Author Archives: Matthew Wagner

Photoshopping Abortion

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

As I was perusing Twitter the other day, I saw a picture of a woman displaying a fire engine-red purse that was supposed to signify “pro-choice” fashion.

Somehow I don’t associate abortion with handbags. But I find that, increasingly in our image-driven world, abortion advocates are promoting paraphernalia to symbolize abortion. Pink tennis shoes immediately come to mind, since that was the footwear of choice for Texas politician Wendy Davis during her filibuster to prevent the enactment of common sense protections for mother and child.

Image of a baby at seven weeks

Image of a baby at seven weeks

And when the abortion industry is not accessorizing abortion, it is Photoshopping it. The aim is to crop the baby right out of the debate. The problem is, no amount of Photoshopping can conceal the stark, deadly reality of abortion: the taking of an innocent human life. Colorful imagery should not confuse us, obscuring the fact that abortion stops a beating heart.

Cleverly-designed portraits of “reproductive justice” also cannot erase the painful scars abortion can leave behind. Again and again, I hear from women who have silently struggled with the not-so-pretty-as-a-picture aftermath of abortion: in some cases, sterility; in other cases, substance abuse; in more cases than I can count, a flood of regret.

Through well-coiffed celebrities, the abortion industry tries to put an elegant face on abortion. Unfortunately, these stars cannot see the darkness that accompanies abortion — the lies, the denials, the violence. Only once in a while is the pristine imagery shattered by the horrific insider views of the abortion industry, as perhaps best demonstrated by the Kermit Gosnell case. (Gosnell was convicted in Philadelphia of killing three full-term babies and causing the death of a female patient. The grand jury suspected him of causing hundreds of additional deaths, but he could not be prosecuted for them, because he destroyed the records which could have led to more murder counts.)

Since major media outlets seem to be blinded by their own biases, it is up to the pro-life movement to shed light on the abortion industry every day that abortions take place. For the false images and to-die-for accessories will eventually fade away, as a majority of Americans come to realize that the freedom promised by abortion businesses is nothing but false advertising.

Why Support Made All the Difference to My Mom, and to Pregnant Women Everywhere

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

She was an only child, and both her parents had already passed from this life. Her husband was unemployed and she was struggling to take care of her year-and-a-half-old daughter. A number of her husband’s relatives expressed disdain when they learned she was pregnant.

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-newborn-baby-meeting-parents-looking-over-their-look-surprise-face-image34534465But then there was her mother-in-law — an immigrant with limited ability to speak English. However, she made her feelings intensely clear. Upon learning of my mother’s unexpected pregnancy, she took out a bottle of wine, raised a glass, and in her heavy Italian accent said, “Anne, I salute you.”

She was the one person who supported my mother’s pregnancy — a pregnancy which resulted in a premature five-pound baby girl — the girl who became the sister I so loved.

While at times she might have felt very much on her own, my mother was not alone. Her mother-in-law, father-in-law, foster-mother, and husband all helped in the child care responsibilities — enthusiastically so. She had a solid support network, despite some naysayers. And she proved herself highly capable of the task of raising two little girls.

According to researcher Dr. David Reardon, of those women who experience difficulties after their abortions, more than 80 percent report they would have brought their babies into the world if the circumstances had been better or if loved ones had shown support.

That means the vast majority of women who regret their abortions were craving help and understanding from those closest to them, but did not receive the assistance they longed for.

The pro-life movement is essentially a pro-support movement. I have known so many parents who have selflessly come to their daughters’ aid when they were facing unexpected pregnancies. I also know many women who have benefited from the pregnancy support centers which offer not only counseling but material assistance to pregnant women (For the nearest pregnancy center in Pennsylvania, call 1-888-Life-Aid or click here).

The importance of these gestures of love cannot be underestimated. For they can provide the bridge to a better future for these women and children. In fact, the outstretched hand can rescue a woman from the brink of despair, and save a child from death at the hands of an abortionist.

Or, raised in a toast, it can simply give a woman the courage to go on and fight for her child.

Wolf Administration Removes Pro-Abortion Link

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

Following an outcry from legislators and citizens throughout the Commonwealth, the state of Pennsylvania has removed a pro-abortion link from its website.

Mom-and-ChildPreviously at PA.gov, visitors who went to the Information page, clicked on Health and Wellness, then Women’s Health, were directed to the Women’s Law Project, a pro-abortion legal group which opposes any restrictions on abortion.

Now, the series of clicks brings visitors to a page encouraging healthy eating, exercise, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and other issues of interest to women.

While we are grateful that the state no longer links to a site which linked to abortion facilities, we must remain vigilant. The president of the nation’s largest abortion operation, Planned Parenthood, has stated that Governor Tom Wolf previously served as a “clinic escort,” accompanying women to their abortions. His candidacy was also endorsed by both Planned Parenthood and the pro-abortion group known as NARAL.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a pro-life state, and should remain one, despite the governor’s personal views.

Airplanes, Alzheimer’s, and My Grandfather’s Last Days

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My mind jolted to a stop last week as I read an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer about Barbara Bitros.

The 64-year-old woman is a former hospice nurse who doctors say may have early signs of Alzheimer’s. Bitros, an advocate for assisted suicide, has made plans to end her life because she is afraid of living with dementia.

She told the reporter:

“I fear the long, painful, humiliating process where you don’t know who you are or who anybody else is. Nobody should ever die like that.

“I want my grandchildren to remember me as a warm and loving person who’s still capable of reading them books and making them dinner.”

I felt a dark cloud of sorrow shadow my heart as I read her words, and my mind flashed back to memories of my grandfather.

When I was about 8 years old, I watched my grandfather’s life rapidly deteriorate because of Alzheimer’s. His dementia was doubly difficult because it was coupled with trauma from his World War II days. He was rarely at peace, even before the Alzheimer’s set in.

It was more than 20 years ago, but I still vividly remember those last days with Grandpa. Mostly, I remember the times when Grandpa played with my little brother. They often sat together on the kitchen floor playing with airplanes, balls, or tops. When they were together, Grandpa was calm and happy, and the whole family felt at peace.

Even when my grandfather went into the hospital, he connected with me and my siblings in meaningful ways. Grandpa often pulled out his harmonica and played us tunes from his military days. He didn’t remember who we were; he couldn’t read books to us or play on the floor, but we knew he loved us.

Brother

Had my grandfather decided to end his life before the Alzheimer’s, my brother never would have known him. My brother was only about 3 years old when Grandpa died, and his memories of Grandpa are few and vague.

But he remembers them playing airplanes together. Flying was something Grandpa always wanted to learn but never had the means to. Inspired by our grandfather, my brother worked hard and saved his money to begin flying lessons. He flew his first solo flight before he had his driver’s license.

Thinking back, I realize how meaningful my grandfather’s life was even in those last days. It’s why I hope Bitros won’t discount the value of her life, even as her memory fades. She clearly loves her grandchildren very much. I hope that she will see that, even with dementia, she can love and inspire her grandchildren just as my grandfather did.

Pennsylvania Governor Links Women to Pro-Abortion Website

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

The Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act states that the public policy of the Commonwealth is to encourage childbirth over abortion.

SadwomanThen why does the state of Pennsylvania link to a website that promotes abortion?

If you visit the information page on the PA government website, you’ll find a tab labeled “Health and Wellness.” Clicking there will bring up a number of options, including “Women’s Health.”

But if you click Women’s Health, you end up at the Women’s Law Project — an organization that opposes laws restricting abortion. In fact, the top item on the page’s resource list is “abortion and family planning.” Click on that, and you’ll be directed to a page that connects you with abortion facilities.

In this way, PA government has become an electronic portal to abortion.

Why doesn’t the Pennsylvania website link to a neutral site, one which disseminates information about women’s health topics such as heart disease and cervical cancer? Why, instead, does it link to a pro-abortion advocacy group?

The Governor should not use his office to promote a pro-abortion agenda. If he is truly concerned about women’s health, he will direct state workers to retool his website.

Planned Parenthood to Push Agenda on Pittsburgh Students

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America’s largest abortion provider is bringing its anti-life agenda to Pittsburgh schools.

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Public Schools board approved a memo of understanding Classroomwith Planned Parenthood to teach sex education to middle school students, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Several board members raised concerns about Planned Parenthood including its abortion practices and its history with eugenics, but the board approved the memo.

Though school administrators said abortion won’t be part of the curriculum taught in Pittsburgh schools, abortion is at the heart of Planned Parenthood’s agenda.

“Planned Parenthood’s bottom line is numbers. And, with abortion as its primary money-maker, that means implementing a quota,” said Abby Johnson, Planned Parenthood clinic director-turned pro-lifer.

Carol Everett, an abortion center manager who became pro-life, explains that abortion centers teach sex-ed in schools because it helps them create a bigger market for abortion:

“We had a whole plan that sold abortions and it was called sex education. Break down their natural modesty. Separate them from their parents and their values and become the sex expert in their lives so they’d turn to us. When we would give them a low dose birth control pill they would get pregnant on it, or a defective condom. Our goal was 3-5 abortions from every girl between the ages of 13 and 18.”

And when Planned Parenthood performs abortions on 94 percent of its pregnant customers, it’s pretty easy to see where its priorities are.

Why Disability Rights Groups Oppose Assisted Suicide

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The disability rights community is one of the most vocal opponents of assisted suicide.

Many news outlets stereotype opponents of assisted suicide as merely religious; but we who fight to protect people against the threat oPillsf assisted suicide come from diverse backgrounds.

It was refreshing to see the news website The Daily Beast acknowledge that in a recent article, “Why Disability Advocates Say No to Doctor-Assisted Death.”

Many disability rights groups say assisted suicide presents a dangerous double standard about the value of people’s lives.

Reporter Elizabeth Picciuto presented the following situation:

Suppose a good friend of yours says that she wants to kill herself. You, and most people close to her, would probably try to help her so she did not feel that suicide was a viable option. Suicide prevention would be the goal of the medical profession, of family and friends. Not, however, in the case of someone seeking physician-assisted death.

“The difference is your health or disability status. Then suddenly suicide is a rational decision,” Diane Coleman, president and CEO of Not Dead Yet, a disability-rights group that advocates against assisted suicide and euthanasia, told The Daily Beast. “We think equal rights should also mean equal rights to suicide prevention.”

Samantha Crane, director of public policy for the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, said the emphasis should be on offering better care, not death, to people who are suffering.

“People believe that opposition to physician-assisted suicide is a belief that it’s noble to suffer, or that people shouldn’t have the ability to control their care when they are seriously ill,” Crane told Picciuto. “That is not the basis of our beliefs. Our goal is to make everyone happier, and to make sure that they have quality lives and help them have access to everything they need so that they do not want to die.”

The full article is worth reading. However, the reporter’s bias does come through on certain points. For example, Picciuto claims that Americans strongly support doctor-prescribed suicide; but she fails to acknowledge that polls vary widely depending on how the question is asked.

This winter in Pennsylvania, two bills have been proposed to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. Click here to learn more.

Wolf Is ‘1st Governor in History’ to Be a Planned Parenthood Escort

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You can usually tell a lot about a person by the way they spend their time, and our new governor is no exception.

Gov. Tom Wolf

Gov. Tom Wolf

Since being elected, Wolf named a Planned Parenthood executive to his transition team and appointed a man who has been linked to Kermit Gosnell to his cabinet.

Recently, we learned that Wolf also used to volunteer for the abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

Earlier this month, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards proudly told a Pennsylvania group that Wolf is the “first governor in the history of this country who is also a former Planned Parenthood escort.”

For anyone who doesn’t know, Planned Parenthood escorts are volunteers who walk with patients from their car to the building, blocking them from pro-life sidewalk counselors. Escorts can be nasty, even abusive, toward pro-lifers and pushy toward the women they escort.

Their job is to prevent women from hearing about the other options and resources available for them and their baby. They don’t trust women to make their own decisions.

And that’s how our new governor, Tom Wolf, used to spend his free time.

We need to keep a close eye on Wolf to ensure that he doesn’t do in office what he did as a volunteer. Women deserve to know the full truth about abortion, their preborn baby, and the pregnancy and parenting resources available to them. Let’s hope that our new governor will have a change of heart and start trusting women with all the facts.

Reflecting on Abortion in Philly and Black History Month

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By Carla Ezell
Southeast Regional Coordinator, ezell@paprolife.org

Black History Month is a celebration filled with music, dance, and bright colors. The nostalgia of remembering our mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles who lived colorful lives comes to remembrance. We who are older tell our children and grandchildren about the great actors, mother_and_childwriters, doctors, lawyers, and inventors from the ‘30s and ‘40s who succeeded because they didn’t give up in the face of racism and negativity.

Four hundred years ago, blacks were treated as slaves with no human rights; but today through our hard work and determination, we are able to own a business of any kind and be a part of the political system that makes the laws of the land.

CarlaEzellhed

Carla Ezell

It has been a long journey, full of every imaginable emotion a man or woman can go through. Even though we have had so many accomplishments, we as so many other cultures have been fooled into thinking we can tell our young people it’s OK to kill a child in the womb.

As a Black culture, abortion in the past was not an option. We accepted the gift of a new child knowing the child may have been conceived illegitimately, even by incest or rape. It wasn’t the child’s fault. The child was welcomed as a blessing to the family.

Now we’re listening to organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL who promote abortion as a means to a better life. We’re fooled by Planned Parenthood celebrating Black History Month. The abortion giant never tells us that their founder, Margaret Sanger, was a eugenicist who believed people of color were inferior. Adolf Hitler admired her and structured the annihilation of the Jews according to Sanger’s teachings.

We are a culture that can keep secrets, but this is not the time for secrets. Our babies are being aborted at a higher rate than any other race in America. In my city of Philadelphia in 2013, the abortion count was over 15,000. No wonder the schools are closing. In the United States, more than 15 million Afro American children and 57 million children of all races are dead, and millions of women and men are walking around wounded.

Now, we’re going to be facing a bill in Pennsylvania that would legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. Seniors, the disabled, mentally and physically impaired will be targeted. Of course, the issue will be presented as humane; but in reality it’s cost efficient.

Unfortunately, we don’t know our power. We as Afro Americans have to take the time to call our leaders and tell them, we don’t want abortion or doctor-prescribed suicide.

We keep forgetting: Our leaders work for us.

Santorums Share Daughter’s Miraculous Story in New Book

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Every life matters.

That’s the message former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and his wife, Karen, are sharing in their new book, “Bella’s Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation.”SantorumBook

The Santorums’ youngest daughter, Bella, has Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder that is usually fatal. Bella has defied the odds, however. She is approaching her 7th birthday.

“(T)his book was really written for parents of kids with disabilities,” Karen Santorum told ABC News in a recent interview. “That’s why it’s so transparent. And — and it just — they inspire us. They’re amazing. You talk to each and every one of these parents, the message is that every person matters.”

Rick and Karen said they wrote chapters of the book separately, because they wanted to share both a father’s and mother’s perspective about the trials and joys of caring for a child with a disability.

The Santorums also discussed the pressure to abort that families often face when they learn about a preborn child’s diagnosis of a disability or fatal condition.

“(Bella’s) message is don’t look at her as a diagnosis,” Karen Santorum told ABC News. “Look at her and many other people like Bella, as a person. And don’t write them off just because of that diagnosis. Because, lethal language can lead to lethal outcomes.”

Bella Santorum’s life is an example of hope for many families facing a poor prenatal diagnosis. She is another beautiful example of why there’s always a reason to choose life!