acceptance and encouragement she needs.  The parents of a child with possible issues needs heroes to give them the necessary support and encouragement, as does the mother making a decision that could mean giving up her life for another.  The individual at the end of his or her life needs heroes to help him or her handle their pain and prepare for the inevitable.

So next time you think of the word “heroes” think of these ordinary people making extraordinary decisions every day.  Also, think of the heroes who are supporting them and helping them make the right decision.  Finally, consider who you can be a hero to and help choose life!

We don’t often think about the unsung victims of abortion. The pre-born children heartlessly aborted are obvious victims, but there are others as well.
There are the mothers and fathers of that pre-born child who will spend the rest of their lives wondering “what if” and never knowing. In a recent interview on ABC News singer/actress Toni Braxton talks about how she is embarrassed to have had an abortion, even though it was many years in the past.
The other group of people who are victims of an abortion no one ever wants to talk about is those whose lives that child would have touched if he or she had been allowed to live. How many doctors would we have today seeking to cure cancer or Alzheimer’s if almost 58 million children hadn’t been killed prematurely. How many more nurses to care for the sick? How many more volunteers for local nonprofit organizations? How many more friendships, marriages, and other relationships were never formed?
Pro abortionists like to talk about “victimless crimes”. The reality is, there are more victims than one can even fathom when an abortion occurs.

One week ago, Wednesday, January 27th , was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This date was chosen because it is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland in 1945 where over a million people died.

It IS however, more than a little providential that this day of remembrance falls so closely on the heels of the anniversary of the beginning of our own holocaust here in the United States…the legalization of abortion in Roe vs. Wade. While we mourn the lives of the million people who were killed in the death camps, it’s equally important to remember the almost 58 million who have died here in the United States since 1973.

What makes the proximity of the dates even more providential is how the same illogic that was used to justify the murder of Jews in the 1940s is being used today by pro-abortion advocates to promote the genocide of the minority community. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, and many other pro-abortionists supported the idea of eugenics—the purification of the human gene pool, and argue even to this day that abortion is one way to do that. Perhaps that’s why almost 80% of Planned Parenthood facilities are so close to (if not in) minority communities. For more information about the black genocide, visit www.blackgenocide.org.

One week from today we head into another period of remembrance of our own holocaust here in the United State, 40 Days for Life. I encourage each of you to find a location near you at which you can participate here. Thank you for all you do to support choosing life!

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards is featured in an article for the February edition of Esquire Magazine. Besides feeling the need to spend some time in a decontamination unit after reading the article, there are a few particular points of sadness.

In the article, Richards several times references highlights of her childhood and even states at one point “It was a pretty wonderful childhood”. While it’s good to know she had such a great childhood, as pro-life advocates, it’s sad to think of the MILLIONS of pre-born babies who won’t get to enjoy such wonderful childhood experiences.

Richards also reminisces about organizing migrant workers in Los Angeles and says the women she organized are the same ones who count on Planned Parenthood. What she doesn’t address is the history of eugenics her organization (particularly its founder Margaret Sanger) has and their role in wiping out generations of minority pre-born babies.

Finally, Richards talks about how pro-life efforts by Congress are simply designed to put women in their place. She is wrong again…the pro-life movement is about empowering women so they don’t think of their pre-born child as a burden and ensuring they are empowered to choose life.

Overall, this interview can engender feelings of disgust, anger, or sadness. All one can really do is pray for Miss Richards that she will see the errors of her way and become an advocate for choosing life.